The original Fort Cornwallis, made out of palm logs, was built by Captain Francis Light in the late 1700s. The stone fort was buit in the early 1800s to provide protection from pirates, the Sultan of Kedah, and the French. However, the fort has never engaged in any battles and has served mainly as an administrative center. It was originally surrounded by a moat, but the moat was filled in in the 1920s to reduce breeding grounds for mosquitos carrying malaria.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Cornwallis
Captain Sir Francis Light, the person credited with obtaining Penang for the British and building the first Fort Cornwallis.
The wall of the fort with the lighthouse in the background.
Cannons
There are a number of different styles of cannons on display at the fort.
The Serai Rambai Cannon was made in 1603. It was gift from the Dutch to the Sultan of Johore in 1613. The British seized the cannon and placed it in the fort in 1871.
The powder magazine.
The chapel was built in 1799.
A small museum contains interesting information about the history of the fort.
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