Fort Frederick, Stone fort in Port Elizabeth, South Africa

Fort Frederick is a square stone fort with 24-metre sides and 3-metre-high walls, begun in August 1799 on a rise above the Baakens River mouth and Algoa Bay. Its surviving parts are the powder magazine and a blockhouse that has lost its timber upper storey. The original armaments were two 8-pounder guns and a 5.5-inch howitzer.

British forces built the fort in 1799 to defend against French naval threats during the Napoleonic Wars. It then became the foundation upon which Port Elizabeth developed as a colonial settlement.

The fort's name honours Frederick, Duke of York and Albany, commander-in-chief of the British Army. Captain Francis Evatt, commandant from 1817 to 1847, is buried beside the fort; he oversaw the landing of the 1820 Settlers. Local lore holds that the fort is haunted by the ghosts of a Shakespeare play.

The fort is open daily from sunrise to sunset with no entrance fee and parking available nearby. You can walk freely around the grounds and explore the buildings and fortification walls at your own pace.

Despite its armament of two 8-pounder guns and a 5.5-inch howitzer, Fort Frederick never fired a shot in anger. The museum collection now holds a varied selection of muzzle-loaders from the later 18th century, and the fort is reportedly haunted by the ghosts of a Shakespeare play.