Fort Frederick in

Port Elizabeth Gqeberha ( , ), formerly named Port Elizabeth, and colloquially referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipal ...

, South Africa, was built in 1799 in order to stop the

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

from conquering the

Cape Colony The Cape Colony (), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British Empire, British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope. It existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when it united with three ...

during the

Napoleonic wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

and played a vital role in establishing British rule in South Africa in combination with the

Battle of Blaauwberg The Battle of Blaauwberg (also known as the Battle of Cape Town) was a successful British amphibious operation during the War of the Third Coalition which lasted from 8–18 January 1806 and resulted in the capture of the Dutch Cape Colony. Af ...

. The fort has never fired a shot from its guns.

History

Fort Frederick was built in 1799 on a natural vantage point overlooking the strategic Algoa Bay. Named after Frederick, Duke of York and Albany, commander-in-chief of the British Army, it was built by troops sent to Algoa Bay to prevent a possible landing of French troops, under

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

to assist the Graaff-Reinet rebels during the

, which event is often regarded to be the beginning of the British rule in the

. The "landing with fresh water", as

Algoa Bay Algoa Bay is a maritime bay in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. It is located on the east coast, east of the Cape of Good Hope. Algoa Bay is bounded in the west by Cape Recife and in the east by Cape Padrone. The bay is up to deep. The harbour ...

was referred to, sits at the mouth of the

Baakens River The Baakens River, also known as Gqeberha River (), is a river that empties at Port Elizabeth's city centre and harbour in Algoa Bay. Bakensriviersa Geonames.org (cc-by) post updated 18 January 2012; database download sa 28 February 2017 The r ...

, the bay stretches from the

to the outskirts of modern-day Port Elizabeth. When the

1820 Settlers The 1820 Settlers were several groups of British colonists from England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, settled by the government of the United Kingdom and the Cape Colony authorities in the Eastern Cape of South Africa in 1820. Origins After th ...

arrived in Port Elizabeth, the fort was already well-established. The fort consists of the powder magazine and the blockhouse, which has lost its timber upper storey.Its original armaments consisted of two 8-pounder guns and one 5.5 inch

Howitzer The howitzer () is an artillery weapon that falls between a cannon (or field gun) and a mortar. It is capable of both low angle fire like a field gun and high angle fire like a mortar, given the distinction between low and high angle fire break ...

. The museum collection now also contains a varied selection of muzzle-loaders dating from the later part of the eighteenth century. Captain Francis Evatt, Commandant of Fort Frederick between 1817 and 1847 is buried next to the fort. Captain Evatt played an important role in overseeing the arrivals of the Settlers in 1820. Port Elizabeth sprang up around the fort.

Tourism

Opening times are daily, from sunrise to sunset and the admission is free. The fort is reportedly

haunted Haunted or The Haunted may refer to: Books * ''Haunted'' (Armstrong novel), by Kelley Armstrong, 2005 * ''Haunted'' (Cabot novel), by Meg Cabot, 2004 * ''Haunted'' (Palahniuk novel), by Chuck Palahniuk, 2005 * ''Haunted'' (Angel novel), a 200 ...

by the ghosts of a Shakespeare play.

Gallery

File:9 2 073 0006-Fort Frederick-Port Elizabeth-s.jpg, Aerial view of the fort. File:Port Elizabeth Fort Frederick, inside the fort, soldiers house on left and ammunition store in centre.JPG, Inside the fort, soldiers house on left and ammunition store in the centre. File:ZA-PE-fort-.frederic.jpg, Canons aimed at the harbour.

References

{{Castles and fortifications in South Africa Castles in South Africa

Frederick Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Given name Nobility = Anhalt-Harzgerode = * Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) = Austria = * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria fro ...

1799 establishments in the British Empire Buildings and structures in Gqeberha Reportedly haunted locations in South Africa

History

Tourism

Gallery

See also

References