Nine O'Clock Gun - The Cannon That Tells Time
Photo: BumFluff2009, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
A stop on Vancouver Cruise Day Walk, a free self-guided tour.
Inside this little cage on the waterfront sits an old naval cannon that still fires every night at 9 p.m. You can hear the boom across much of the city, and many locals set their watches by it.
The gun was cast in England in 1816 and arrived here around 1894. Its first job was to warn fishermen that Sunday fishing was over. Later the evening shot became a public time signal, helping ships in the harbour set their clocks. Today an electronic trigger fires it, but it's still loaded with black powder, and the lights overhead go out just before the shot.
It has fallen silent a few times, including during the Second World War. In 1969 engineering students from the University of British Columbia stole it and held it for ransom, which ended in a donation to the children's hospital.
From here it's time to head back toward downtown and Gastown.
Getting here: Walk east from the totem poles toward Brockton Point, about 5 minutes, to the caged cannon beside the seawall.
Did you know?: The gun went quiet for a while in 2022 and 2023 because of shortages of the right black powder.
Photo op: Frame the cannon through its cage with the Canada Place sails across the water.
Nearby: Use the facilities at the Brockton Point visitor area before the walk back.
More on Wikipedia: 9 O'Clock Gun · Stanley Park
Stops on this tour
- Canada Place - The Ship with Sails
- Olympic Cauldron - Vancouver's 2010 Flame
- Coal Harbour Seawall - Floatplanes and Yachts
- Lost Lagoon - A Lake That Was Once the Sea
- Stanley Park Seawall - A Lifetime of Stonework
- Brockton Point Totem Poles - Carved Stories
- Nine O'Clock Gun - The Cannon That Tells Time
- Waterfront Station - Where the Railway Ended
- Gastown Steam Clock - Whistles on the Hour
- Gaoler's Mews - Vancouver's First Jail
- Maple Tree Square - Where Gastown Began
- Canada Place Promenade - Back on Board