Government House, Guindy

Another place that is always in the spotlight a lot in the recent times is the Raj Bhavan, residence of the Governor of Tamilnadu. The earliest official residence of the Governors of Madras were in Fort St. George.

Raj Bhavan or Guindy Lodge as it was once called was built by Governor William Langhorne (1672-78) in the early 1670s in garden space carved out of the Guindy Forest that had helped make St. Thomas’ mount a salubrious place for rest and recreation. It went to the hand of several indian and English private players until it was given to the government to settle a debt of 10,000 pagodas. Government also acquired a nearby property for Rs.8,750 from the Armenian merchant Joseph Nazar Shawmier. Between 1821 and 1824, Government linked the two properties with a third purchaser and the Raj Bhavan property as it existed at Independence came into being. It was in the 1820s that Governor Thomas Munro (1820-27) made Government House the official residence and what has now grown into Raj Bhavan .

Today The Raj Bhavan is a lush green escapade of about 156.14 acres. It comprises of 3.5 acre nursery, a lake and a very rich flora and fauna.The large Durbar Hall, a part of the Raj Bhavan complex has witnessed several swearing-in ceremonies. Alongside lie the plush Main Lawns where one can find deerand endangered blackbucks and many other species. Raj Bhavan is home to 500 deer, 830 blackbucks and 160 birds. About 7,000 trees border the pathway and the boundary of Raj Bhavan with the oldest being 150-year-old Neem tree.

Photo: Frederick Fiebig in 1851.
Source: S.MUTHIAH | THEHINDU

Madras Race Club,1837.

When you cross by Guindy you simply can’t miss the old world feeling that part of town boasts off. The freshly cut grass, horses galloping in the track fields, lingering smell of dung.A little part of Madras has latched on to guindy despite the sea of change it has undergone.
The Madras Race club at guindy was officially constituted in 1837, but its origins go back to 1777, when 81 cawnies of land were granted by the government to conduct races. The land was taken from the Adyar villages of Venkatapuram and Velacheri. The first race meet in the country was held around 1760 on the island grounds.
Racing became irregular and almost stopped soon because of the siege by Hyder Ali. A few years later, 35 cawnies were added and two race courses came up to train horses and to watch the races.

The club functioned till 1875 and then went through a tough phase and the club was finally revived in 1887. In the 1900s racing continued, but on a low key. World War I brought it to a temporary halt.In 1920, the first stands were built out of the generosity of two indian princes.

In 1931, the Guindy Lodge was built in the club premises for the secretary and in 1933, the weighing room was constructed. In 1966, the MRC became an independent turf authority. After 1985, the Government took over racing and this lasted a decade.
The club now has about 625 horses in station, three stands and boasts of the best race track in the country. The racing season begins in November and goes on till March after which races are conducted in Ooty between April and June. A monsoon season has been introduced with races being conducted between August and October.

Photo: Hinduimage Archive.
Source: The Hindu | S.Muthiah | Madras Rediscovered.

Garrison Church, 1830

St. Thomas Mount has witnessed centuries of both biblical and colonial history and the St.Thomas Garrison Church stands as a symbol for both. The Church was built by the British government at the request of the army officers in the area in 1830. The British troops were housed in various places in Pallavaram and St. Thomas Mount. There was agitation by the soldiers to build a church for their worship. The government asked the Military Board to provide an estimate and allowed it to rent a building temporarily for the worship. There were multiple proposals for building the church, but the final approval came in 1820. The building was completed in 1827 at an estimated cost of Rs. 43,773 but was opened only in 1830 by Bishop Turner.
The church was constructed with bomb-proof roof and rust-proof iron railings, and most of the materials for the construction were imported from Britain. It is believed that the railings are made out of iron from the discarded weapons such as muskets, barrels, pikes of Tipu Sultan’s arsenal. The compound is surrounded by lush green trees which are easily 150 years old. With 20 windows and 5 doors the church has abundant natural light and the 6 Roman ionic pillars lend it a palatial appearance. The 175-year-old church is today home to what is believed to be the oldest organ in Madras, an 1823 one shipped out to Madras after use in England. The Bishop’s chair, Bible and chalice too came from England. The Chalice has the seal of Queen Victoria.Another interesting thing is that The Grand Southern Trunk Road begins here. The church’s address: 1, GST Road, Chennai – 600016.

For some it might seem as a religious place of worship but the centuries of histories this place holds is reason to go beyond religion and soak up the historical significance and architectural beauty of this building.

Source: The Hindu | Historian S.Muthiah

College Of Engineering Guindy

As much as we take pride in living in the historic city of Madras, we are equally elated about belonging to one of the oldest engineering colleges in the country, College of engineering, Guindy -CEG .

In 1789, Mr. Michael Topping, an astronomer and geographical surveyor sought to establish an observatory to house the company’s astronomical equipments and also for surveying the Madras presidency. The observatory was indulged in 1786 to survey the lattitude of longitude of the coasts. To further expand the surveyor’s office in 1794, Eight men were selected from the Fort Charity school and the school of surveying began on May 17th 1794 in the Fort itself, which laid the first foundation for a technical education institute in the state.
In 1847, it was decided that the school of surveying to be developed into the College of Engineers to suit the demands of the Public works Department.
Principal Lt.G. Winscom was crucial in establishing the institute as a Civil engineering college which started functioning out of Kalas Mahal in Chepauk from 1st September 1859.
As the college expanded, In 1920 the institution was shifted to the 200 acre campus in Guindy. The iconic red sandstone buildings, clock tower, minarets, masonry arches and columns will definitely make every student who walks these halls as a part in this 223 year heritage.
Source : The Hindu | S. Muthiah | History of Higher education in South india Vol-II.