The National Archives UK - CO through time

Accra 1893–2017 9 photos of this spot

9 photographs taken at the same spot in Accra, spanning 1893–2017 — 2 of them from before 1980. Line them up and watch the place change.

This image comes from the CO 1069 photographic series held by the National Archives of the United Kingdom, part of the Colonial Office's visual record of Accra under British colonial administration in the late nineteenth century.

The National Archives UK - CO 1 1893 This image comes from the CO 1069 photographic series held by the National Archives of the United Kingdom, part of the Colonial Office's visual record of Accra under British colonial administration in the late nineteenth century.

The National Archives UK - CO 1914 Held in the CO 1069 series at the UK National Archives, this photograph documents Accra in 1914, when the coastal city served as the administrative capital of Britain's Gold Coast colony on West Africa's Guinea coast.

James Fort, Accra 2010 James Fort in Accra, built by the British in the seventeenth century as a trading post and later used as a prison, is shown here in a 2010 photograph. It stands near Ussher Fort, built nearby by the Dutch.

Accra in 2014 2014 Accra, Ghana, photographed in 2014. Ghana's capital sits on the Gulf of Guinea and grew from a cluster of coastal fishing and trading settlements into the country's largest city and its administrative center.

Accra in 2014 2014 A scene from Accra, Ghana, captured in 2014, in a city whose old neighborhoods trace back to Dutch, British, and Danish coastal trading forts built from the 17th century onward.

Accra in 2014 2014 Accra, Ghana, in 2014. The city has served as Ghana's capital since 1877, replacing Cape Coast, and remains the country's largest urban center and main port of trade.

Accra in 2014 2014 A 2014 photograph from Accra, Ghana. The Ghanaian capital blends colonial-era buildings in districts like Jamestown with a fast-growing modern city of high-rises and markets.

James Fort Ghana 3 2016 James Fort in Accra, Ghana, photographed in 2016. Built by the British in the 17th century, it later served as a prison and stands today in the historic Jamestown district near the shoreline.

Fishermen in Jamestown, Accra 01 2017 Fishermen in the Jamestown district of Accra, Ghana, photographed in 2017. Jamestown is one of the city's oldest neighborhoods and remains home to an active fishing community that launches wooden canoes from the beach.