It is located at 47°33′48.96″N 52°40′49.60″W / 47.5636000°N 52.6804444°W / 47.5636000; -52.6804444, on the southern side of the Narrows, the entrance to St. John's harbour.

Apart from some family dwellings, Fort Amherst consists of a man-made harbour,[3] a lighthouse[4] and the remains of gun emplacements built during World War II to defend against German U-boats.

Two QF 4.7-inch B Mark IV* guns remain in place on their mountings.

[5] The original fortifications at Fort Amherst, built in the 1770s, are no longer visible.

[5] The fortifications were named for William Amherst,[6] who successfully recaptured St. John's from French forces in 1762.