Fort St. George

Fort St. George Review

As the first British fort in India, Fort St. George provided a protected trading post that allowed the British East India to gain a permanent foothold in the country and expand. The fort was founded in 1639 by Francis Day on a thin strip of sand leased from the Raja of Chandragiri. The Indian army and civil service, Colin Mackenzie's land survey, and the British archaeological, botanical, and zoological surveys of India were all conceived on this site. Complete with walls 20 feet thick, the fort is no longer a symbol of the Raj, or British India, as much as it is of the Tamil Nadu State Legislature, which now occupies a part of it. In fact, it's difficult to find historical buildings within the fort because of poor signage and certain areas being closed to the public. Head here on Sunday to avoid crowds at the security check you have to pass through to enter the fort. Once an exchange used by East India Company merchants, the Fort Museum contains everything from old uniforms and coins to palanquins and padlocks, and has some wonderful porcelain and portraits of heavy hitters during the Raj.