Fort William, India
Encyclopedia
Fort William is a fort built in Calcutta on the Eastern banks of the River Hooghly, the major distributary of the River Ganges, during the early years of the Bengal Presidency
of British India. It was named after King William III of England
. In front of the Fort is the Maidan
, which used to be a part of the Fort and is the largest urban park in Calcutta.
under the supervision of John Goldsborough. Sir Charles Eyre started construction near the bank of the River Hooghly with the South-East Bastion and the adjacent walls. John Beard, his successor, added the North-East Bastion in 1701, and in 1702 started the construction of the Government House (Factory) at the centre of the fort. Construction ended in 1706. The original building had two stories and projecting wings. An internal guard room became the Black Hole of Calcutta
.
In 1756, the Nawab of Bengal
, Siraj Ud Daulah, attacked the Fort, temporarily conquered the city, and changed its name to Alinagar. This led the British to build a new fort in the Maidan. It was started by Robert Clive in 1758, after the Battle of Plassey
(1757), and completed in 1781 at a cost of approximately two million pounds. The area around the Fort was cleared, and the Maidan became "the Lungs of Kolkata". It stretches for around 3 km in the north-south direction and is around 1 km wide.Fort William is one of Kolkata's most enduring Raj era edifice. This is a fort of stupendous dimensions and is spread over an area of 70.9 hectares. It was built by Robert Clive in the year 1781. Fort William has the dubious distinction of being the only fort in the world from where not a single shot was fired.
Today this fort located in the periphery of the lush green Maidan is the property of Indian Army. The headquarters of Eastern Command is based at Fort William and it has provisions for accommodating 10,000 army personnel.
Much of Fort William is unchanged except for the fact that the St. Peter's Church which used to serve as a chaplaincy center for the British citizens of Kolkata no longer exists.
For the welfare and relaxation of the 10,000 odd military personnel who are residents of Fort William, the army has provided every kind of facilities within the Fort premises like the emerald blue swimming pool, cinema hall, shopping mall, laundry, outdoor playground, restaurants and even a post office.
This colossal fort was built out of fear by the British East India Company. The British felt vulnerable after their defeat at the hands of Siraj-Ud-Daula in the year 1756 and the British East India Company for the first time in many years were showing signs of wear and tear.
The Old Fort was repaired and used as a customs house from 1766 onwards.
The New Fort is still in use as the headquarters of the Eastern Command of the Indian Army
. The Army guards it heavily, and civilian entry is restricted.
, suited to defence against cannon
, but from before the advent of explosive shells. It is surrounded by a dry moat
9 m deep and 15 m broad, which can be flooded but is designed as an area in which to use enfilade (or "flanking") fire against any attackers reaching the walls. There are six gates: Chowringhee, Plassey Calcutta, Water Gate St Georges and the Treasury Gate. There are similar forts at places like Thalassery
in Kerala
.
Bengal Presidency
The Bengal Presidency originally comprising east and west Bengal, was a colonial region of the British Empire in South-Asia and beyond it. It comprised areas which are now within Bangladesh, and the present day Indian States of West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Meghalaya, Orissa and Tripura.Penang and...
of British India. It was named after King William III of England
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
. In front of the Fort is the Maidan
Maidan (Kolkata)
The Maidan is the largest urban park in Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a vast stretch of field and home to numerous play grounds, including the famous cricketing venue Eden Gardens, several football stadia, and Kolkata Race Course. Maidan is dotted with several statues and...
, which used to be a part of the Fort and is the largest urban park in Calcutta.
History
There are actually two Forts William, the old and the new. The original was built by the British East India CompanyBritish East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
under the supervision of John Goldsborough. Sir Charles Eyre started construction near the bank of the River Hooghly with the South-East Bastion and the adjacent walls. John Beard, his successor, added the North-East Bastion in 1701, and in 1702 started the construction of the Government House (Factory) at the centre of the fort. Construction ended in 1706. The original building had two stories and projecting wings. An internal guard room became the Black Hole of Calcutta
Black Hole of Calcutta
The Black Hole of Calcutta was a small dungeon in the old Fort William, at Calcutta, India, where troops of the Nawab of Bengal, Siraj ud-Daulah, held British prisoners of war after the capture of the Fort on June 19, 1756....
.
Nawab of Bengal
The Nawabs of Bengal were the hereditary nazims or subadars of the subah of Bengal during the Mughal rule and the de-facto rulers of the province.-History:...
, Siraj Ud Daulah, attacked the Fort, temporarily conquered the city, and changed its name to Alinagar. This led the British to build a new fort in the Maidan. It was started by Robert Clive in 1758, after the Battle of Plassey
Battle of Plassey
The Battle of Plassey , 23 June 1757, was a decisive British East India Company victory over the Nawab of Bengal and his French allies, establishing Company rule in South Asia which expanded over much of the Indies for the next hundred years...
(1757), and completed in 1781 at a cost of approximately two million pounds. The area around the Fort was cleared, and the Maidan became "the Lungs of Kolkata". It stretches for around 3 km in the north-south direction and is around 1 km wide.Fort William is one of Kolkata's most enduring Raj era edifice. This is a fort of stupendous dimensions and is spread over an area of 70.9 hectares. It was built by Robert Clive in the year 1781. Fort William has the dubious distinction of being the only fort in the world from where not a single shot was fired.
Today this fort located in the periphery of the lush green Maidan is the property of Indian Army. The headquarters of Eastern Command is based at Fort William and it has provisions for accommodating 10,000 army personnel.
Much of Fort William is unchanged except for the fact that the St. Peter's Church which used to serve as a chaplaincy center for the British citizens of Kolkata no longer exists.
For the welfare and relaxation of the 10,000 odd military personnel who are residents of Fort William, the army has provided every kind of facilities within the Fort premises like the emerald blue swimming pool, cinema hall, shopping mall, laundry, outdoor playground, restaurants and even a post office.
This colossal fort was built out of fear by the British East India Company. The British felt vulnerable after their defeat at the hands of Siraj-Ud-Daula in the year 1756 and the British East India Company for the first time in many years were showing signs of wear and tear.
The Old Fort was repaired and used as a customs house from 1766 onwards.
The New Fort is still in use as the headquarters of the Eastern Command of the Indian Army
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...
. The Army guards it heavily, and civilian entry is restricted.
Structure
The Fort is built of brick and mortar in the shape of an irregular octagon with an area 5 km². Five of its sides face landward, and three towards the Hooghly River. The design is that of a star fortStar fort
A star fort, or trace italienne, is a fortification in the style that evolved during the age of gunpowder, when cannon came to dominate the battlefield, and was first seen in the mid-15th century in Italy....
, suited to defence against cannon
Cannon
A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
, but from before the advent of explosive shells. It is surrounded by a dry moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
9 m deep and 15 m broad, which can be flooded but is designed as an area in which to use enfilade (or "flanking") fire against any attackers reaching the walls. There are six gates: Chowringhee, Plassey Calcutta, Water Gate St Georges and the Treasury Gate. There are similar forts at places like Thalassery
Thalassery
Thalassery , also known as Tellicherry, is a city on the Malabar Coast of Kerala, India. This is the second largest city of North Malabar in terms of population. The name Tellicherry is the anglicized form of Thalassery. Thalassery municipality has a population just less than 100,000. Established...
in Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
.