It was built on a suitable site, as ships were often becalmed beneath it, when making for Sandy Point Road.
It was named after King Charles II, who gave £500 to assist the British sugar cane plantations.
The 1690 capture of Fort Charles by the French Caribbean forces was the reason for the construction of the Brimstone Hill Fortress above it, a National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site which overlooks this site.
Charles Fort was a military post from at least 1666, and rebuilt by English Governor Thomas Hill by 1689.
The fort is now in ruins, completely abandoned and overgrown with tropical vegetation.