Fort Carnarvon

Fort Carnarvon is a military installation located on a hill opposite the All Saints Church, and somewhat behind the Taiping Prison. The area is cordoned off and inaccessible to the public, being a military installation.

History of Fort Carnarvon

Fort Carnarvon was constructed between 1880 and 1885, following massive riots that occurred in Taiping on 3rd October 1879, involving thousands of townsfolk, which resulted in the death of 28 rioters, 2 wounded policemen, and several other wounded rioters. The administration at the time recognized the need for increased security following the riots, and the Central Police Station (what is now the Clock Tower) was constructed in 1881, alongside Fort Carnarvon. The fort with gun emplacements that overlooked the main mining areas of Taiping, which is now the Taiping Lake Gardens, was able to monitor much of the city and the surrounding areas, right up to the coastline in Port Weld (now Kuala Sepetang). It was primarily an artillery fort, with barracks for the troops located opposite the Fort, beside the church. These barracks, as well as the Fort, are still in use today by the 9th Batallion, Royal Rangers Regiment of the Malaysian army.

References:

1. bin Bagoo, A. K. (1962). The Origin and Development of the Malay States Guides. Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, 35(1 (197)), 51–94.