Fort Marlborough
Fort Marlborough is a relic of England in the city of Bengkulu. Fort Marlborough founded East India Company (EIC) in 1713-1719 under the leadership of the governor Joseph Callet as a British defense fortress. It is said that this castle is the strongest stronghold of England in the East after the fortress of St. George in Madras, India.
british cemetery (pemakaman inggris)
The fort was erected on an artificial hill, overlooking the city of Bengkulu and its back to the Indian Ocean. This fort was once burned by the people of Bengkulu; so that residents are forced to flee to Madras. They then returned in 1724 after an agreement was made. In 1793, a re-attack was launched. In this incident a British officer, Robert Hamilton, was killed. And then in 1807, the resident of Thomas Parr was also killed. Both are commemorated by the establishment of monuments in the city of Bengkulu by the British government.
After the Dutch left in 1950, the Marlborough stronghold became the headquarters of the Army. Until 1977, the fort was handed over to the Department of Education and Culture to be restored and made into a cultural heritage building.
The Marlborough Fort is considered Britain's greatest relic in Indonesia. Although the background of the construction of this fort is for the sake of defense / military, but over time, the Marlborough Fortress then also functioned for the benefit of trade. The fort was used as a place for coordination for the smooth supply of pepper for the British trading company, East Indian Company, and the trading shipping lanes that pass through the Sunda Strait.
In addition, the fortress that was once used as a place of detention of Bung Karno is also used as a residence by British military officers and employees of East Indian Company. In the British Library's notes, in 1792 there were approximately 90 civil and military officers living and working in this fortress. Functionally, the fortress is ultimately more residential in a small town than a military defense center or trade office. This can be seen from the records relating to marriage, baptism, and death, which are still stored neatly inside this fortress.
The Marlborough Fortress is located on the structure of the building which consists of very complete parts. This rectangular fort has a bastion on all four corners. To enter the main building inside this castle, visitors must pass through a perfect curved main entrance located on the southwest side. However, before arriving at the main building, visitors must cross the bridge in advance that connects between the entrance with the main building because the fort is surrounded by a ditch that shape follows the shape of the fort. In a corridor before entering the bridge, visitors can find 4 headstones, 2 of which are relics in the time of the York Castle (a fort built before the Castle of Marlborough). The tombs are listed by George Shaw (1704), Richard Watts Esq (1705), James Cune (1737), and Henry Stirling (1774)
The location of Fort Marlborough is located in the heart of Bengkulu City. Not far from the official house of the Governor of Bengkulu. From Fatmawati Airport Bengkulu, visitors can use a taxi or car rental to arrive at the location of this attraction with travel time approximately 1.5 hours. If visitors use the bus / public transportation, Fort Marlborough is also easy to access, especially from the direction of Bengkulu Bus Terminal. From Bengkulu Bus Terminal, visitors can use the city bus Major Square Town of Bengkulu and down right in front of the Fort Marlborough.
Fort Marlborough is located at Ahmad Yani Street, Bengkulu City, Bengkulu Province, Indonesia.
