Nine O’ Clock Gun

The Nine O’ Clock Gun at Stanley Park has been there for 107 years now. It is a 12-pounder muzzle-loaded naval cannon. An inscription on the gun shows that it was made by H&C King in 1816, and it is numbered DCLVII (657). The cannon was more than 70 years old before it ever got to Vancouver. In 1856, the British government gave 16 cannon to Canada, and at least three of those cannon got to the Pacific Coast. Two of them ended up at the entrance to the legislative buildings in Victoria, and got melted down in 1940 as part of the war effort. The third and surviving cannon is this Nine O’ Clock Gun.

In 1898, it was installed in Stanley Park and the first time it was fired was on October 5, 1898. It was originally used by the Department of Marine and Fisheries to warn fishermen of the 6pm Sunday close of fishing. Later on, the dynamite explosion was set off daily at 9 p.m. for the general population and to allow the chronometers of ships in the port to be accurately set. After 100 years of being in Vancouver, the cannon is now activated automatically with an electronic trigger that was installed by the Parks Board electrical department.  There is also a flashing fluorescent red light that goes off 10 seconds before the cannon fire to warn passers. The Nine O’ Clock Gun can be heard at Granville and Hastings five seconds after nine o’clock, in Marpole 30 seconds after that, in New Westminster a full minute after nine and in Mission, more than 3 minutes after nine.