The Hudson’s Bay Company’s licence for exclusive trade is not renewed, and three years later the governors of the Company sell the Nanaimo lands, buildings, machinery and mineral rights. 1855Ī large flotilla of Kwakwaka’wakw paddling from the north appears in the harbour, sending residents to seek refuge in the third floor of the Bastion, one of the few recorded defensive uses of the Bastion. 1853Ĭonstruction is started on the Bastion, which is completed the following year, in 1854. To protect miners and their families, a Company ship was anchored in Nanaimo’s harbour, however this expense soon led to construction of the Bastion. The first log cabins are built in Nanaimo and the first coal mining operation is established under the direction of the Hudson’s Bay Company. Today, as the city’s oldest structure and recognized Municipal Heritage Site, and having survived multiple moves, renovations and changes in ownership, the Bastion proudly stands as one of the most enduring and iconic symbols of Nanaimo. Nanaimo’s Bastion is the last remaining wooden Hudson’s Bay Company bastion in North America. Restoration in 2010 repaired and replaced some of the ageing parts of the Bastion, although the majority of the timbers and other components of the structure are original. The Bastion was moved again in 1974 when Front Street was widened. A contribution of $175 from the city saved the Bastion and it was moved across Front Street. However, by 1891, the land was sold and the new owner threatened to demolish the structure. Originally, the Bastion was situated on the present-day location of the Dorchester Hotel parking lot. Logs were cut and squared nearby and hauled to the site and gaps between the logs were filled with chinking (straw or moss mixed with clay or mud) to keep out the rain and wind. As nails were expensive, few were needed using this technique. The structure was built using basic hand tools: a crosscut saw, broad axe, adze, auger and pit saw. The tenons are inserted into vertical grooves in the eight vertical posts, while the bottom sill log was set on a masonry foundation. The Bastion was constructed using the pièce-sur-pièce technique which uses timbers laid atop one another horizontally with tenons cut on each end. Right: The Bastion undergoing restoration work in 2010. Today there is a display of the many kinds of objects that miner-colonists would have brought from Britain, as well as a display of the tools and construction methods utilized in building the Bastion.

The top floor provided storage for supplies but was also designated as a place of refuge for Hudson’s Bay Company employees and families. The bell above the door on the outside of the second floor was originally mounted nearby on a nine metre pole, and was used as a signaling device, principally to announce the time, as watches and clocks were uncommon. Along with the heavier cannons outside, their purpose was more ceremonial than defensive. As a defensive structure, the Bastion had two six-pount carronades for short range defense and may well have stored other firearms and gunpowder reserves. The second floor contains examples of the Bastion’s armament. Some of the key activities conducted in those buildings are now represented here through a display of trade goods and other Hudson’s Bay Company artifacts. The Hudson’s Bay Company constructed a series of buildings for specific purposes such as storage and trade. The first floor is a representation of the sales and trade operations in the 1850s. Please visit their website for the application form:, or see the colours in action with this Youtube Video: Interior The City of Nanaimo handles Bastion Light-Up requests. Cannon firings are cancelled until further notice.

Please check Google for the most up-to-date Bastion hours. Please Note: For the 2023 Summer Season, the Bastion will be operating from July 1 – September 4 with limited hours. The Bastion is a “must see” destination for visitors to Nanaimo. Today, this former Hudson’s Bay Company building is a symbol of Nanaimo’s history. While the Bastion’s timbers are original, the interior represents activities of the early mining post from 1853 – 1862. Today it is Nanaimo’s most recognizable landmark. Over the years, politics and land deals saw this sturdy wooden fort moved twice. The Bastion is an enduring local icon in the third oldest city in British Columbia.īuilt in 1853, the three floors of the Bastion were skillfully crafted using traditional wood working techniques by workers of the Hudson’s Bay Company.