Government House Road In Chepauk Madras, 1910 Photo
A rare 1910 photo of the Government House Road in Chepauk, Madras (Chennai). The British Governors used the Admiralty House (now Clive House) in Fort St George as their townhouse. The photo shows a horse cart and its drivers on the vast expanse of land on the Chepauk ground. The ground was acquired by the Nawab of Arcot who built his palace here.
The Nawab was a strong ally of the British and first planned to build his palace inside Fort St George. But because of lack of space, he then settled for the vast expanse of Chepauk ground, south of the fort, with the River Cooum on one side. It is believed other than the palace there was also a large house in Chepauk that the British acquired in 1753. Which would later become the Government House in 1800.
The ground was called Chepauk Government Estate — a part of it can be seen in this photo. In 1855 a portion of the estate, one side facing the River Cooum and the front facing the Marina, was taken over for the Senate House (Madras University). A second Government House came up in Guindy, it is today the Raj Bhavan. Effectively there were three Government Houses in British-era Madras. Click on the photo for better view.
Did you know – the famous Chepauk Cricket Stadium is located in a part of this government estate.
From the collection – Rural Life In India Watercolour Painting By N. Mukherjee., Chowpatty Beach & Marine Drive Mumbai, 1970., Floating Dock British Era Bombay – Old Print 1872., Fiat Trucks For British India Military, 1915 Postcard.
