Things To Do

Stroll the ruins of a once-embattled stone fort, immerse yourself in a site where European empires once battled for control of a continent and discover stunning vistas stretching over a picturesque Atlantic harbour.

Welcome to Castle Hill National Historic Site

Transcript

00:01.17-00:02.94 : I grew up here in the Placentia area.

00:03.20-00:04.97 : I couldn’t have been much more than 7 years old.

00:05.88-00:08.38 : I think they were doing the excavations here at the time.

00:08.89-00:12.20 : I remember running down the old French trail for everything I could give.

00:14.13-00:17.03: I have lots of favourite spots at Castle Hill.

00:17.03-00:21.04: Like Gallardin, Fort Royal and the Detached Redoubt.

00:22.09-00:26.08 : I like cresting the top and seeing that “ta-da” moment

00:26.08-00:30.00 : especially if we’ve got fog rolling in over the town. That’s quite nice.

00:39.15-00:45.20 : One of the benefits of Castle Hill’s location is the proximity to the Marine Atlantic ferry

00:45.20-00:48.05 : in Argentia, which is about seven minutes away.

00:48.15-00:53.18: What surprises Castle Hill visitors are the forts.

00:53.18-00:56.21: They don’t expect the forts to be here.

00:57.05-01:00.09 : Castle Hill has several main themes actually

01:00.09-01:07.11 : Of course it’s all about the military history, the fortifications and how they were built.

01:07.11-01:11.04 : When it was Fort Royal under the French and Castle Hill under the English.

01:11.04-01:16.13 : Fort Royal was constructed by the French. It was begun in 1693

01:16.13-01:21.05 : and by 1701-1702 it was more or less complete.

01:21.05-01:28.07 : And with the Treaty of Utrecht, Fort Royal was signed over to the English, along with Plaisance.

01:28.07-01:33.00 : You get into the history of the fishery, because these are the reasons why these fortifications were built.

01:33.00-01:37.03 : The events that transpired here affected events that happened in Europe

01:37.03-01:42.09 : And these events actually ultimately affected the story of Canada.

01:42.20-01:47.10: The French influence in the region can still be felt.

01:47.10-01:54.22: French is spoken, and the street names are in both French and English.

01:55.07-01:58.00: My family is from the Gaspé region.

01:58.00-02:04.17: There are cliffs, the sea, the waves—even the weather!

02:04.17-02:10.23: There is a lot here that is very similar and speaks to me in many ways.

02:11.15-02.14.16 : My favourite artifacts here at Castle Hill would be the coins.

02.14.16-02.19.00 : Because it wasn’t just soldiers and forts, it was a full-fledged community here.

02.19.13-02.26.03 : We give people a chance to turn off the world and just experience the moment.

02.26.05-02.31.05 : The region is very unique in that it’s still got a lot of hidden gems.

02.31.05-02.34.05 : You can visit Placentia which has a lot of great amenities.

02.34.12-02.39.20 : You can also carry on down south, visit Cape St. Mary’s—it’s an ecological reserve.

02:40.11-02.45.10: I had an opportunity to visit many spots in Newfoundland.

02:45.10-02:53.21: The difference, and what makes Castle Hill and the region unique, is the French aspect.

02:53.21-02:56.02: Newfoundlanders are very, very welcoming.

02:56.02-02:59.18: If you want to have someone who feels like family.

02:59.18-03:02.12: Come to Placentia in Newfoundland.

Featured

Visitor Centre

Tour through the history and evolution of Castle Hill
Hiking

Take a hike through the grounds of Castle Hill into the historic community of Placentia