Home › Cities › Cape Coast

Old photos of Cape Coast

182 photographs of Cape Coast, from 1870 to 2025 — each pinned to the exact place it was taken.

Fort William in 1966 — EU: Fort William (1966) 1966 Fort William in 2012 — Fort William 2012
Then and now: Fort William, 1966 vs 2012
Have an old photo of Cape Coast? A family album, a postcard, a print from the attic. Pin it to the map and it becomes part of the record.
Add your photo

What the photos show

The 182 photographs of Cape Coast on PlaceWas span 8 decades, from 1870 to 2025. 43 of them were taken before 1980; the other 139 are recent views of the same streets and landmarks.14 spots were photographed more than once, so you can compare the same street, square or building across the years.182 of the photos carry a written caption explaining what is in the frame. Every picture is pinned to the place it was taken, so the map below shows where the photographers stood.

Pick a decade to filter the photos below and the map above. Open full map ↗

Places in Cape Coast through time

Spots photographed more than once — compare the same place across the years.

Cape Coast Bay, Cape Coast — photos through time
Cape Coast Bay 88 photos · 1870–2025
Castle docks, Cape Coast — photos through time
Castle docks 23 photos · 1870–2025
Cape Coast, Cape Coast — photos through time
Cape Coast 17 photos · 1870–2010
I-Sea I-Saw, Cape Coast — photos through time
I-Sea I-Saw 6 photos · 2011–2023
South Coast of Ghana, Cape Coast — photos through time
South Coast of Ghana 6 photos · 2011–2023
Fort William, Cape Coast — photos through time
Fort William 4 photos · 1966–2012
Beach of Cape Coast, Cape Coast — photos through time
Beach of Cape Coast 3 photos · 2006–2025
Mfantsipim School, Cape Coast — photos through time
Mfantsipim School 3 photos · 2015
Cape Coast Castle - Courtyard - Cape Coast - Ghana, Cape Coast — photos through time
Cape Coast Castle - Courtyard - Cape Coast - Ghana 2 photos · 2010–2011
Cape Coast Ghana, Cape Coast — photos through time
Cape Coast Ghana 2 photos · 2018
Cape Coast, Cape Coast — photos through time
Cape Coast 2 photos · 2015
Church, Cape Coast (P1100212), Cape Coast — photos through time
Church, Cape Coast (P1100212) 2 photos · 2023
Female dungeon Cape Coast Castle, Cape Coast — photos through time
Female dungeon Cape Coast Castle 2 photos · 2010–2023
Fort Victoria at Sunset - Cape Coast - Ghana, Cape Coast — photos through time
Fort Victoria at Sunset - Cape Coast - Ghana 2 photos · 2010

Stories from Cape Coast

What contributors wrote about these photographs.

The National Archives UK - CO, Cape Coast, 1870
The National Archives UK - CO 1870 Another plate from the same CO 1069 Colonial Office collection records a scene in Cape Coast, Gold Coast, in 1870, a coastal town long important to British trade and administration in West Africa and one of the oldest…
EU: Fort William (1966), Cape Coast, 1966
EU: Fort William (1966) 1966 Fort William stands on a hill above Cape Coast, Ghana, one of several coastal fortifications raised during the European trading era on the Gold Coast. By the time this picture was taken in 1966, the old fort had long…
Stadsgezicht vanaf Cape Coast Castle - Cape Coast - - RCE, Cape Coast, 2000
Stadsgezicht vanaf Cape Coast Castle - Cape Coast - - RCE 2000 This year-2000 photograph, part of a documentation series by the Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed (RCE), the Dutch Cultural Heritage Agency, shows the townscape of Cape Coast as seen from the ramparts of Cape Coast…
EU: Stadsgezicht vanaf Cape Coast Castle (2000) 1, Cape Coast, 2000
EU: Stadsgezicht vanaf Cape Coast Castle (2000) 1 2000 A view of Cape Coast, Ghana, taken from Cape Coast Castle in 2000. The castle, begun by Swedish traders in the 17th century and later held by the Dutch and British, was a major departure point in the Atlantic slave trade…
5010 Cape Coast Castle, Cape Coast, 2012
5010 Cape Coast Castle 2012 Cape Coast Castle, one of the largest of the former trading posts on Ghana's coast, is shown here in 2012. Built and expanded by successive European traders, the castle is now preserved as a UNESCO World Heritage Site…
I-Sea I-Saw, Cape Coast, 2021
I-Sea I-Saw 2021 A scene from Cape Coast, Ghana, photographed in 2021. The coastal town served as the capital of the British Gold Coast colony until 1877 and is best known for Cape Coast Castle, one of the fortified trading posts built…
Fort William, protector of the Cape Coast Castle, Cape Coast, 2023
Fort William, protector of the Cape Coast Castle 2023 Fort William is a small fort perched above Cape Coast, Ghana, built to help defend the larger Cape Coast Castle nearby; the fort later served as a lighthouse guiding ships along the Gulf of Guinea coast, a role tied to…
Entrance of Cape Coast Castle, Cape Coast, 2025
Entrance of Cape Coast Castle 2025 Cape Coast Castle on Ghana's Gulf of Guinea coast was a fortified trading post used by successive European powers and later became a major departure point in the transatlantic slave trade; its entrance remains one of the…
1870s · 6 photos
1890s · 12 photos
1910s · 2 photos
1930s · 1 photo
1960s · 22 photos
2000s · 59 photos · showing 12, all 59 on the map ↗
2010s · 53 photos · showing 12, all 53 on the map ↗
2020s · 27 photos · showing 12, all 27 on the map ↗