【Introduction】

In 1626 (the 6th year of Tianqi reign during the Ming dynasty), the Spanish invaded northern Taiwan. Fort San Domingo was built in 1629 to serve as a military, political and missionary center on the island. The Spanish were later expelled by the Dutch in 1644 and the fort was destroyed in the battles. The Dutch settlers made use of part of the remains and rebuilt the fort, renaming it Fort Antonio. Later the fort became known as the "Hongmao Castle" (Fort of the red heads) in reference to the colorful locks of its Dutch occupants. The castle was renovated in the Qing dynasty and four gates were built: the great gates on the east and the west; the small ones on the north and south as well. Today all that remains is the south gate. In the 10th year of Emperor Xienfeng (1860), Tamsui was opened for trade. Afterwards in 1867 (the 6th Year of Emperor Tongzhi), England proposed the Qing court lease the post as a consulate office. The English set up turrets on the north-east and south-west corners for defense. In 1870 a new consulate official residence was built in the adjacent area. In1891, the fort was adapted into a two-floor brick building. In 1972, Taiwan and England terminated their diplomatic relations and the English temporarily entrusted the consulate to Australia first and then to the United States. It wasn’t until 1980 that this building was recommissioned as under the governance of the Republic of China.

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