Fort Beaufort was founded in 1824 and was named after the father of Lord Charles Somerset, the Duke of Beaufort.

Originally a military garrison, Fort Beaufort boasts many fine buildings dating back to the frontier wars, including the Martello Tower, a circular fort of the kind usually as part of a coastal defnece system. The old Victorian barracks is probably the finest to be found anywhere outside the United Kingdom.

During the War of Mlanjeni, the town was attacked and nearly overrun by anti- colonial forces led by Hermanus Matroos.

Fort Beaufort is an excellent base from which to explore the fascinating Kat River Valley and the surrounding katberg and Amatola Mountains which saw some of the heaviest fighting anywhere in South Africa.