CIPA 2003 XIX th International Symposium, 30 September - 04 October, 2003, Antalya, Turkey
During World War II, Fort Henry became Camp 31, a Prisoner
of War camp for enemy merchant seamen, soldiers, sailors and
airmen. Today, Fort Henry continues to function as a museum
and an important national historic site
Parks Canada is the Federal Agency responsible for the
protection and promotion of nationally significant examples of
Canada’s natural and cultural heritage. Parks Canada
administers approximately 146 national historic sites on behalf
of the people of Canada, including Fort Henry. In partnership
with the St. Lawrence Parks Commission, Parks Canada is
responsible for maintaining the site’s commemorative integrity.
This is achieved in two ways; by ensuring the protection and
preservation of the fort’s valued cultural resources and by
educating Canadians and visitors about its national historic
significance. At Fort Henry NHSC, the St. Lawrence Parks
Commission provides high quality and informative
programming to visitors through guided tours, museum
displays, special events and the Fort Henry Guard.
2. PROJECT SCOPE
A core conservation activity, heritage recording
provides base documentation essential for the
development of options for any intervention to a
cultural resource. The information further provides a
sound basis for establishing an approach towards the
rehabilitation of the resource. In subsequent phases of
this project, private sector consultants will use the
heritage recording documents in the development of
the final design, tender documents, and drawing
package.
The Fort Henry NHSC is a grouping of individual
cultural resources: the Redoubt, the Commissariat
Stores and reverse fire chambers, advanced battery, the
curtain wall and demi-bastions, and the two branch
ditches and towers.
The heritage recording completed to date on this project
represents only a fraction of Fort Henry NHSC’s cultural
resources. Other site elements will be documented based on the
priority of interventions throughout the life cycle of the
rehabilitation project. In addition, specific areas of the fort’s
cultural resources are of concern due to their structural
instability. A monitoring program has been developed, using
survey and photogrammetry, to assist the engineers in their
understanding of present and future problems with the
structures at risk.
The heritage recording field recording team consisted of 6
recorders for a period of three weeks in the spring of 2002. Of
the six, there were two surveyors, one photographer and three
hand-recording specialists. Supporting the field recording team
for approximately 6 months were two Cad specialists tasked
with compiling the final heritage record.
Heritage recording was carried out in 2002/03 on the
Commissariat Stores and the Redoubt. In order to have a
better understanding of the Redoubt, Heritage Conservation
Services (HCS) conducted a condition survey and produced as-
found drawings and photos of the structure. The drawings
included a roof plan, an elevation plan of the parade square,
rectified photo elevations, longitudinal and transversal
sections. This information, in addition to input from Parks
Canada professionals including archaeologists and historians,
was used to develop conservation guidelines. Having a
thorough knowledge and understanding of a cultural resource
before proposing interventions is in keeping with the Parks
Canada Cultural Resource Management Policy (CRM), the
Fort Henry Commemorative Integrity Statement and sound
conservation policies and principles. For the Commissariat
Stores, a condition survey of the roof structure and building
envelope was conducted with the aid of as-found drawings and
photos. Elevation line drawings were produced of the
buildings showing window and door openings, mortar joints,
roof outline and chimney locations. A roof plan and typical
truss drawing were also prepared. As in the case of the
Redoubt, this information formed the basis for the
development of conservation guidelines for the rehabilitation
of these structures.
3. THE PLAYERS
In most comprehensive restoration projects the number of
partners, users and stakeholders is extensive and the Fort Henry
rehabilitation project is no exception. The two main partners,
Parks Canada and the St. Lawrence Parks Commission,
amassed a team of conservation specialists for the project,
including engineers, architects, heritage recorders, conservation
technologists, architectural historians, archaeologists, and
external conservation consultants. A project manager oversaw
all work to ensure program delivery and to coordinate client
approval of project scope, costs, schedules and project delivery.
In addition, it is Parks Canada’s commitment to ensure that the
public stakeholders play an integral role in the long-term
conservation and management of the site. Steps by Parks
Canada are presently being taken to provide a forum for
community input into the preparation of the Fort Henry
“management plan”. Other stakeholders include the Province of
Ontario, the City of Kingston, and concerned heritage groups,
to mention a few.
