Fort St. George

Fort St. George is an historical monument in Chennai, built by the British East India Company in 1640 AD. St. George Fort is believed to be the first establishment of the British in India. This was the British East India Company’s Principal settlement until 1774, when Calcutta, now Kolkata, was declared the seat of the government.

Fort St. George is a military architecture marvel, which was erected as a trading post and later evolved to be the origin of modern Indian Army. It is historically known as White Town. The construction of Fort St. George provided the impetus for further settlements and trading activity, in what was originally a no man’s land.The city of chennai evolved around the fortress.

History Behind Fort St. George:

The British East India Company, which had entered India around 1600 for trading activities, had begun licensed trading at Surat, which was its initial bastion. However, to secure its trade lines and commercial interests in the spice trade, it felt the necessity of a port closer to the Malaccan Straits. It succeeded in purchasing a piece of coastal land, which was a banana grove owned by a farmer called Madrasan. The official grant for the land, originally called Madraspattinam (Channapatnam), was given by venkatadri Nayak, the deputy of Vijayanagar chieftain named Chennappa Nayaka based in Chandragiri, where it began construction of a harbour and a fort.

The fort was completed on April 23, coinciding with St. George’s Day, celebrated in honour of St. George, the patron saint of England. The fort, hence christened Fort St. George faced the sea and a few fishing villages, and soon became the hub of merchant activity. It gave birth to a new settlement area called George Town (historically referred to as Black Town), which grew to envelop the villages and led to the formation of the city of Madras. It also helped establish British influence over the Carnatic region, and keep the kings of Arcot and Srirangapatna, as well as the French forces based at Pondicherry, at bay.

The fort is a stronghold with 6 meter high walls that withstood a number of assaults in the 18th century. It briefly passed into the possession of the French from 1746 to 1749, but was restored to the British under the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, which ended the War of Austrian Succession.

St. Mary’s Church in Fort St. George solemnized the marriages of Robert Clive and Governor Elihu Yale, who later was first benefactor of Yale University in the United States. The church is popularly known as the ‘Westminster Abbey of the East’.

There is also a museum within Fort St. George which exhibits the items of the British rule.This building was completed in 1795 and first housed the office of the Madras Bank. The hall upstairs was the Public Exchange Hall and served as a place for public meetings, lottery drawings and occasionally for entertainment. These relics are the reminder of the British rule in India. The objects on display in the museum are the weapons, coins, medals, uniforms and other artifacts from Britain, France and India dating back to the British period. The original letters written by Clive and Cornwallis make fascinating reading. One set of quaint period uniforms is displayed for viewing, as well. However, the piece de resistance is a large statue of Lord Cornwallis.

Today, the Fort serves as the administrative headquarters for the legislative assembly of Tamil Nadu state, and still houses a garrison for troops in transit to various locations at South India and the Andamans. The Fort Museum contains many relics of the Raj, including portraits of many of the Governors.

Enjoy a visit to Fort St. George in a city trip to Chennai India