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History: In 1847 a detachment of the 45th Regiment was sent from Fort Napier in Pietermaritzburg to protect the Boers in that region from the raids of the Bushmen. For their station they chose the flat top of a hill across the Bushman’s River from Saailaer. This was at first called the ‘Ordnance Reserve’. From there they were able to survey the whole area and particularly to keep an eye on the two drifts through the river, the one from Saailaer and the other a little above the present site of the bridge.
On this hill the troops constructed various rough walls, mainly for defence against the Bushmen. After the Langalibalele Rebellion of 1873, however, a substantial stone fort was built in 1875. It fell into disrepair but came into the hands of the Municipality of Estcourt who have restored it.
Visual Description: Double-storied building, an almost uniquefeaturein South Africa forts, two bastions loopholed on all four walls, single entrance through a strongly constructed iron door; Interior: the exterior door leadsto a vestibule from which a second stout door leads tothe main passage; Alterations; radical alterations in 1927 left little of the original structure; stables converted for craft market use in the late1990's:
SiteFeat: Stables; was originally surrounded by a stone wall which included three guard houses at the corners, while a moat surrounded the actual fort; Environ: stands on a very commanding knoll giving it a view over the drfts through the Bushman's River and surrounding countryside.
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Construction Date: 1874
Materials: stone :
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