MarketFort William, West Bengal
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Fort William, West Bengal

Fort William, officially Vijay Durg, is a fort in Hastings, Calcutta (Kolkata). It was built during the early years of Britain's administration of Bengal. It sits on the eastern banks of the River Hooghly, the major distributary of the River Ganga. One of Kolkata's most enduring British-era military fortifications, other than those in Bombay (Mumbai) and Madras (Chennai), it extends over an area of seventy hectares.

History
There are two Fort Williams. The original fort was built in the year 1696 by the British East India Company under the orders of Sir John Goldsborough which took a decade to complete. The permission was granted by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. Sir Charles Eyre started construction near the bank of the Hooghly River with the South-East Bastion and the adjacent walls. It was named after King William III in 1700. John Beard, Eyre's successor, added the North-East Bastion in 1701, and in 1702 started the construction of the Government House (Factory, see Factory (trading post)) at the centre of the fort. Construction ended in 1706. The original building had two stories and projecting wings. 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. Robert Clive started rebuilding the fort in 1758, after the Battle of Plassey (1757); construction was 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. Today, Fort William is the property of the Indian Army. The headquarters of Eastern Command is based there, with provisions for accommodating 10,000 army personnel. The Army guards it heavily, and civilian entry is restricted. The fort was officially renamed to Vijay Durg, in honour of the oldest fort along Maharashtra's Sindhudurg coast, in 2025. First Indian Masonic lodge In 1730, Ralph Farrwinter and other members of the East India Company opened the first Indian Masonic lodge, a short time after the creation of the Grand Lodge of England in 1717. Presidency of Fort William ==Structure==
Structure
The Fort is built of brick and mortar in the shape of an irregular octagon with an area of . Five of its sides face landward, and three towards the Hooghly River. The design is that of a star fort, suited to defence against cannon firing solid shot, and dates from before the advent of explosive shells. A dry moat deep and broad surrounds the fort. The moat 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. ==Gallery==
Gallery
File:Fort William, Calcutta, 1735.jpg|Fort William, 1735 File:"A Perspective View of Fort William" by Jan Van Ryne, 1754.jpg|Fort William, by Jan Van Ryne, 1754 File:Fort William, Calcutta.jpg|Fort William, Calcutta, 1756 File:First English Chapel, Fort William, Calcutta. Raised in 1714, with contribution of Rs. 1000 by the East India Company (p. 197, March 1824).jpg|First English Chapel, Fort William, Calcutta. Raised in 1714, with contribution of Rs. 1000 by the East India Company (p. 197, March 1824) File:St Peter's Church, Fort William, Calcutta by William Prinsep 1835.jpg|St Peter's Church, Fort William by William Prinsep 1835 File:Old Fort William plate17.jpg|Fort William, River Face 1786 (from a coloured engraving by Thomas Daniell). File:'The interior of the Arsenal, Fort William', Calcutta by William Prinsep 1835.jpg|The interior of the Arsenal, Fort William by William Prinsep 1835 File:Samuel Davis - Fort William, Calcutta - B1977.14.244 - Yale Center for British Art.jpg|Fort William by Samuel Davis File:Main Entrance - Fort William - Kolkata 2013-04-10 7736.JPG|Main entrance, Fort William 2013 File:South Gate - Fort William - Kidderpore Road - Kolkata 2013-04-10 7733.JPG|South gate, Fort William 2013 File:Fort William Church.jpg|St. Peter's Church, Fort William, Kolkata File:Fort William Semaphore.jpg|Semaphore Tower, Fort William, Kolkata File:Gates of Fort William in Kolkata 01.jpg|Main Gates of Fort William ==See also==
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