Beacon Hill's beginnings
Beacon Hill station was established in 1866.To say it has been a huge leap from what Beacon Hill started off as, compared to the modern amenities we have today would be an understatement.
The original signalman was posted on the hill to light a fire when he saw a ship approaching. Later he was given a barrel as a "bit of shelter" and it was considered by the harbourmaster's pilot staff as a cushy job. He had only to sit in his nice warm barrel as they rowed the pilot boat out to the ship. The phrase "your turn in the barrel" persisted up until fairly modern times to denote an easy night for the signalman on watch up the hill.
The original building was part of a chain of signal stations in the harbour. A ship would be spotted from Beacon Hill and a shape would be raised on the station's mast. This would be seen by the signalman at Mount Victoria who would in turn raise the same shape so that a watchman on the wharves would know what type of ship to expect.
Today, the expected ship movements can be sent in by radio, satellite phone, even email, and the communication within the harbour is by phone and radio instead of fire barrel and signals. The expected shipping movements can be viewed from CentrePort's website.
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| The original building at Beacon Hill |