Fort Marlborough

Fort Marlborough is a British colonial fort located in Teluk Segara, Bengkulu City, Bengkulu Province, on the southwest coast of Sumatra overlooking the Indian Ocean. Built by the British East India Company between 1714 and 1719, it is the largest British fort in Southeast Asia. The well-preserved brick structure features bastions, moat, and barracks, and now functions as a heritage site and museum showcasing Bengkulu's colonial history.

Visitors can explore a large, well-preserved 18th-century brick fort with four corner bastions, thick ramparts, a dry moat, former barracks, prison cells, and cannon displays. The interior houses a small museum with historical artifacts, maps, and photographs related to the British period in Bengkulu. The elevated bastions offer views of Bengkulu City and the Indian Ocean. The site is open and largely outdoors with grassy courtyards, brick pathways, and interpretive signage.

Built between 1714 and 1719 by the British East India Company under Governor Joseph Collett as a defensive stronghold for its pepper trade settlement in Bengkulu (then Bencoolen). It served as the main British administrative and military center on Sumatra until the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824, when Bengkulu was exchanged for Malacca. The fort is constructed of brick with a turtle-shaped layout and is considered the strongest British fort in the region.

Designated as a national cultural heritage site (Cagar Budaya) of Indonesia, the fort is a prominent example of British colonial architecture in Sumatra and a key heritage landmark for Bengkulu City. It serves as an educational site and museum preserving the history of Bengkulu's colonial period.