- Type
- Fortress
- Origins
- 1673 · 17th century per Wikidata: founding, first mention or construction
- Location
- Ghana
- Heritage
- part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site (an old town or a valley, for example)
- Coordinates
- 5.5337°, -0.2111°
History
The fort was built in 1673 by the English Royal African Company as a trading post for gold and enslaved people, a short distance from the Dutch Fort Crèvecœur and the Danish Christiansborg. It was probably named after James, Duke of York and later King James II, who was then governor of the company, and the neighbouring district of Jamestown is named after him as well. From the colonial period until 2008 it served as a prison. Kwame Nkrumah, later the first president of independent Ghana, was held here in 1950–1951. In 1979 UNESCO added it, along with the other forts and castles of the Ghanaian coast, to its list of World Heritage Sites.
What to see
The fort stands above the ocean next to the Jamestown Lighthouse and is a regular stop on walks through the oldest part of Accra, together with nearby Ussher Fort. After a temporary closure for safety reasons, the tourism ministry reopened it at the end of 2025, but restoration is continuing and visitors may only use approved areas, with access by guided tour. Parts of the former prison are in poor condition.
Wikipedia article Wikidata Q5471403
Popularity: articles about this site in 9 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).