Contact Artefacts please if you have any comments or more information regarding this record.

Menu Home Upfront Now Up Books Towns Structures People Firms Lexicon VAUBAN, Sébastien Le Prestre Born: 1633 05 15 Died: 1707 03 30 Engineer : Architect Sébastien Le Prestre, Seigneur de Vauban and later Marquis de Vauban (15 May 1633 – 30 March 1707), commonly referred to as Vauban. See Wikipedia. A French military engineer/architect is mentioned in reference to the Castle in Cape Town: 'The fort was designed by the celebrated military engineer, Vauban, and the pentagon plan is said to a favourite one of his' While most writing about the Castle of Good Hope describes this as a Vauban type fort, this is obviously an anachronism since his earliest fortifications in France date only from 1668. The styling should be ascribed to Vauban's mentor, De PAGAN (1604-1665) who set out his theories in his treatise Traité de fortification (1645). It must be assumed that the Dutch were following these prescripts in the construction of their defenses throughout their extensive mercantile empire at the time. (De la Croix, 1982: 297; AB&E Sep 1921:7; The State Jan 1909:58) All truncated references not fully cited in 'References' are those of Joanna Walker's original text and cited in full in the 'Bibliography' entry of the Lexicon.