Fort Glamorgan

South Africa , South Africa

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Fort Glamorgan is a historic British fort located along the Buffalo River in East London, in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, established in 1848-1849 at the same time the harbor was officially founded to provide quarters for troops and include a large commissariat.

Named after the Earl of Glamorgan, who was Lord Charles Somerset's father (Somerset being the governor of the Cape Colony), the fort was used as troop barracks and to guard the supply line to King William's Town. The original fort consisted of a loop-holed wall encompassing soldiers' barracks, forage stores, stables, a hospital, and cookhouses, with a powder magazine located outside the perimeter.

Recognizing this as a mistake, the British built a new powder magazine inside the fort's grounds in 1856, constructed of Dolerite blocks with an arched roof, surrounded by a high wall and adjoining guard house. Today, the powder magazine is the only remaining building at the fort, located about 500 meters from the main gate of Glamorgan Prison, and access requires permission from the Department of Correctional Services since the fort stands within the prison grounds.

The building was named a National Monument in 1938, serving as a testament to the strategic military importance of East London during the 19th century and the series of forts the British established in the region known as British Kaffraria.