Fort St. George - Chennai
Today, the old buildings in Fort St. George house the Secretariat of the Tamil Nadu Government and the Legislative Assembly. Within the Fort, a number of other early buildings stand out. St. Mary’s Church, the first Anglican Church in India, is most interesting. It was at this Church that Robert Clive, who laid the foundations of the British Empire in India, was married in 1753, Elihu Yale, who later lent his name to a major University in USA, was also married in this church. Yale rose from a Company Writer to the Governor in 15 years. He stayed in Madras to augment his fortune and donated books worth 560 pounds to the Collegiate School in Connecticut where his father had emigrated. As a token of gratitude, the University was named after him. It is now called Yale University. The Fort St. George Museum displays some of the fascinating items belonging to the early days of the East India Company. The Museum has everything from prints of terrified Europeans landing through the surf on to the beach to portraits of Queen Victoria and Edward VII.
Other interesting buildings in the Fort are the old Government House, the splendid Banqueting Hall now called Rajaji Hall. It was built for official entertainment of the Governor. The hall’s structures drew inspiration from classical Greek and Roman styles.
Just north of the Fort are the Lighthouse and the High Court (1888-92) which is considered to be the second largest judicial building in the world after the one in London.
George Town, the original Madras city, lies to the north. It overlooks the man-made harbour-a good example of English planning. Its streets still bear such exotic names as China Bazar Road, Evening Bazar, Portuguese Church Street and Armenian Street reminding us of the past history of Madras. Since Madras did not have a natural harbour, the first Europeans had to come ashore on an exposed beach-a frightening experience. Madras was the centre of international trade. Two other buildings in the area are noteworthy: the Southern Headquarters of the State Bank of India and the General Post Office designed by R.F. Chisholm (1845-84).
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