Explore the past under the Caribbean sun at Fort Charles, a true relic of old Jamaican and British Naval history. Learn how the early colonies defended themselves against attack and see what nature can do to best-laid plans.
Fort Charles dates from the mid-17th century. It was the first fort built in Port Royal. After the city was seized from Spain by the British, Kingston itself would eventually have six fortresses, owing to its ideal location for surveillance and defense. Imagine the fort at its peak when it housed a garrison of 500 men and 104 guns.
Enter Fort Charles through a huge steel gate and notice a castle-like imposing wall, with antique cannons poking through the old archways. The wall surrounds a classic white two-story house with shuttered windows. This on-site Maritime Museum carries bits and pieces of old Kingston, pulled from the rubble following the major earthquake in 1692. Also inside is a recreation of Horatio Nelson’s private quarters, where he stayed for 30 months, and a collection of model ships. On the platform called Nelson’s Quarterdeck look for a plaque that solemnly reminds visitors that they are walking on the same ground tread by the famous naval hero.
Fort Charles was at one time in the shallows in the Caribbean, but centuries of silt build-up have placed it farther inland. Also on-site look for the bizarre Giddy House, a fairly ordinary brick structure built as an artillery store. It sank halfway into the ground in the 1907 earthquake. Venture inside and you may feel quite disorientated. The gun emplacement just beside was made lopsided in the same quake.
Along with the other sights of Port Royal, a visit to Fort Charles is an essential part of any tour of Kingston. The port was built first and the city, once notorious as a global hub of vice, grew up around it. Pirates, maybe even Blackbeard himself, called in here. Fort Charles is open every day except Good Friday and Christmas Day and there is an entrance fee.
