Fort St.George Museum — Attraction in Zone 5 Royapuram

A Brief History of Fort St. George

Every year, Chennaiites celebrate the date August 22 with great fervor and enthusiasm as the day that marks the founding of Madras, the city that now known as Chennai. However, what many forget is that February 20 is equally important as it marks the date on which Madras became a physical entity with the first stones being laid for the construction of Fort St. George, a structure more crucial to the city’s history than any other.

Indeed, there can perhaps be no conversation about Chennai’s history without first mentioning the Fort, which even today serves as the seat of power for the Tamil Nadu Government. However, the importance of Fort St. George is not just restricted to the history of Chennai, but also plays an important part in the overall history of the British Raj in India.

Birth of Fort St. George

By the mid-17th-century, trade in the Coromandel Coast was already prospering with the British East India Company vying for monopoly over its French and Dutch counterparts. To protect English trade interests in the area, it was decided that an English Fort was needed in the region. And so, in the year 1639, Francis Day and Andrew Cogan, representatives of the British East India Company, purchased the strip of land along and inward from the present Marina Beach from the then Nayak rulers of the region, for the construction of a new Fort that was dedicated to St. George, the Patron Saint of England. On February 20, Day and Cogan arrived at the site with two ships and a few dozen workers and began work on a settlement that would later become Fort St. George. The Fort was finally completed on April 23, 1644, and had cost the crown nearly £3,000.

A cornerstone of British power in India

The Fort was an essential center of power during over three centuries of British rule around the region and was also the location of several battles and historical events. Chief among those was its capture in 1746 by the French, who held it for nearly three years, before it was restored to the English in 1749. Over the course of several decades following that, the Fort faced many challenges and attacks from the French and also Hyder Ali, the Sultan of Mysore. It was finally modified and several parts were reconstructed in 1783 and the fort has existed in more or less the same form till present. The fort also has the distinction of being home to a number of ‘firsts’ for the British in India. Among these are the Clive House (constructed in 1609), said to be the first British settlement in India, St, Mary’s Church, India’s first Anglican Church, and the Fort Museum, which was initially the first office of the Madras Bank.

The Fort Complex

While the Fort Complex was initially meant to support a small trade post, it soon burgeoned into a bustling city that was divided into White Town, where the English and Europeans stayed and Black Town, where dock workers and locals stayed. Within its 20ft walls, the British constructed several iconic structures such as the Wellesley House (named for Richard Wellesley, a former Governor General of India), St. Mary’s Church, a 150ft high Flag Staff, and the...

This is the first fort constructed by the British when they arrived in India as East India Company on the coast of Madras during 1600 erstwhile Chennapattanam, purchased from Chandragiri king with a condition to be named as CHENNAPATNAM. Subsequently, it was named as MADRAS& further christened as CHENNAI. The fort houses Madras Legislature, Defence establishments,a museum and a Flag post made of wood where the first flag designed by Pingali Venkaiyya was hoisted. The museum is the centre of many exhibits like Robert Clive, Governor of CHENNAPATNAM purchased, signed the agreement and still preserved the document for that piece of land. The National Flag can be seen but not allowed to be touched or photographed. The Britishers constructed a church, called St. Mary, christened the area as George Town or White House. The coins, relics, photos, shipping, dresses of the British soldiers, Original important documents are all preserved, displayed, exhibited, well arranged systematically & chronologically. The entrance fee is Rs.5/- for Indians but Rs. 100/- for the foreigners. Beautiful, knowledgeable that takes us from 1600 to 1947 & further. The first bank called Madras Bank started inside the fort. A building near to the Fort was called ICE House where solid ice was brought in ships, stored for the consumption of the British since India did not have the technology to make ice. Later the same building was christened as VIVEKANANDA House from where Triplicane starts from the eastern side. Some military presence is still maintained inside the fort even today. The Britishers fortified the fort due to fear of Tippu Sultan & Arcot Kings. The Flag post is historical. Every one must visit the fort, museum, surroundings and learn & understand the past history, struggles fought by the freedom fighters. Though The Britishers first landed in Surat, they felt for shipping Madras is an ideal one keeping South India as their base for their business. Further,it was an expansion of the British Raj. Do not forget History since one is condemned to repeat as per the words of Bernard Shaw. Preserve history, monuments, relics, records, places, items since everything tells about our past. Visit with a guide since one may miss many places or may struggle to understand the topography of the ancient fort....

The museum is exceptional. Most of things are kept by the Britishers for the publicity and greatness. First Indian national hosted is preserved there. Museum got weapons,great portraits of Britishers, utensils of Britishers, coins,rewards, medals of world war, bodyguards costumes, big marbles statues of Britishers created by India's great sculptors. Entry is bit tough, you should carry you ID, not mandatory but still you should.

Entry fees. 20.44 INR online booking

The origin of the great white structure of Fort St. George is inextricable from the history of the city of Chennai itself. Popularly called the 'White Town', the sole purpose of establishing the massive fort compound was to establish a British stronghold in the Coromandel Coast and the rest of south India. With Fort St. George as a British headquarter, it was easier to develop the many small towns and villages in Tamil Nadu. The now bustling city of Chennai grew up around this fort during this time, under the British-conferred name Madras.

The magnificent fort happens to be the first in many aspects in the entire era or British rule in India. The fort itself is the first British garrison settlement in India. It also houses the first British official residential complex, the Clive House which was the home of the Commander-in-chief and the orchestrator of British India, Lord Robert Clive. St Mary's Church inside the fortress is also the oldest Anglican Church, not only in India but among all the landmasses east of Suez.

The grand fort is now protected by the Archaeological Survey of India and the station of Tamil Nadu Government. The administrative branches and legislative assembly are housed in here today. However, the church and a museum are open for the common public to visit and understand the significance of this fort in the history of India. The building which houses the museum used to be the location for the Madras Bank since 1795. However, after independence, it is serving as a large collection house of more than 3600 artefacts dating back to the entire period of the British rule - weapons, letters, coins, silverware, ceremonial dresses, medals, some personal items of the residents of the fort...