Fort Cornwallis

Fort Cornwallis marked the rise of British power in South-East Asia. It had been effectively rebuffed from the area in the previous century by the Dutch, but with rising British power on the Indian sub-continent came new opportunities to trade and project power to an area that was crucial in shipping between Asia and the Rest of the World. The British called Penang 'Prince of Wales' Island' and it was the centre of British activity in the area until Singapore took over the role thirty years later.