Lies in the Kat River Valley surrounded by magnificent mountains...

After the fifth frontier war between the Xhosa and the white settlers, in which the Xhosa were driven back across the Keiskamma River, the Cape Government decided to maintain the whole area between the Keiskamma and Great Fish Rivers as a buffer zone. Forts were built to maintain the peace and it was in this fashion that Fort Beaufort was built.

It was in the circular architectural style of a Martello Tower, commonly used in coastal defence of England and France. Fort Beaufort was the most effective of these forts as it was positioned between the banks of the Keiskamma and Great Fish Rivers in an extremely defensible position. During the eighth Frontier War it withstood an offensive by a full Xhosa army.

An amateur geologist and later builder of many mountain passes, Andrew Geddes Bain, built the first road from Fort Beaufort to Katberg in the north in the 1840s. During the construction of the road near Blinkwater he discovered a fossilised reptile, which he promptly named the ‘Blinkwater monster’.

Fort Beaufort Publicity Association
Fort Beaufort Historical Museum Durban Street Fort Beaufort 5720	Postal Address PO Box 396 Fort Beaufort 5720	Tel Number 09 +27 +4634 32094 09 +27 +4634 31555	Fax Number 09 +27 +4634 31841