Fort St. George, one the first few bastions built by the east India company, marks the beginning of Chennai as a modern city. It occupies a place of pride and prominence in Chennai. This bastion achieved it's name from St. George, the patron saint of England.

The state legislature and the secretarait are located in Fort St. George. It houses the St. Mary's church -- the oldest Anglican church in India which was built in 1680 and the tombstones in it's courtyard are the oldest British tombstones in India. The Fort Museum, once a building that housed Chennai's first lighthouse, first commercial bank and first 'club', is now a well-kept repository of tangible memories of early Madras.