State officials touring the furbished storerooms at Fort Cornwallis. — LIM BENG TATT/The Star
RESTORATION works at Fort Cornwallis, George Town will now move on to the next phase following the completion of rehabilitation efforts on the fort’s 10 storerooms costing RM5.8mil.
Chief Minister Incorporated (CMI) head S. Bharathi said a RM7.2mil budget had been approved for the excavation and restoration of moat at the fort’s south and west areas.
“The budget has been approved for this project under Phase Two and Phase Three, and the tender process and physical work will start this year.
“We are in the midst of appointing a consultant.
Both phases are expected to be completed by the end of 2024 or early 2025,” she said.
However, Bharathi said the cost of the project was expected to be higher than budgeted due to the Covid-19 pandemic and rising cost of materials.
“Once we tender it out, we will know the actual cost,” she added.
Earlier, she accompanied Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow to tour the completed storerooms.
The storerooms were restored to replicate their former state, using bricks reinforced with breathable concrete, made and tested locally to prevent the occurrence of mould.
Several sections of the original brick forms that had partially collapsed were preserved for showcase.
The state government had contributed RM4.5mil while Think City allocated RM1.3mil for this section, which was undertaken by George Town Conservation and Development Corporation (GTCDC), which is a tripartite between the state government, represented by CMI, Think City and Aga Khan Trust for Culture as the technical adviser.
Chow said the restoration work at Fort Cornwallis was carried out based on the recommendation of the George Town World Heritage Site Special Area Plan and Fort Cornwallis Conservation Management Plan (CMP).
“Fort Cornwallis, a Category One building listed under the care of the Department of National Heritage, is strategically positioned in the proximity to the cruise ship pier.
“Phase 1A will begin soon by displaying the exhibits in the storerooms, fixing the lighting and putting up explanation panels and software to tell visitors the story of Fort Cornwallis and its significance.”On the moat restoration works, Chow said they would play an even more significant role and be the project’s main highlight.
“The moat that originally surrounded the fort was necessary for defence against intruders and enemies.
“The south moat is the most significant because it faces the State Assembly building.
“The west moat faces the food court,” he said.
He added that the restoration project was one of the 14 under the North Seafront Improvement Programme.
Also present at the tour were Think City director Laurence Loh, technical adviser Francesco Siravo, technical manager Santo Giovanni as well as Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) researchers Ain Ali and Shaiful Shahidan.
During the excavation works in 2018 and 2019, some 30,000 artefacts during British rule and the Japanese Occupation were discovered, including cannons, mortars, bottles, broken pieces of ceramics and old coins.
