Recognized Federal Heritage Building

Black Hole Powder Magazine

Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia

General view of the Black Hole Powder Magazine, showing the architectural treatment and secure placement of the entrance, 1994.

General view of the Black Hole Powder Magazine, showing the architectural treatment and secure placement of the entrance, 1994.

Photo: Parks Canada Agency / Agence Parcs Canada, J.P. Jérôme, 1994.

Built
1790
Recognized
1999
By
Government of Canada

The register’s text, word for word

Description

The Black Hole Powder Magazine is buried in the earthen walls of the Bastion de Bourgogne at Fort Anne National Historic Site of Canada. The building is a rectangular, masonry structure whose visible presence at the fort is its above-ground, arched masonry opening that is flanked by a curved stone retaining wall. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage value

The Black Hole Powder Magazine is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental value.

Historical Value

The Black Hole Powder Magazine is associated with the theme of the British-French rivalry in the struggle for empire in the 17th and 18th centuries in Acadia. It is also associated with the re-discovery of Fort Anne by Prince Edward as a strategic military site. The major expansion of the fort under his direction in the 1790s represents the last burst of British military activity in the area. The Black Hole Powder Magazine is the only built resource to survive from this major period of reconstruction.

Architectural Value

The Black Hole Powder Magazine is a good example of a specialized military structure in the context of a fortification. Its character resides in the features expressing its status as a specialized military structure designed either for bomb-proof storage and handling of gun powder or the imprisonment of soldiers.

Environmental Value

As an integral component of the defensive work the Black Hole Powder Magazine is compatible with the military character of its fort setting and is a landmark at Fort Anne National Historic Site of Canada.

SourceHeritage Research Associates, Five Buildings, Fort Anne National Historic Site, Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office Building Report 97-092; Black Hole Powder Magazine, Fort Anne National Historic Site, Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, Heritage Character Statement, 97-092.

Character‑defining elements

The following character-defining elements of the Black Hole Powder Magazine should be respected.

Its specialized military design and construction, for example:

  • the simple massing of the rectangular structure.
  • the mounded earth cover.
  • the architectural treatment and secure placement of the entrance.
  • the curved revetment walls of rubble stone.
  • the vaulted bomb-proof construction of the passageway and the magazine roof that is comprised of a rubble stone vault with a slate-covered timber roof and thick earth cover.
  • the magazine’s ventilation system which consists of a slotted opening in the rear wall connected to an unlined masonry flue which terminates in a chimney stack extending above the parapet.

The manner in which the Black Hole Powder Magazine is compatible with the military character of its fort setting and is a landmark at the Fort Anne National Historic Site of Canada, as evidenced by:

  • its specialized military defence structure which is an integral component of the defensive work and which harmonizes with adjacent structures.
  • its role in the interpretive program at Fort Anne National Historic Site of Canada which makes it a familiar landmark to visitors to the site.

End of the register’s text

Location

Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, Canada

44.74334° N, 65.51651° W

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From the Canadian Register of Historic Places, as last updated on December 12, 2025. The register’s text is shown word for word.