Fort Cornwallis

In keeping with its history as a fort devoid of battles, a state of inertia seems to penetrate the very walls of peaceful Fort Cornwallis.

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Its lawns are green; its wide ramparts undulate, dotted with benches, and planted with sweet smelling borders and the sea breeze gently cools the topical sultriness. If it weren’t for the gunpowder magazine, barracks and a rather fabulous lighthouse with all the rigging of a tall ship, not to mention the assemblage of cannons facing the all but non-exiting plunderers, the contemporary fort isn’t remarkably impressive.

Still waiting. Photo taken in or around Fort Cornwallis, Penang, Malaysia by Sally Arnold.

Still waiting. Photo: Sally Arnold

Even our guide couldn’t be bothered walking around and sat on a bench as she threw light on its past: stretching back to 17 July 1786, just three years before the French Revolution, when Captain Francis Light landed on the northeastern tip of Penang. A few weeks later the Union Flag was hoisted and a timber fort laid out, mirroring the same position and size as today’s incarnation with a star-like form and wide ... Travelfish members only (Full text is around 500 words.)

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