Evolution of Fort St.George 1939 (As Documented by Col.DM Reid) and Present Structure

Fort St.George Map 1939 Col.DM Reid

Post & Telegraphs: Special Cover 368th Madras Day Celebrations 22-08-2007

Wallajah Gate (Island Grounds) Fort St. George

Gate Used by Military Units at Fort St.George

North Gate Fort St. George

Bastions and Revelins of Fort St.George

At the Fort Museum, one can see maps and illustrations which documents the evolution of the fort and settlement over the centuries. Col. D.M.Reid (Douglas Muir Reid) prepared drawings of the fort with Madras volunteers. These drawings describe the evolution of this fort. He has also written a book title: 'The Story of Fort St. George.'

1687 -- Governor Elihu Yale erected the 45-m (148-ft) tall flagstaff to hoist the Union Jack for first time in India.  

1715 -- The Parade ground behind the Secretariat building was known as  Cornwallis Square.

1726 -- Marmalong Bridge, the first across the Adyar River. Built by the Armenian Coderjee Petrus Uscan.

1755 -- The Wallajah Bridge was constructed connecting the Wallajah Gate of the Fort to the Island. 

1825 -- Binny Bridge, named after John Binny, whose residence became the Imperial Hotel - now the Vivanta by Taj Connemara, also known as Commander-in-Chief’s Bridge, was constructed in Binny Road.

1829 -- Anderson Bridge, named after Dr. James Anderson, who had a botanic garden in the area once, was constructed across coovum and lies adjacent to Pantheon road signal. 

1840 -- Elphinstone Bridge constructed on River Adyar

1869 -- Napier Bridge,  which connects the entire stretch of the Marina with the Fort, was  constructed by Francis Napier, then Governor.  The Napier Bridge we know today, with its six bowstrings and ethereal lighting at night, was built in 1999.  

1910 -- A second floor over the wings and the magnificent Assembly Hall to the east with numerous black columns were added enhancing its facade.

1930 -- The low width North and South Sea Gates, which remain closed for a longer time, were estimated as too small and hence they were replaced with much wider structures.

1942 -- The small Centre Gate was not used for a longer duration and it was sealed with bricks. The closure also to protect the fort from threats posed by the Japanese.

When completed, Fort St. George was spread over 42 acres inside and over 60 acres outside the Fort Walls. The Fort had 3 principal gates, the “Sea Gate”, which has now been closed, the“Wallaja Gate” and “St. George Gate” apart from a few minor gates. The Gates were further strengthened by bastions, ravelins flanked by lunettes. A wet ditch was built all around the Fort as an added security measure.

Tamil Nadu State Government's Neo Classical Secretariat is visible to those who enter through Sea Gate

Fort St.George Borders:

• Western side border: the Wall Tax Road and the Buckingham Canal
• South side border: the North Fort Road on the eastern side and the General Hospital Road on the western side
• Northern side border:  Basin Bridge Road and Old Jail Road
• Eastern side border: the Rajaji Salai (First line beach road) and the Chennai Port
• All the four sides are additionally bordered by railway lines of the Chennai Beach—Chengalpattu and Chennai Central—Chennai Beach sections.

The streets (some of streets and monuments are seen even till date) were named in the 17th Century when the Fort was a residential settlement, `White Town'. All the main streets were parallel to the coast and developed around the core, `The Castle' (The Fort).

Streets  within Fort St.George:

Sl.No.	Name of the Street	Thumbnail of the Street
1	Church Street Location: Right side of the Fort House
2	North East Parade Street Location: Parade Grounds
3	Kings Barracks Location: CSD Canteen
4	Glouceter Street  Location: Fort Square
5	York Street Location: Fort Square
6	Middle Street        Location: Fort Square
7	Charles and James Street   Location: Clive House
8	St. Thomas Street Location: Near Church Street
9	Oultry Street Location: Near Parade Ground
10	Choultry Street Location: Parade Ground
11	Inner street Location: South West
12	Wallajah West Street  Location: South West
13	Saint George Curtain StreetLocation: St. Thomas Street
14	Inner George Gate Street Location: West
15	Inner North Gate Road   Location: York Street

Monuments within Fort St.George, Esplanade and George (Black) Town:

Sl.No.	Name of the Monument	Thumbnail of the Monument
1	“Tamil Nadu State Government Secretariat (British East India Company Fort House)” . Location: Central Building
2	“Elihu Yale’s home” . Location: St.Thomas Street
3	St. Mary’s Church with tablets laid on the ground and enclosed by a compound and a buried wall  Location: Church Street
4	Clive’s house built in 1753  Location: Charles and James Street
5	“Arsenal” between Wellesley house and Clive’s House with shells and cannons piled together near the Gateway Block IV/1-12 and 14-18. (Wikimedia Commons) It was designed by Colonel Patrick Ross and is presently being used by the military as their supply depot.  Location: Charles and James Street
6	Wellesley house (Built in 1798), Block No. IV/13         Location: Charles and James Street
7	Big Warehouse, south of the Church Library (in Block No. II/7). It is situated right opposite the Last House on Snob’s Alley and is in a complete state of disrepair with half of the roof structure having caved in. (Wikimedia Commons) Location: St. Thomas Street
8	Chaplain’s house including portion which is the northern side of the old Wall II/1. (Wikimedia Commons) Location: St. Thomas Street
9	Garrison Engineer’s Depot, Block No. IV It is located opposite the Fort police station which is now in military use.  Location: Charles and James Street
10	Guard room Block No. V	Fort St. George, Chennai-9
11	King’s Barracks Block No. XXV  Location: Kings Barracks now Area CSD (Defence) canteen
12	Last house on the left of ‘Snobs Allay’ (Oldest house in the Fort with carved staircase) – Block No. I/1 It is now completely ruined with little trace left of its presence and is presently being restored by the ASI. (Courtesy: The sorry state of Fort St George Madras Heritage and Carnatic Music March 5, 2014 ) Location: St. Thomas Street
13	Nursing Sister’s House (Block No. I/3) Located in a building to the north of the Last house and is in good condition. It is currently being used as residence by some of the church staff and nuns from St. Mary’s Church. Location: St. Thomas Street
14	Old British Infantry Officer’s Mess (now housing the Fort Museum) Block XXXVI/2   Location: York Street
15	Ramparts, gates, bastions, Ravelins with vaulted chambers and water cisterns underneath; moat and defence walls all round with glacis to the extent of the existing barbed wire fence
16	Tomb of David Yale and Joseph Hymners in the compound of Law College, George Town The proposed alignment and Chennai Metro Rail Station comes within 300 meters of the Tomb of David Yale and Joseph Hymners located inside Dr. Ambedkar Law College campus.
17	Old town Wall	Tondiarpet, Chennai

Reference

1.  Bridges of Madras - The concrete connect. Anusha Parthasarathy The Hindu Chennai April 16, 2013
2. Exploring the Fort St. George: A neglected heritage complex by Anand Lakshmipathi Transparent Chennai April 1, 2013 
3. List of Centrally Protected Monuments - State-wise, Tamil Nadu, Archaeological Survey of India Chennai Circle
4. The sorry state of Fort St George Madras Heritage and Carnatic Music March 5, 2014 

Evolution of Fort St.George 1758 (As Documented by Col.DM Reid)

Map of Fort St.George in 1758 by Col DM Reid

John Lodge Map 1747

Siege of Fort St.George December 1758 and February 1759

 

Siege of Pondicherry 1760

At the Fort Museum, one can see maps and illustrations which documents the evolution of the fort and settlement over the centuries. Col. D.M.Reid (Douglas Muir Reid) prepared drawings of the fort with Madras volunteers. These drawings describe the evolution of this fort. He has also written a book title: 'The Story of Fort St. George.'

1746 -- Battle of the Adyar River took place at Quibble Island, near the Adyar River on 29 October.

Quibble Island - Battle of Adyar River

1746 between the 300 men of the French East India Company led by Captain Paradis and a much larger force of 10,000 men belonging to Anwaruddin Muhammed Khan, the Nawab of the Carnatic. The Nawab claimed Madras from the French and  the French won and occupied Santhome. The Battle of the Adyar River acclaimed the advent of modern artillery warfare into the country's antiquated military system (cavalry). The battle led to their formation of the regiments that were to prove the nucleus of the Indian Army.

1746 - 1763 -- Three Carnatic Wars were a series of battles, primarily between the East India Companies of the British and French, for control of the trading ports of India.

1746–1748 -- The first Carnatic War was the fallout of the Austrian war of succession, in which France and England were in opposite camps.

Mohammed Ali, Nawab of Arcot

1749–1754 -- The Second Carnatic War was closely linked with the dispute of succession in the Nizam Hyderabad and over the Nawabship of Carnatic. The French supported Chanda Sahib, who claimed the throne of Carnatic and the British supported Mohammed Ali. The troops of Robert Clive with the support of Marathas defeated Chanda Sahib.  Clive captures Arcot and the English emerge victorious. Mohammed Ali the Nawab of Arcot, became the undisputed leader. The Nawab of Arcot gifted Santhome to the English.

Kings Barracks Fort St.George

1755 - the King’s Barracks were built at Fort St.George to accommodate the bachelor officers and ranks of the East India Company Army. This King's Barracks was spreading over 10,000 sq.meters. A Grand Arsenal was added to store the ammunition required for the Carnatic Wars and some private property was acquired to build barracks for the soldiers.

1756 - To expand the Fort St.George, the small Elambore River flowing as the Western defence was diverted by filling Earth. The massive quantity of Earth was obtained by leveling the natural mound called “Hog’s Hill” (Narimedu) located further West. Cisterns were built to support water requirements for about 6000 men.

1757–1763 -- The Third Carnatic War was merely an echo of the Seven Years' War in Europe. The French Government sent a powerful army under the command of Thomas Arthur Comte de Lally to mitigate the influence of the British in India.

1752 -- Madras once again became of the seat of the Presidency.

1756 -- Period of hectic construction and reconstruction of the Fort, most of which remain today. Strengthening of the western front of the Fort and leveling of Hog Hill, the natural mound further west. King's Barracks built within the Fort to house the King's Regiment.

When war broke out with Great Britain, the French government chose Thomas Arthur Comte de Lally to command a French expedition to India.

1757-58 -- Demolition of the old Town Temple. Building of the northern face of the Fort St.George

1757 -- This expedition took a certain time to organize and finally it left Brest in May 1757.

1758 -- French expedition to India with Lally and staff reached Pondicherry on April 7 1758.

In May 1758, his troops captured Cuddalore.  

In December 1758 Lally laid siege to Fort St.George (siege of Madras). The Siege of Fort St.George commenced in December 1758 and continued for 67 days by French forces under the command of Lally during the Seven Years' War. The siege was lifted with the support of British fleet in February 1759. Comte Lally anchored his artillery at a remote place (present Parrys corner) and his French artillery managed to maintain uninterrupted shell fire for 46 days. As a result the fort was reduced to crash including the storeyed houses within the Fort. The British troops also retaliated 26,554 cannon balls and more than 200,000 cartridge rounds in defence of the town.

1759 -- Despite bombardment of Fort St. George over nine weeks, Lally and the French troops were  forced to raise the siege of Madras on February 16 - 17, 1759. The failure to capture Madras was a huge disappointment for the French and a massive setback to their campaign in India compounded by the later Battle of Wandiwash.

1760 -- On January 22 1760, Lally was defeated by Sir Eyre Coote, an Irishman born in Kilmallock, Co. Limerick,  at the Battle of Wandewash and finally surrendered to a British force. The British then undertook the Siege of Pondicherry. On September 3, a sortie conducted by Lally failed.

The English captured Pondicherry and Mahe, badly defeating the French. This defeat put an end to the French empire in India.

Execution of Comte de Lally

1766 -- 9 May, 1766 - Thomas Arthur Lally, Comte de Lally was executed for losing Pondicherry in India to the English.

Lally  was a courageous man and an able general, but his arrogance meant that he was not popular with his officers and was hated by his men. He despised native Indians and readily violated their customs and traditions. Initially he had some minor military successes, but his manner and demeanour were against him.

Reference

1. Battle of Adyar The Hindu October 9, 2013
2. Carnatic War, 1758-1761, British India India Netzone (Last updated 22/03/2012)
3. Carnatic Wars 1746 - 1763 Heritage History
4. Carnatic Wars (Wikipedia)
5. Lally-Tollendal, Thomas Arthur Comte de Kronoskaf 
6. Siege of Madras (Wikipedia)
7. Siege of Madras, The Hindu October 9, 2013
8. The Irish Frenchman Muthiah S The Hindu Monday, Apr 06, 2009
9. Thomas Arthur, comte de Lally (Wikipedia)