Finished in 1653 by the British East India Company, the fort has undergone many facelifts over the years. Inside the vast perimeter walls is now a precinct housing Tamil Nadu's Legislative Assembly & Secretariat, and a smattering of older buildings. One of these, the Fort Museum , has displays on Chennai's origins and the fort itself, and interesting military memorabilia and artwork from colonial times. The 1st-floor portrait gallery of colonial-era VIPs includes a very assured-looking Robert Clive (Clive of India).
Also within the fort is St Mary's Church , completed in 1680, and India's oldest surviving British church. To its right is the former Admiralty House (Clive's House). Clive's Corner , at the end of the building, houses a quirky memorial museum to Robert Clive.
