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Fort St. Jago, Elmina, Ghana: a Conservation Study

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Fort St. Jago, Elmina, Ghana: a Conservation Study Fort St. Jago, Elmina, Ghana: a conservation study http://www.aluka.org/action/showMetadata?doi=10.5555/AL.CH.DOCUMENT.hyland001 Use of the Aluka digital library is subject to Aluka’s Terms and Conditions, available at http://www.aluka.org/page/about/termsConditions.jsp. By using Aluka, you agree that you have read and will abide by the Terms and Conditions. Among other things, the Terms and Conditions provide that the content in the Aluka digital library is only for personal, non-commercial use by authorized users of Aluka in connection with research, scholarship, and education. The content in the Aluka digital library is subject to copyright, with the exception of certain governmental works and very old materials that may be in the public domain under applicable law. Permission must be sought from Aluka and/or the applicable copyright holder in connection with any duplication or distribution of these materials where required by applicable law. Aluka is a not-for-profit initiative dedicated to creating and preserving a digital archive of materials about and from the developing world. For more information about Aluka, please see http://www.aluka.org Fort St. Jago, Elmina, Ghana: a conservation study Author/Creator Hyland, Anthony David Charles Date 1979 Resource type Dissertations Language English Subject Coverage (spatial) Volta-Tano Watershed, Ghana, Elmina, Fort St. Jago Rights By kind permission of Anthony David Charles Hyland. Description A detailed assessment of Elmina Fort in 1979 within the context of Ghana's emerging conservation movement at that time. It also describes the nearby town of Elmina, and the use of the fort at the time. It concludes with recommendations on how the fort can be conserved and used in the future. Format extent 125 pages (length/size) http://www.aluka.org/action/showMetadata?doi=10.5555/AL.CH.DOCUMENT.hyland001 http://www.aluka.org FORT FORT ELM*INA GHANA ST JAGO For the Diploma in Conservation Studies, Institute of Advanced Architectural Studies FORT ST JAGO ELMINA GHANA A CONSERVATION STUDY Anthony D C Hyland University of York 1979 I- 6*A *Wft ., k o k, 1 -ad ...,-. ~z W4 - ~a\ I 1 Frontispiece: View of Elmina from across the bay. 4^ CONTENTS Table of Contents Table of Illustrations Acknowledgements Abstract of Dissertation Preface Chapter 1 Introduction: Changing Attitudes to Conservation in Ghana. 5 Chapter 2 The Town of Elmina. 11 Chapter 3 The Historical Development of Fort St Jago. 27 Chapter 4 Architectural Description of the Fort. 43 Chapter 5 The present use and condition of the building. 55 Chapter 6 The future of Fort St Jago 61 Chapter 7 Recommendations. 80 Bibliography and Sources 95 Appendices: I Coastal forts and castles of Ghana, listed in chronological order of foundation. II Coastal forts and castles of Ghana: summary of O'Neil's Report of 1951. III Coastal forts and castles of Ghana: present condition and use. IV The English invasion of Elmina, 1782. V O'Neil's description of and recommendations for Fort St Jago, 1951. VI Measured drawings of Fort St Jago, 1978/79. VII The present use of the Fort as a resthouse - the results of a questionnaire. VIII Design drawings for the restoration and rehabilitation of Fort St Jago. ILLUSTRATIONS 1 Frontispiece: View of Elmina from across the bay. Figures, photographs and drawings in the text: 2 Casteel del Mina, drawing from Dapper, 1668. 3 Fort St Jago, from the lagoon. (Photograph (C) Niels Bech). 4 Town Plan of Elmina. 5 View of Fort St Jago from St Joseph's Hill. (Photograph (C) Niels Bech). 6 Portulan by Pedro Reinel, c 1535, with a drawing of St George's Castle. (NMM, Dept of Navigation, 213: 2/). 7 Drawing of Elaina, dated 1603. This fanciful drawing bears little relationship to the actual appearance of the castle and the town in the Portuguese period: it does, however, shew the chapel on St Jago Hill. (NMM, Dept of Navigation, 241: b/I). 8. Plan of the castle and town of Elmina, after Commersteijn, c 1640. This plan shews the first Dutch redoubt on St Jago Hill. (AR, 619/77). 9 Plan of the town of Elmina, byJ C Bergeman, 1799. (AR, 781). 10 View of Elmina, on the approach from Cape Coast: coloured aquatint by W Bartels, 1845. (NM, Dept of Pictures, 80 D 76 R 82, neg 248). 11 Bombardment of the old town of Elmina, 14 June 1873. (Illustrated London News, 19 July 1873, p 68). 12 View of Fort St Jago from the Castle, c 1900. (After a photograph by Rissink in the CNO Collection, The Hague). 13 Elmina: Admiralty map of 1898. (BI./ML, SEC 11: 1713). 14 Asafo Company headquarters, Dutch Cemetry Lane, Elmina. 15 Map of Ghana showing forts and castles. 16 Drawing of St George's Castle and Fort St Jago, 1665. (From Prince Eugen's Atlas, Vienna). 17 Gross Friedrichsburg, Princes Town: Plan (after Lawrence). 18 English fort, Komenda: Plan (after Lawrence). 19 Tilbury Fort, Essex: aerial view. (Photograph (C) Aerofilms Ltd). 20 Fort St Sebastian, Shana: Plan (after Lawrence). 21 Prospect of St George's Castle, with a view of Fort St Jago, 1682: engraving by Kip, after Barbot. (NNN, Dept of Pictures, 80 I 76 R 82 a). 22 Drawing of an elephant in the garden at Elmina, 1700. (after Bosman). 23 Ground Plan of Fort St Jago, by Trenks, 1774. (AR,780). 24 Plan of Fort St Jago, by C.F. Gevers, 1830. (AR, 25 Ground Plan of Fort St Jago, by M Jones, 1880. (PRO, MPG 1029). 26 Upper Floor Plans of Fort St Jago, by M Jones, 1882. (PRO, MPG 1029). 27 Plans of Fort St Jago in use as a hospital during the Second World War. (after plans in the National Museum, Accra). 28 The approach to Fort St Jago. (Photograph (C) Niels Bech). 29 First Floor Plan, Fort St Jago: measured drawing, 1978/79. 30 Corner of a bastion at St George's Castle during restoration, c 1955. (Photograph (C) GNMB: Courtauld Institute neg A 57/943). 31 View of ravelin, Fort St Jago. 32 View of Outer Gateway. 33 Inscription on inner face of outer gateway. 3A View of W bastion from NW outer wall walk. 35 View of inner gateway from SE outer wall walk. 36 View of courtyard from N bastion. 37 View of courtyard looking SW. 38 Staircase from courtyard to N bastion. 39 Staircase from N bastion to second floor office. 40 View along SE upper wall walk. 41 View of S bastion. 42 View inside carpentry workshop in W bastion. 43 Rear view of fort showing N bastion, after restoration, 1957. (Photograph (C) GMMB; Courtauld Institute neg A 57/1689). 44 Rear view of fort in 1978. 45 Front view of fort after restoration, 1957. (Photograph (C) GMMB; Courtauld Institute neg A 57/925). 46 Front view of fort in 1978. 47 Area between Fort St Jago and St George's Castle: plan and section showing proposed improvements to access road to the fort). 48 Future development of Fort St Jago: alternative proposal 1. 49 Future development of Fort St Jago: alternative proposal 2. 50, Future development of Fort St Jago: alternative proposal 3. 51 52 Future development of Fort St Jago: conservation of energy proposals. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Preparation of this dissertation has followed many years of residence in Ghana, and exploration and study of Elmina. Many organizations and individuals in Ghana have contributed over the years to PW knowledge of Elmina, and some have collaborated with me in the preparation of material for this dissertation. Particular mention should be made of the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board, its Director, Prof Richard Nunoo, its Inspectors of Monuments, Messrs G E Assan and Alhasan Isaka, and former Inspector of Monuments, Mr W L K Obuobisa; my former colleagues on the staff of the Department of Architecture, University of Science & Technology, (UST), Kumasi, Messrs Niels Hech, A Al-Hassan, W F Hill; the architect, Mr F C 0 Lamptey, who carried out the measured drawing survey of the fort in July 1978, assisted by Messrs D A Lartey and J Sarkodie, draughtsmen of the GMMB; and Drs Albert Van Dantzig and Jan Van Landewijk, of the University of Ghana, Legon. Since starting work on this dissertation, I have been helped by many individuals in England and overseas: members of staff of several libraries and museums, particularly Miss Pauline Stocks, of the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, Mr T R Padfield, of the Public Record Office, Kew, and Mr John Hopkins, Librarian of the Society of Antiquaries, London; Mr E Kaye, of UAC International; Mr John Ashurst, of the DOE Ancient Monuments and Historic Buildings Division; Prof C L Temminck Groll, of the Technical University of Delft, and Mr A F Lancker, of Breda; Prof A W Lawrence, now living in retirement in Yorkshire; Mrs Rowena Lawson of the University of Hull; my Director of Studies, Dr Derek Linstrum, and my supervisor, Mr Stuart Sutcliffe, of the Institute of Advanced Architectural Studies, York; and not least, mV wife Vivien, for sharing my love and enthusiasm for Fort St Jago and for contributing ideas for its future development. The text of Chapter 2 is a slightly condensed version of part of the text of the conservation study of the town of Elmina, undertaken some years ago by Mr Niels Bech and myself, and now awaiting publication: figures 4 and 47 were prepared for that report. Illustrations are drawn from a variety of sources: Abstract Fort St Jago is a fine copybook example of a Dutch colonial fort of the 17th C Baroque period, and one of a line of similar forts along the coast of Ghana.
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