Knipes Fort

Knipes Fort at an elevation of 304m, is located towards the north end of the ridge which culminates in TV Mast Hill, commanding the road to the Koo Valley and the alternative route to Touws River. 

This is the best preserved of the forts immediately surrounding the town. The main section measures 6.0 x 4.1m with an entrance lobby to the south-east giving off-set doorways to protect against the direct fire into the fort by the enemy. The walls are between 0,65 and 0,75 m thick and stand to what was probably was their full original height of about 2m. Except for the upper parts of the entrance lobby walls and the adjacent section of the east wall, which have been reduced in height.  Sufficient of the structure remains to the full height to preserve 12 loopholes, 3 of which are angled at the corners. The walls are built of “veld rocks”, i.e. those which are generally found lying on the surface of the ground, as distinct from quarried rocks; a mixture of earth and small stones has been used to fill in between the rocks. 

An interesting feature of the masonry above the three surviving corner loopholes is that it has been chamfered or angled at 45 degrees to each wall face, instead of coming to a right-angle. A mixture of what appears to be clay and lime has been used to point the masonry inside the loopholes, which gives a very neat appearance and the loopholes are angled downwards. 

Research contributions :  Heinie Heydenrych, Mike Jones, Richard Tomlinson

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