Beautiful Ooty & Church In The 19th Century, 1880 Photo

An 1880 photo of a beautiful 19th-century Ooty and church. That shows a pristinely beautiful Ooty unlike what it is today. The church is possibly St Stephen’s. The Nilgiris was discovered by John Sullivan, the collector of Coimbatore at the time. John Sullivan was the first European to discover Ooty in 1819. He had in 1824 commissioned the creation of an artificial lake known as Ooty Lake.

Despite Ooty being crowded today, it is still a delightful hill station, with its wonderful and iconic toy train. The toy train under the Nilgiri Mountain Railway has become a  UNESCO heritage site. Travelling by this steam loco train gives a spectacular view of the Niligiri Mountains. The travel is heavenly with quaint stations en route such as Kallar, Hillgrove, Runnymede, Coonoor, and so on. Because of John Sullivan’s chance discovery of the Nilgiris, it has now become the most desired tourist centers in India.

Read more John Sullivan (colonial administrator). See post Ooty Town & Lake – Old Photograph 1890.

Did you know- the earliest inhabitants of Ooty were the Todas and other hill tribes.

From my collection- Raja Ravi Varma’s “Mohini On A Swing” – Vintage Print 1930s., Ooty Steam Loco Train Halt Over Bridge – Old Photo 1909., Fort Cochin – Antique Map Plan 1761., Man Singh Palace Gwalior – Old Print 1872

Photo Details

Year -

1895

Photograph Size -

11.5 x 9.5 inches

Photographer -

Bourne & Shepherd