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Every evening, the 9 O’Clock Gun belts out a thunderous boom across Coal Harbour and through Downtown Vancouver, an act from which its name is derived.
The barrel of the 9 O’Clock Gun was cast in Woolwich, England in 1816 as a 12 pound muzzleloader. Two crests are stamped into the cannon: King George III and Henry Phipps, 1st Earl of Mulgrave, Master-General of the Ordnance. The cannon itself does not fire any projectiles, but does still use a black powder charge which is lit electronically.
The gun arrived in Vancouver around 1894 and served as a means for nearby ships to set their chronometers as well as notifying fisherman of closings. As time keeping devices improved, the need for the cannon transformed from practical into a tourist attraction.
Located on the eastern shore of Stanley Park, the 9 O’Clock Gun is only a brisk stroll from the totem poles and faces the brilliantly lit Canada Place and downtown core.
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