Fort Beaufort
| Fort Beaufort | |
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The martello tower at Fort Beaufort
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 Fort Beaufort
Fort Beaufort
Fort Beaufort
Fort Beaufort shown within Eastern Cape
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| Coordinates: 32°46′44″S 26°38′07″E / 32.77889°S 26.63528°ECoordinates: 32°46′44″S 26°38′07″E / 32.77889°S 26.63528°E | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Eastern Cape |
| District | Amathole |
| Municipality | Raymond Mhlaba |
| Established | 1822 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 82.81 km2 (31.97 sq mi) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 25,668 |
| • Density | 310/km2 (800/sq mi) |
| Racial makeup (2011) | |
| • Black African | 83.6% |
| • Coloured | 12.9% |
| • Indian/Asian | 0.4% |
| • White | 2.6% |
| • Other | 0.5% |
| First languages (2011) | |
| • Xhosa | 76.9% |
| • Afrikaans | 15.4% |
| • English | 4.7% |
| • Other | 3.0% |
| Postal code (street) | 5720 |
| PO box | 5720 |
| Area code | 046 |
Fort Beaufort is a town in the Amatole District of South Africa's Eastern Cape Province, and had a population of 25,668 in 2011. The town was established in 1837 and became a municipality in 1883. The town lies at the confluence of the Kat River and Brak River between the Keiskamma and Great Fish Rivers. Fort Beaufort serves as a mini-'dormitory' for academic staff and students of Fort Hare University, based in the nearby town of Alice, and is also close to sulphur springs. Schools in the area include the historic Healdtown Comprehensive School.
The roots of Fort Beaufort is a mission station that the Reverend Joseph Williams of the London Missionary Society established in 1816. In 1822, Colonel Maurice Scott of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment constructed a blockhouse about three miles from the mission station as a military frontier post and stronghold against raids by the Xhosa under their chief, Maqoma. The British named it Fort Beaufort to honour the Duke of Beaufort, father of Lord Charles Henry Somerset, first British governor of the Cape Colony (1814 to 1826). After the 6th Xhosa War (1834–1835), Governor Sir Benjamin d'Urban authorised construction of a fort at the site of the original blockhouse. The new buildings included a military hospital, guard houses, infantry barracks, and officers' quarters.
In 1839, the British commenced work on what is probably the world's only inland Martello tower, a small, circular Napoleonic era design hitherto used only in coastal defences. The tower was completed in 1846. Today, the original howitzer remains mounted on the roof on a traversing carriage that gives it a 360-degree field of fire. The tower has been restored after having served for some time as a public latrine.
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Wikipedia