Prospect of Cape Corse, or Coast Castle
This engraving shows the top plan of Cape Coast Castle and other features surrounding the castle, e.g., the town, various paths. The bottom plan depicts gun placements, warehouses, barracks, etc. Astley adapted this image from William Smith, who was a surveyor employed by the Royal African Company in 1726 to survey their forts in West Africa. Thomas Astley (d. 1759) was a British bookseller and publisher who never went to Africa. His imagined localities and illustrations of Africa were informed by a library of travel books at his disposal.
Image Title
Prospect of Cape Corse, or Coast Castle
RegID
SI-OB-817
Date
1745-1747
Title
Prospect of Cape Corse, or Coast Castle
Source
"Plate LXV" in Thomas Astley (ed.), A New General Collection of Voyages and Travels, vol. 2 (London, 1745-1747), facing p. 605.
Language
English
Item sets
European Forts & Trading Posts in Africa
Spatial Coverage
Africa--Voltaic--Cape Coast
Reproduced In
Derived from William Smith, A New Voyage to Guinea (London: Printed for John Nourse, 1744); and The two views of the fort and the inset plan were separately published in William Smith, Thirty Different Drafts of Guinea (London: J. Clark, Engraver & Print-seller in Grays Inn, 1727). See also image mariners22.
Researchers
Jerome Handler; Michael Tuite; Henry B. Lovejoy Graduate Research Assistants: Tiffany Beebe; Travis May
Last Updated
30-Mar-17; 21-Aug-19
Identifier
Astley012