Fort George (Mer Rouge) was originally built by the French and appears to have remained unchanged by the British until 1834 when Cunningham Martello Tower was built in the Fort. This Martello Tower has now been lost.
Fort George was a large work on the north side of the entrance to the Harbour of Pot Louis. The ramparts were of earth with casemates.
In 1878 the Special Colonial Defence Committee recommended that the guns in Mauritius be upgraded from smooth bore to Rifled Muzzle Loaders. By 1882 Fort George has two 7-inch RMLs and four 7-inch RBL guns. In 1882 Port Louis was designated as a First Class Coaling Station and additional heavy RML guns were recommended. Various suggestions were advanced for the rearming of Fort George, including by Sir A Clarke, the Inspector-General of Fortifications and the Director of Artillery. In October 1887 it was finally agreed that Fort George would be armed with:
- Two 9.2-inch BL guns
- Two 7-inch RML guns
- Two 7-inch RBL guns for minefield defence
In January 1888 a 6-pdr QF gun was recommended for Fort George instead of the two 7-inch RBL guns for minefield defence. This led to a revised schedule of armaments for Fort George:
- Two 9.2-inch BL guns on HP guns mounted in 1891 to 1892
- Two 7-inch RML guns remounted 1889 to 1890
- Two 64-pdr RML guns mounted in 1888 to 1889
- One 6-pdr QF gun for minefield defence mounted 1891 to 1892 (Three 6-pdr guns and four Machine Guns)
In 1897 these guns are confirmed as being mounted.
A further short video clip showing the inside of Fort George, including caponiers, magazines and gun emplacements, can be seen HERE.