Fort San Antonio

Fort St Anthony was founded by the Portuguese at Axim in 1515, which makes it the second oldest surviving European building on this coast after Elmina, and it stands on a rocky promontory above the town with the sea breaking below on three sides. The Dutch took it in 1642 and rebuilt it substantially, giving it the triangular plan and heavy bastions it has now, and it passed to Britain in 1872. Axim was a gold trading point before the traffic in people took over, and the fort served both. The structure is in reasonable condition with walls, gun platforms, cisterns and vaulted rooms, and the view along the coast is one of the best from any of the forts. It is part of the World Heritage inscription.

What you actually see

• The promontory position - the fort on its rock above the sea.
• Dutch bastions - the heavy angled walls of the seventeenth-century rebuild.
• Cisterns and vaults - the water storage and rooms inside.
• The coastal view - the shoreline running east and west from the walls.

When to go

November to March for the dry season and easier road travel west. Mornings are cooler. The fort is open daytime hours with a resident guide.

Honest expectations

Parts of the structure are weathered and closed off. Interpretation is entirely through the guide and varies. Axim is a long drive from Cape Coast and Accra. Facilities at the site are basic.

Nearby

Princes Town lies west; Busua and Dixcove are east.