In 1809 the British moved their main garrison in the region from Srirangapatna to Bengaluru. They built a large Cantonment east of the old town. For well over a century Bengaluru was in effect two cities: the Kannada-speaking pete under Mysore, and the cosmopolitan Cantonment (formally the "Civil and Military Station") under direct British control.
The Cantonment gave the city MG Road (formerly South Parade), Brigade Road, Commercial Street, Richmond Town, Cox Town, Frazer Town, St Mark's Cathedral and the bungalow culture that defined "Bangalore" for generations. The two municipalities were merged only in 1949.