Sweeping View of The Sea & Flagmast From Fort St George, 1880 Photo
An 1880 photo of a sweeping view of the sea and flagmast from Fort St George, Madras (Chennai). A seemingly never-before-seen photo taken from inside the defensive walls of Fort St George. One of the main attractions of the Fort is certainly the 150-foot-tall flag mast. Probably hoisted with the East India Company’s flag or the Union Jack. The towering teakwood flag mast is believed to be the tallest in India.
The mast was first erected in Fort St George on the orders of Elihu Yale, then governor of Madras, in 1687. Over the years, the mast was repeatedly broken by cannonball fire. It composed of three teakwood tiers, with the bottommost being a massive teak beam. The teakwood mast was replaced with a metal one in 1994. Cannons are visible near the base of the flagmast, likely remnants of deadly battles. Ships with their tall masts dot the sea near Madras Harbour. The harbour was then just a simple “T” jetty; it became a full-fledged port only by the 1900s.
Read more Fort St George: A Symbol Of The British Raj In India.
Did you know – that the tall flag mast was originally erected in front of the Sea Gate (seen in the picture). Then moved to the northeastern ramparts in the 1770s and returned to its position opposite the Sea gate a few years later.
Past posts – Raja Ravi Varma’s Balamani – Old Postcard 1902., Toddy Tappers In Chennai – Old Postcard 1900.
