Fort Fullerton was one of Singapore’s earliest fortifications. Built in 1829, it was named after Robert Fullerton who was the first governor of the Straits Settlements from 1826 to 1830.[1] The purpose of Fort Fullerton was to defend the town of Singapore located at the mouth of the Singapore River. The fort was situated at Battery Point, the promontory at the Western entrance of the river.[2]
The fort was made up of a few pieces of ordnance at the time it was completed. Located within the fort were houses for the officers and barracks for the artillery garrison.[3] During the 1840s and 1850s, the fort underwent a series of expansions, one of which resulted in the destruction of the Singapore Stone in 1843.[4] Between 1854 and 1859, Fort Fullerton was enlarged to nearly three times its original size and extended from the Singapore River to Johnston’s Pier. The fort was also equipped with the more powerful 68-pounder guns.[5]
In June 1872, the Straits Settlements government began to review the effectiveness of using fortifications to defend Singapore.[6] The authorities found that it was not feasible to maintain this strategy due to high maintenance costs as well as the locations of some of the forts.[7] For instance, Fort Fullerton was located right in line with the densest and most valuable part of the town. During a sea attack, the fort would most probably draw fire from enemy ships, which could in turn lead to the destruction of the town of Singapore.[8] To prevent this from happening, the government decided to demolish Fort Fullerton to make way for a General Post Office instead.[9] Demolition works on Fort Fullerton were carried out in June 1873.[10] Today, the Fullerton Hotel stands on the site once occupied by the fort.[11]
References
1. Cameron, J. (2007). Our tropical possessions in Malayan India (p. 240). Singapore: Ascanio Books. Call no.: RSING 959.503 CAM; Tyers, R. K. (1976). Singapore, then & now (p. 9). Singapore: University Education Press. Call no.: RSING 959.57 TYE; Savage, V., & Yeoh, B. (2004). Toponymics: A study of Singapore street names (p. 133). Singapore: Marshall Cavendish. (Call no.: RSING 915.9570014 SAV-[TRA]).
2. Cameron, 2007, p. 241.
3. Fort Fullerton. (1922, July 13). The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (1884–1942), p. 6. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
4. The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (1884–1942), 13 Jul 1922, p. 6; Singapore Stone and Orang Laut forgotten. (1999, December 5). The Straits Times, p. 45. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
5. The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (1884–1942), 13 Jul 1922, p. 6; Makepeace, W., Brooke, G., & Braddell, R. St. J. (Eds.). (1921). One hundred years of Singapore: Being some account of the capital of the Straits Settlements from its foundation by Sir Stamford Raffles on the 6th February 1819 to the 6th February 1919 (p. 379). London: J. Murray. Call no.: RCLOS 959.51 MAK.
6. Our military expenditure. (1872, June 15). Straits Times Overland Journal, p. 3. Retrieved from NewspaperSG; Cameron, 2007, pp. 244–247.
7. Cameron, 2007, pp. 244–247; Report. (1872, June 15). Straits Times Overland Journal, p. 7. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
8. Cameron, 2007, pp. 244; The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (1884–1942), 13 Jul 1922, p. 6; Straits Times Overland Journal, 15 Jun 1872, p. 3.
9. The council debates. (1872, July 27). The Straits Times, p. 1; The sub-committee report. (1872, October 24). Straits Times Overland Journal, p. 4. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
10. Old institutions. (1873, June 14). Straits Times Overland Journal, p. 3. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
11. Legacy: Site of historic fort. (2000, June 6). The Straits Times, p. 40. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
The information in this article is valid as at 2014 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.