After numerous attacks, claims of ownership and changes of control, the town was finally ceded to the British in the Peace of Utrecht of 1713.

The town was renamed Annapolis Royal and served as the capital of the colony of Nova Scotia until it moved to Halifax in 1749.

Subsequently, the town drew its living from ship building, brick making and forestry.

[3] Having experienced a peaceful existence since the American Raid on Annapolis Royal of 1781, the town has conserved structures from all its periods with the exception of the years 1605 to 1707.

[4] The town presents a vast sample of maritime and Canadian architecture of the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries.