The Lady Wellington School

In a successful political career of more than 23 years as Governor of madras, Governor-general and Viceroy of India, Lord Willingdon made his mark in the history of British India. His wife too left her mark as monuments and properties that still uphold the family name.
The Lady Willingdon Training School came in to being in 1922 when the previously existing Institute of Teacher training was renamed after a dominating and energetic First Lady of Madras — Marie Adelaide Freeman-Thomas, Marchioness of Willingdon. It was one of the earliest educational institutions in madras.

The building was earlier used by Sister Subbulakshmi as a home for widows and destitute women. Lady Willingdon School and the Lady Willingdon Institute of Advanced Study in Education came up in its place. The pioneer Principal Miss. J.M. Gerrard, had a vision of stately edifice, facing the sea, shaped like ‘W’. Her vision materialized when a Scottish architect, under her guidance designed the present building into which the college moved in 1940. The school and college in her name were created to provide educational opportunities to under privileged women and girls and a century later they still continue to do the same.

Source: The Hindu.

Presidency College

How often does one get to study in a 177 year old institute which is a page out of a history book in itself? It happens only in Madras or to be more precise Presidency College.

Presidency College had its beginning as a started as a preparatory school in 1840 at Edinburgh House, Egmore🚂. It became a high school on April 4, 1841, when it moved into the D’monte house, Egmore. The building also housed the first offices of the university until Presidency College was built. In April 1853, the collegiate departments were added named the Presidency College in 1855 although the college moved into its current building only in 1870-1871. Women🙅‍♀️ weren’t admitted to the college until 1889. Until 1891, the presidency college was also the law college when it moved to a separate campus.

The first Indian Governor-general C. Rajagopalachari, Sir C.V. Raman and Dr S. Chandrashekar are some of the distinguished alumni of this college. Their lecture room M-28 is dedicated to both the Nobel laureates.

Source: 📖 Madras Rediscovered | S.Muthiah

The Church of Christ King

The CHURCH OF CHRIST KING situated within the Loyola college campus is surely an awe-inspiring architectural masterpiece. The unique cathedral was designed and built in 1931 by Architect S.A.Gnana Pragasam Pillai at the behest of Rev. Fr. Francis Bertram S.J., founder of Loyola College. ✝️The church resembles the style of lancet gothic architecture which is highly used in Italian and English ( Salisbury) cathedrals.

The 157 feet tall single German spire  rising on the central portal along with the slender needle pinnacles set as corner elements, on the piers and the fliers of the buttress gives the church a flamboyant elevation. The church does not have a vast area or height but its pine like structure is very impressive.
The structure appears like a like the bow of an ancient Roman ship to those who view it from outside. The interior is so simple and less chromatic without stained glass paintings which is a common feature in most churches.

Source: loyolacollege.edu | Bjshailu.

Subramaniya Bharathiyar

நாமிருக்கு நாடுநம தென்பறிந்தோம். இது நமக்கே யுரிமையா மென்பறிந்தோம். இந்தப் பூமியி லெவர்க்குமினி அடிமைசெய்யோம் – பரி பூரணனுக் கேயடிமை செய்துவாழ்வோம்..!! (சுதந்திரப் பள்ளு)

Bharathi like the name suggests, Subramaniya Bharathiyar (1897-1921) was a staunch nationalist and patriot. His songs reeked of Freedom of all sorts. Freedom for the country, women, slaves, abolisment of caste system, religion, inequality and what not?

Bharathi was the voice of Tamilnadu. His poems were filled with not just revolutionary thoughts but immense creativity and an innate sensitivity with which he approached everything in life. His love for nature, animals , birds and his most beloved wife and children have all been expressed in his innumerous poems that are a delight to read. Every great visionary in time has had to face poverty and Bharathi’s family also suffered from the cruel hand of poverty. His untimely demise in 1921 may have denied him from seeing the independent India he longed for but who else could have celebrated an independent India decades before it actually happened?
He did.

ஆடுவோமே பள்ளு பாடுவோமே ஆனந்த சுதந்திரம் அடைந்து விட்டோம் என்று.!!

All his works were nationalised through the efforts of the state government in the year 1949. He deserves the fame of being the first poet in the world to have his works nationalised. Classifying Bharathiyar as just a freedom struggle poet would be a great injustice to him. He is visionary for the generations to come!

Senate House, 1873

The Senate house located within the Madras University Chepauk campus is an exemplary piece of architecture in the Indo Saracenic style.
Senate house was built with red hand pressed brick with white gneiss dressings. It has a convocation hall which is lighted by cathedral tinted glasses on the 14 large windows. The style of decoration known as graffito work was later popularised by the architect Robert Chisholm. It is executed in Portland cement rather than ordinary lime plastering to resist corrosion due to the salty sea breeze. Almost 1500 people can be seated at the hall at once. The adjacent lecture hall is complete with a semi-circular gallery and can seat up to 500 people.All the furniture and interiors in the building were also designed by Mr Chrisholm and he made extensive use of the stained glass paintings. The entire cost of the building was about 2,80,000 Rupees.
In its hay days it played host to various cultural and political events from December music festival to convocation and even legislature meetings. Old timers recall the excellent acoustics of the hall which did not require mics at all.
The first steps towards constructing the building were taken by Governor Lord Napier on November 28, 1867 which he envisioned to become the heart of the campus where lectures will be delivered and professorships established .The Public Works Department and Robert Chisholm the architect got down to work and the foundation stone was laid on April 30, 1868.Construction eventually started in 1869 and was completed in 1873. The senate hall was primarily used for the convocation event but was later moved to a different venue owing to lack of space and this put the first nail in the coffin for this majestic building.
A sensitive job of restoration between 2004 and 2007 had brought back the building that had been allowed to deteriorate from the 1970s but today the hall remains largely unused and it won’t be long before another heritage structure also turns to rubble.

Source: Madras Rediscovered