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Centenary of Fort DenisonPrint Page Print this page

30-June-2016
30-June-2016

Photographs supplied by Sandra Brown

The plaque commemorates the centenary of Fort Denison (1857-1957). The original plaque was replaced in 1980. 

Fort Denison ( also known as Pinchgut Island ) is a former penal site and defensive facility occupying a small island located north of the Royal Botanical Gardens in Sydney Harbour, New South Wales, Australia.

In 1839, two American warships entered the harbour at night and circled Pinchgut Island. Concern with the threat of foreign attack caused the government to review the harbour's inner defences. Barney, who had earlier reported that Sydney’s defences were inadequate, recommended that the government establish a fort on Pinchgut Island to help protect Sydney Harbour from attack by foreign vessels.

Fortification of the island began in 1841 but was not completed. Construction resumed in 1855 because of fear of a Russian naval attack during the Crimean War, and was completed on 14 November 1857. The newly-built fort then took its current name from Sir William Thomas Denison, the Governor of New South Wales from 1855 to 1861.

 

Location

Address:Fort Denison, Sydney Harbour, Sydney, 2000
State:NSW
Area:AUS
GPS Coordinates:Lat: -33.854901
Long: 151.225615
Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.
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Details

Monument Type:Plaque
Monument Theme:Landscape
Sub-Theme:Settlement

Dedication

Actual Monument Dedication Date:Wednesday 15th May, 1957
Front Inscription

This Plaque Was Unveiled On 15th May, 1957,
By His Excellency The Governor Of N.S.W. Lieutenant 
General Sir John Northcott, K.C.M.G., K.C.V.O., C.B.
To Commemorate The Centenary Of Fort Denison. The
Construction Of Which Was Completed During The
                 Year 1857
The Original Stone Inscription Was Replaced By This Plaque In June 1980
 

Source: MA,H
Monument details supplied by Monument Australia - www.monumentaustralia.org.au