Fort Cornwallis, the largest fort in Malaysia, is arguably the most important historical location in Penang as this is where Sir Francis Light and his crew landed in 1786 to found what would become the British Colony of Penang and the city of Georgetown.

The star shaped fort, originally constructed from nibong palms (later fortified with bricks by Indian prisoners around 1793), was named after Charles Cornwallis, the-then Governor-General of Bengal. 

The interior of the fort contains the following features/locations:

1. Bridge entrance
2. The Pinang tree
3. Sir Francis Light Memorial
4. Chapel
5. Prison (inaccessible - undergoing construction/renovation work)
6. Bunker Gallery (inaccessible - undergoing construction/renovation work)
7. Clock Tower Viewing Deck
8. Arch Entrance
9. The Light House
10. Streets of Cannon
11. The Tunnel
12. Gun Powder Magazine Room
13. Sri Rambai Cannon
14. Amphitheatre
15. Stage

Sir Francis Light Memorial

Captain Francis Light was a British explorer who founded the colony of Penang in 1786 and served as the colony’s Superintendent until his death from malaria on 21st October 1794. He was subsequently cremated and his ashes interred at the Northam Road Protestant cemetery.

According to what I have been able to glean from online research Francis Light was thought to have amassed a sizeable fortune during the time he served in Britain’s oversea colonies and was considered a fair an honourable man who was held in high regard by his peers for his many achievements.

Apparently the statue of Francis Light that is situated in Fort Cornwallis was modelled on his son William (as, astonishingly, there are no recorded illustrations nor paintings of Francis Light - which I find very hard to believe given his historical significance and the prominent social circles that he occupied).

Interestingly the statue of Sir Francis Light is missing a sword which originally hung at the left of the waist. The sword, which was never recovered, was believed to have been removed and subsequently melted down for use as weaponry during the Japanese occupation of Penang in World War 2 .

Gun Powder Magazine room

Constructed in 1814 the gunpowder magazine room (as its name suggest) was built to store gunpowder and explosives.

Strategically located in the north-west bastion of the fort, where its ammunition stores could be readily supplied to nearby cannons, its pillbox design with thick walls was designed to minimise damage in the event of any explosion taking place.

Sri Rambai Cannon

The Sri Rambai Cannon (originally named from the Seri Rambai ship that was responsible for transporting the brass cannon from Selangor to Penang which sank in 1871 after being attacked by pirates) has a colourful history interspersed with some interesting myths and local folklores.

The largest bronze gun in Malaysia the cannon’s history began in the 1600’s when the Dutch East Indies company gifted the cannon to the Sultan of Johor in return for trading concessions. In 1613 the cannon was seized by the Sultanate of Aceh who attacked and destroyed Johor.

The cannon was then dispatched to Selangor by the Acehnese in 1871 when the boat was seized by pirates. The British colonial government responded to the incident and the Royal Navy subsequently retrieved the cannon, along with other items seized by the pirates, and transported that to Penang.

There is a legend associated with the cannon that it rose from the depths of the sea on its own. This is alleged to have occurred in 1880 after a Selangor nobleman made a curse on the cannon, tied a thread to his finger and commanded the cannon to resurface.  More details of the history of the cannon can be found here.

Additionally a local folklore stated that infertile women would be able to conceive a child by performing a special prayer involving the placement of flowers within the barrel of the cannon. Whether this folklore still exists (and is even practiced in contemporary Penang - somehow I doubt it) I have no idea but it’s interesting to see how this single cannon has spawned such beliefs and stories over the course of its existence.

Clock Tower Viewing Deck

From the southeast corner of the fort one can look out towards the nearby Queen Victoria Memorial Clock Tower - a 60 foot high whitewashed clock tower with a Moorish dome.

The tower was commissioned by local millionaire Cheah Chen Eok in 1897 to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee with each year of her reign being reflected in each foot of the clock tower’s height.

Amphitheatre

Although quite spacious and beautiful (even with the ongoing building work talking place in and around that area - as well as within the grounds of Fort Cornwallis overall) I’m not sure how the amphitheatre, situated almost in the centre of the fort grounds, connects with the history of that location.

I suspect that cultural/musical events would be hosted there but how do they necessarily relate to the fort itself? I get a very strong impression that this is a relatively recent addition to the environment and not a structure that dates back to the original construction of the fort.

Chapel

Towards the southwest of the fort is a small Anglican chapel (which now contains what looks like a half-hearted makeshift gallery and seating area), built by Sir Francis light. This is recorded as the earliest Anglican Church although I could not determine whether that was solely in Penang or further afield.

There are some interesting facts related within the 'gallery' inside the chapel concerning the names of certain Penang locations and how these were derived from notable historical figures of that region.

Unfortunately the presentation of that display feels somewhat ‘throwaway’ and I would have preferred to have learnt more about the role of the chapel within the daily-life of the fort garrison (in addition to being informed that Martina Rozells, the mother of Sir Francis light’s sons, had married one Mr Timmer there in 1799).

Disappointment abounds

Unfortunately, as of October 2019, there are significant portions of the fort rendered completely inaccessible to visitors due to ongoing building work. I would love to have been able to see the prison and bunker gallery areas but this just wasn’t possible.

For a location of such historical importance - and one of the reasons why Georgetown was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site -  Fort Cornwallis was, unfortunately, an underwhelming experience as what could be seen, due to the ongoing building work, was very limited indeed.

It’s not an exaggeration, nor mean spirited, to state that tourists really aren’t getting their money’s worth with that location. In all fairness the visit really is not worth paying for at all (an opinion also reflected in the many TripAdvisor reviews of the location from other tourists).

This is frustrating given the fort’s significance in the history of that region and the wealth of opportunities to showcase that history, tell the many stories related to that location and honour the fort’s legacy…all of which is sadly and woefully being neglected.

If the organisation in charge of managing the fort needs any ideas on making that a better visitor experience just get in touch - I have a lot of ideas I would be happy to share with you.

Getting there

Situated at Jalan Tun Syed Sheh Barakbah, George Town the fort is easily reachable by foot, taxi or other vehicular transport.

Fee

Entry to the fort costs 20 Malaysian Ringgits (equivalent to £3.70 GBP or $4.63 USD - realistically the fort management should not be charging a single Ringgit for people to visit that location given its limited sightseeing potential)