Canada Guide
Newfoundland and Labrador
Harbourside Park
Address: Water Street
Tiny Harbourside Park is the logical place to start a visit to the city for it was here – or at least hereabouts – that Sir Humphry Gilbert landed in 1583 to claim the island for England, thereby kick-starting the British Empire. Quite what the itinerant fishermen who had already been harvesting the Grand Banks for several decades made of the claim and the simple ceremony that accompanied it is unknown, as is the reaction of the Beothuks, if any were unwise enough to be hanging around. Both may have been surprised by some of the things Gilbert packed in his bags – hobby horses and Morris dancing bells "to delight the savage people, whom we intend to winne by all faire means possible". A series of historical plaques in the park gives all the background and behind are two bronze dogs, a Newfoundland and a Labrador. The early settlers were very reliant on their dogs and the Newfoundland breed, with its double-layered waterproof coat and webbed feet, was perfect for their requirements, though the Labrador – a cross between a Newfoundland and a Pointer – proved better for hunting.