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Fort William

333 bytes added, 17:46, 4 May 2009
adding more details
==The Old Fort==
Named for William III of England, the fort was built at the beginning of the 18th century completed in 1806 and was the site of the British factory at Calcutta. This fort had the guard room that became known as the Black Hole of Calcutta, where British prisoners were held after the fort was captured by the Nawab of Bengal in 1756 (see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Hole_of_Calcutta Wikipedia entry]).
The original fort was further north , but was relocated to the present site on the Maidan after the [[Battle of Plassey]]. The old fort would later be used as a customs house.
==ConstructionThe New Fort William==The new Fort William was built by [[Robert Clive]] at a cost of £2,000,000 and was completed in 1773. It Situated on the site known as the Maidan, it is octagonal in shape and covers an area of 2 square miles. Three sides of the fort face the [[Hoogly River]] and there are six gates.
===Garrison===
Two infantry regiments were stationed at the fort, one British, one native, as well as a [[Royal Artillery]] company.
===Buildings===
Buildings inside the fort include:
*St Peter's Church - the fort church built in 1828

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