The Nilgiri Documentation Centre (NDC) has called for the restoration and preservation of two of Udhagamandam town’s “oldest and historic” buildings.
In a statement, Venugopal Dharmalingam, honorary Director of the NDC, said that the first such building was the Crew Hall at the entrance of the Government Botanical Garden and the second one was the old office of the Superintendent of Police in Mount Stuart Hill.
“Both the buildings were associated with Colonel Crewe, the second Commander of the Neilgherries who took office in 1831,” said Mr. Dharmalingam.
The Crew Hall was built on a land that originally belonged to Johnston, the first gardener John Sullivan brought to Ooty. Colonel Crew was entrusted with the horticulture and agricultural development of the town. It was in Crewe Hall that tea was first experimented in Ooty. He was also connected with the construction of St. Stephen’s church, of which he was a Lay Trustee. The wide entrance to the botanical gardens formed part of the Crewe Hall, which remained unaltered for over a 100 years. After independence it was renamed Gatehouse to house visiting Chief Ministers of the State and other dignitaries. Late Kamaraj was a regular visitor there, said Mr. Dharmalingam.
The second building is the old office of the Superintendent of Police of the Nilgiris situated on Mount Stuart Hill. This building, also dating back to 1830s, was the office of the Commander of the Neilgherries. The Bombay army also had a depot there for their invalids. Later it became the property of Framjee and Co, one of the first Parsee traders to set up business in Ooty. After 1850s, the property was sold in auction to the government and renamed Mount Stuart Hill. It became the office of the Sothern command of the British army. After independence, the police, forest and fire service offices were accommodated there. Parts of the hill were subsequently used to house Hotel Tamilnadu and the Panchayat buildings.
These two buildings deserve to be preserved as part of the heritage of the Nilgiris on the occasion of the Bicentenary of the Nilgiris, marking 200 years since the first colonial expedition successfully made its way up the Nilgiris, said Mr. Dharmalingam.
Published - April 10, 2023 07:50 pm IST