Murney Tower
In French: Tour Murney
18 King Street West, Kingston
Murney Tower, 1898 and today
Drag across to compare. The two views aren’t taken from exactly the same spot.
1898: Public domain. Today: Photo: Carlb · Public domain.
About Murney Tower
Canada counts Murney Tower among Kingston’s 22 National Historic Sites. Construction of Murney Tower is recorded as 1846–1847. Within 400 m there are 3 more historic places.
The Murney Martello Tower, situated on a grassy berm on an open parkland site, is a massive, circular stone structure with a hipped corrugated metal roof set over a polygonal clapboard-sheathed gun platform. Inclining slightly inwards from base to parapet, the walls are pierced by three round-arched openings fitted with iron shutters and one iron doorway. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.
From the Canadian Register of Historic Places, Murney Tower National Historic Site of Canada · Open Government Licence – Canada · in the register’s words, not edited
National Historic Site status comes on the advice of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.
2 old views of Murney Tower
Made before 1950, from 1898: public domain or CC0. Tap one to see it full screen.
1898
1898From Wikimedia Commons, copied to our own server; some are drawings, prints or maps of their time. Each credit is in the viewer.
Make it a walk: 2 historic places in about 5 minutes
Kingston · about 200 m on foot, as the crow flies
- 1Murney TowerStart here
- 2Ann Baillie BuildingNational Historic Site · 200 m on
3 within 300 m
Every place on the record within this distance; each opens its own page.
Questions about Murney Tower
What is Murney Tower?
A National Historic Site: Canada designated Murney Tower in 1930.
Is Murney Tower protected?
National Historic Site status commemorates; legal protection, where there is any, comes from the province or municipality, or from federal ownership.
Can you visit Murney Tower?
As a museum it usually opens to the public; its operator sets the hours.
When was Murney Tower built?
By its record, Murney Tower dates from 1846–1847.
Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada (Parks Canada).
Sources: Parks Canada, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations · Canadian Register of Historic Places (federal extract) · Photos: Wikimedia Commons, each credited with its licence and copied to our own server · Wikidata (CC0) for map points, other names and articles.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).