Canada Guide
Québec City
Artillery Park
Opening time: Interpretation centre open April– Oct daily 10am–5pm
Telephone: 418/648-4205
Website: www.pc.gc.ca/artillerie
Price: $4.90
Immediately north of the Porte St-Jean lie the defensive structures of Artillery Park, raised in the early 1700s by the French in expectation of a British attack from the St Charles River, and subsequently a barracks for the Royal Artillery Regiment for more than a century. In 1882 it became a munitions factory, providing the Canadian army with ammunition in both world wars. The foundry, added in 1902, now houses an interpretation centre, which has displays on the military pedigree of the city, including a vivid model of Québec City in 1808. It's also the starting point for one-hour guided tours ($3 extra) and visits of the site's four buildings, including the Officers' Quarters furnished as it was in 1830 and the massive Dauphine Redoubt. The latter typifies the changes of fortune here: used by the French as the barracks for their garrison, it became the officers' mess under the British and then the residence of the superintendent of the Canadian Arsenal.