Victoria Park Cannons

These cannons were war weapons fired in action during the Siege of Sebastopol of the Crimean War. The siege lasted from September 1854 to September 1855, making it one of the central battles of the conflict.

As a war fought in trenches, cannons served as a pivotal part of the battle stratagem for the British and their allies as well as the Russians.

As Russian forts and redoubts were slowly taken over, cannons and other battle paraphernalia were abandoned and procured by the victors. All three guns were brought to Canada after the British siege of Sebastopol in 1855.

Sir John Carling, a municipal politician who would later serve as London’s Member of Parliament in 1891, was the main instigator in procuring the three canons for display in Victoria Park.

The central of the three cannons is of British manufacture. The weapon rests atop a cast stone base with brick-and-mortar overlay. The cannon itself is cast iron. The additional loop on the cascabel indicates that this cannon is of the Blomefield design, characteristic of the late 1780s.

The 2 Russian cannons are cast iron and rest atop a cast stone base with brick-and-mortar overlay. The three cannons described above have been installed in Victoria Park for the same amount of time. Though their manufacturing differs, they are roughly the same size and have been mounted on structurally similar bases.