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Atop Ghana’s impressive lighthouse that has been standing for 147 years now
Standing at 34 metres (112 ft) above sea level, with a visibility of 16 nautical miles (30 km) is the impressive Jamesfort Lighthouse which was built in 1871 and appears to still be in good condition today.
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The lighthouse, which blinks out four white flashes, separated by 3 seconds, every 25 seconds, is located in the poor district of Jamestown. It is popular with tourists who are seeking to see the remnants of Ghana’s colonial past.
It consists of a stone tower with a lantern and gallery attached to a keeper's house.
The lighthouse overlooks the harbour and gives the opportunity to see the James Fort, the Bukom district and the Ussher Fort from a bird’s-eye view.
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Nearby is Fort James, the British outpost dating from the late 1700s; Accra was originally two settlements, one British and one Dutch, with Jamestown being the British outpost.
Jamestown and Usshertown are the oldest districts in the city of Accra and are hubs of historical sites in Ghana, the two towns emerged as communities around the 17th century before merging with Accra as the city grew.
The community emerged due to the European slave trade that was very vibrant within the locality at the time and left an indelible trace of formidable edifices by the colonial masters. The lighthouse was formerly painted white with blue trim before it was repainted to its current colour of red and white horizontal bands.
In 2011 the lighthouse was refurbished and repainted, and a TRB-220 rotating solar-powered light was installed.
The original Jamestown Light, built by the British at James Fort in 1871, was replaced in the 1930s by the current Accra Light.
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Travelers can climb to the top of the iconic lighthouse, then wander the parameter of Fort James, a former prison built by the British in the 17th Century.
Until 2008, James Fort served Ghanaian society as a prison.
Despite years of neglect, Jamestown continues to serve as a tourist attraction and a venue for the annual Chale Wote Street Art Festival that brings together people from not just all over the country but all over the world.
The potential tourism hotspot of Jamesfort lighthouse and Jamestown is however, dulled by squalid surroundings and shabby buildings within the area.
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