Walk About Kingston with Martello Alley

Kingston is a beautiful city. It’s also very walkable. I often walk downtown and along the water, and see so many people taking in the warmth and charm of this city we live in. The part I enjoy most is the discovery of the art, historical plaques, and other points of interest.

As a public service to visitors and residents of our city, I decided to start sharing through a video log what I have happened upon.

Queen’s sculpture

For the first video I decided to highlight sculptures on the Queen’s University campuses. Information about the sculptures was obtained from the Queen’s University website ( http://www.queensu.ca/camplan/siteart/ ) I am including the maps as well as the details about the sculptures from the Queen’s website below. 

Our first video “Martello Alley Presents - Walk About Kingston” features sculptures at Queen’s University. You can see the video by going to this link. Here is the page: https://www.martelloalley.com/pages/walk-about-kingston-with-martello-alley-episode-1

For the second video I decided to highlight sculptures from the 1970s along the waterfront from Portsmouth Village to Confederation Park. So many people walk along this beautiful stretch of waterfront, and they pass by these five sculptures that I have highlighted. But how many people know about these art installations or the artists? 

I have included information about them, as well as sources of the information from my searches online. You can see that information at:

https://www.martelloalley.com/pages/walk-about-kingston-with-martello-alley-episode-2-that-70-s-vibe

 

 

For the third video I decided to highlight some the little secret works of art in the downtown. Some are new, and others have been there for years. Most of them are there in plain view, but most of us are unaware that they are there. The area that I cover in this walk is from the section of King Street East across from City Hall, around the corner of Brock Street, through Rochleau Court (also commonly known as Chez Piggy Alley), and up to Princess Street.

The artists featured are Barry Blunden, Stefan Duerst, and Yvonne Merton-Fox. Some of their works are attached to walls or hanging between two walls, some form part of business signs, some are garden art, and some are embedded in walls. You can see the video and read about these hidden gems and read about the artists here: https://www.martelloalley.com/pages/walk-about-kingston-with-martello-alley-episode-3-hidden-gems

So many people walk along and they pass by these hiden gems. But how many people know about these art installations or the artists?  

For the fourth video I'm featuring Martello Alley itself, and the ghosts stories that go with it. Research, illustration, writing and publshing were done by one of our newest artists, Everdello (Joanne Stanbridge).

So many people walk by these old walls and alleyways. But how many people know about the people who used to live here, the lives that they lived, or the ghosts still haunting these dark corners at night?  

You can read about the story and see the video by going to https://www.martelloalley.com/pages/walk-about-kingston-with-martello-alley-episode-4-ghosts-of-martello-alley

 

Enjoy your walk about Kingston as you take in the sights and sounds of this beautiful city. And don’t forget to visit us at Martello Alley. We are located at 203 B Wellington Street, just north of Princess Street. Just look for the bicycles!