Fort Charles is the best-preserved colonial fortification in Jamaica — built by the British in 1655 immediately after their conquest of the island, and expanded and strengthened over the following two centuries into a substantial defensive complex at the tip of the Palisadoes spit. The fort faces Kingston Harbour and was the main military installation guarding the approach to the capital.
The fort contains the Maritime Museum, which covers Port Royal's history from its origins as a Spanish settlement through the piracy era, the 1692 earthquake, and the Royal Navy's long occupation. The exhibits are well-organised and the artefacts — recovered from the underwater ruins of pre-earthquake Port Royal — are genuinely significant. The battery walk along the fort's seaward face, where cannons still point out over the harbour, is one of the better heritage walks in the Caribbean. Admission is modest and the visit takes 60–90 minutes.