Chapel at Fort Cornwalis

Tuesday, May 22 2012

Wednesday, 23 February 2011 11:09

NOT MANY are aware that the first Christian chapel on the island was defended by cannons and surrounded by fortified walls. Although the cannons no longer fire and the walls not indomitable, a visit to Fort Cornwallis is in order to be acquainted with the modest and tiny chapel.

"The earliest roofed structure surviving in Penang from the colonial era", the chapel was constructed in 1799 at the behest of Captain Sir Francis Light as a place of worship. Used by the British and early European settlers, it is the earliest Anglican Church built and remains as the oldest colonial structure in Penang. Interestingly, the first ever recorded service took place in the year the chapel was completed; after Francis Light succumbed to malaria, his widow, Martina Rozells, was remarried to John Timmer.

Fort Cornwallis, the largest standing fort built by the British in Malaysia, was named after the Governor-General of Bengal, Charles Marquis Cornwallis. The star-shaped fort is situated at the spot where Francis Light was supposed to have landed in 1786. Initially a simple stockade made out of nibong palms, it was rebuilt with bricks by convict labour from India in 1789. The 10ft high walls were mounted with cannons and it was once encircled by a moat but has since been filled in due to a malaria outbreak in the 1920s.

The fort was primarily built to defend the harbour and repel attacks from pirates and the French during the Napoleonic Wars. Despite its intended purpose it was largely used as an administrative centre. The fort had never engaged in any battle in its entire history!

Also of note is that within the fort, there exists mounted proud and erect among numerous cannons, a special cannon known as the Seri Rambai. It is a brass cannon that according to legend possess magical powers that could heal a woman’s infertility if she places flowers on the cannon’s barrel and offer a prayer. Along with the chapel, the cannon is one of the fort’s prime attractions. Read more here.

Today, much of the old fort still stands, its bowels contain a kiosk selling light refreshments and small souvenirs and an open-air amphitheatre, where local cultural, music and dance festivals are frequently staged.

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