After the Venetians, the old fortress was used militarily by the French and the British. During the time of the British protectorate, which lasted around 50 years, there were further changes to the fortress. They replaced the wooden bridge with a stone one and built the church of Saint George in 1840, and added two barracks, a hospital and a bell tower. After about around eight centuries, the Old Fortress had taken its final form. In 1864, British rule ended when the Ionian Islands were united with the Kingdom of Greece and the Old Fortress was given to the people of Corfu.