Penang [檳城] • 16 OCTOBER 2012
Fort Cornwallis - named after the Governor-General in Bengal, Charles Cornwallis – is one of the most interesting historical landmarks in George Town, located close to the Esplanade, next to the Victoria Memorial Clock.The fort's walls, roughly 10 feet high, are laid out in star-like formation.
A stroll along the perimeters takes roughly 10 minutes. Inside the fort, one can still see some of the original structures built over a century ago, including a chapel, prison cells, which were once used as barracks, a munitions storage area, a harbour light once used to signal incoming ships, the original flagstaff and several old bronze canons, one of which is a Dutch canon called the Seri Rambai, dated 1603.
Today, this privately managed historical site is popular among visitors, equipped with a tourist information kiosk, cafe, an open-air amphitheatre, a history gallery, a souvenir centre as well as guides who can take you around the fort grounds and provide you with a glimpse of the fort's history.
One of the earliest structures in Pulau Pinang, Fort Cornwallis was erected in 1786, not long after he acquired Pulau Pinang for the East India Company, from the Sultan of Kedah. The site where the fort was built is actually the first place where Light disembarked from his ship in 1768. Fort Cornwallis was originally built of nibong palms, but was replaced in 1804 with a sturdier stone and brick structure.
Although built for defense by design, throughout its existence, Fort Cornwallis served more as an administrative centre for the British, having survived without much threat of enemy attacks. Fort Cornwallis was once surrounded with a moat roughly 9m wide and 2m deep. Along the perimeters of the fort's wall, several canon bays were strategically placed overlooking the harbour in the north and the port activities along the eastern waterfront. In the 1920's due to a malaria outbreak in the area, the moat surrounding Fort Cornwallis was filled in.
The chapel located on the south-west corner of the fort is the first chapel ever built on Penang island and was used by the British and Europeans living there. The first-ever recorded service, however was in 1799 when John Timmers wedded Martina Rozells, the widow of Francis Light.
Fort Cornwallis offers the service of friendly and knowledgeable tour guides, dressed up in smart, red colonial soldier outfits, who can give you a quick and insightful tour of the fort grounds for a small fee. Without the aid of a guidebook or background knowledge of Fort Cornwallis' history, engaging these guides to take you around will be well worth the money!
Opening hours: 9am-6.30pm daily
Admission: Adult- RM3.00, Child- RM2.00
Address: Padang Kota Lama, 10200 Penang, Malaysia.
Fort Cornwallis
Tel: 04-261 0262 / 0263
Rapid Penang Bus Route No: U102 / U104 / U105 / U204
Wonderful photos and wonderful places! Wow, it's amazing..! Thank you for your beautiful post, I've read it with interest! ;) Kisses and have a nice night! :)
Interesting photos. Thanks for sharing!
good pics!!!!!
Interesting photos!
this reminds me of another colonial fort, st john's hill, in my hometown of malacca, also complete with cannons and crumbling walls. gosh, but i spent three years studying in malacca, and i never actually visited fort conwallis! very nice photos btw ;D
Thanks for sharing, very nice pictures!
I love how blue the sky and sea are, nice photos! :)
What a wonderful post about this interesting colonial Fort to visit - the photography is outstanding!
Thank you for the history of this fort. It was interesting with beautiful photo's to accompany the post. Blessings dear. Catherine
Lovely photos! <3
Thanks for sharing the wonderful photos!
che splendide foto, grazie!!!!!
love historical places like this and looks like perfect weather
Love these historical places and loved your gorgeous pics :) Thanks for sharing!
¡Maravilloso lugar y fantásticas fotos!
Saludos
Lindo post me gusta la historia y el fuerte está maravilloso,preciosas fotos captando lo más relevante,abrazos hugs,hugs.
great pics <3<3
Gracias por la información y por mostrarnos estos lugares tan interesantes, saludos
Sofía
milideasmilproyectos.blogspot.com
Looks like fun! I love the blue blue ocean behind the mashed up old cannon :) Picturesque!
Very nice photos!
Would love to visit fort cornwallis too one day.
What a neat historical site...and a beautiful view of the sea.
What beautiful photos! I've never visited Malaysia before but it is very photogenic! :)
Lovely photos and love the way you narrated...
Great photos, and lovely history lesson :)
A must visit in Penang...
Che foto meravigliose e grazie per tutte le bellissime informazioni!
What a beautiful place and lovely pics
Beautiful ! :3
These shots are stunning! Makes me feel like visiting Penang again :)
amazing photos!
Che belle foto,sono posti da visitare, grazie per averle condivise! Ciao
I would love to visit it!
a nice place to do photoshooting! :D
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Thanks for sharing pictures. I wouldn't know when I get to visit Penang, so this is wonderful!
Looks like a fun place to visit!
Wow the colours are stunning! What camera are you using?
this place look so amazing <3
So that's what it looks like inside. I've only ever walked around the perimeter.
This is a beautiful place!
Nikon D7000
woooowwwww!!! foto meravigliose!!!
Woooow. Looking at these photos I am speechless. Beautiful views :-D
Hello, thank you for visiting my blog. Yours is great and I love your pictures. Let´s visit each other, regards,
Hi, I learn things on your blog that I would never find anywhere else! Very interesting and looks like a beautiful place. I had a very good friend once from Penang and it's great to see what some of it looks like.