Fort Bullen

Fort Bullen is located on the beach, at the estuary of the River Gambia and the Atlantic Ocean, in the Lower Niumi District of the North Bank Region, on the northwest outskirts of Barra town, known as Barra Point. The British constructed it in 1826 in order to hinder the activities of certain European slave merchants. It was designated as a National Monument in the early 1970s, and it was classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003, together with Banjul's Six-Gun Battery.

Fort Bullen was built at Barra Point in the early 1800s with one goal in mind: to drive off French slavers as they made their way up the River Gambia, thus enforcing the British ban on slavery. After a period of neglect, the fort was reactivated during World War II as an observatory and a station for British artillery. A WWII anti-aircraft gun position may still be seen in one of the bastions, as well as an improvised lighthouse atop another, and several rusted guns littering the beach, with a couple pointing across the river, empty. Fort Bullen is still one of The Gambia's best-preserved historic sites today.

Open hours: daily - 09:00 to 17:00
Address: Banjul, The Gambia, GM, Africa