|
|
To the west of Central Station in
Chennai is the
Rippon Building, the dazzling white headquarters of the Corporation of
Chennai. It is one
of the few public buildings in
Chennai that time
has not managed to ravage.
History
Named after Lord Rippon, the Father of local self-government, the
foundation for the magnificent building was laid by Sir Gilbert John
Elliot Murray Kynyn Mound Bart and Carl of Minto, then Viceroy and
Governor General of India on December 12, 1909.
The Municipal Corporation of Madras, after functioning from several other
places, settled at Rippon building in 1913, with P.L.Moore as the
President of the Municipal Corporation at the time of the inauguration.
The Building
With a floor area of 9,628 square meters, this classic structure, built
at a cost of only Rs.7.30 lakhs, is a combination of three types of
architectural styles - Gothic, Ionic and Corinthian. Four engineers at
various points of time were involved in the construction of this beautiful
building - C.L.T.Griffith (1909), J.E.Hensman (1910-1911), E.P.Richard
(1912) and James R.Coats (1913).
To support the gargantuan structure, the walls have been constructed with
stock bricks, set in lime mortar and plastered with lime mortar. The roofs
are supported with Teak wood Joists. On the ground floor, the Cuddapah
stone flooring has now been re-laid with marble flooring. The flooring on
the first and second floors is of the pressed terracotta variety. The
overall depth of foundation including footing is 5.34 meters. The ceiling
height on the ground floor is 5.64 meters.
The highlight of its construction is that all joinery works for the
building were made with the best teak wood. The West Minister Quarter
Chiming Clock, installed by Oakes and Co. in 1913, about 20.58 meters from
terrace level, is one of the main attractions in the building. The clock
is provided with a mechanical key system, which is wound every day. There
are a total of 4 bells, which were cast by Gillet and Johnston in 1913.
It is perhaps ironic, but the recent addition of a Golden Jubilee
memorial (for Indian independence) has only managed to mar the once
unobstructed view of this great landmark.
Air: Chennai has an airport with both domestic and
international terminals. Regular flights connect
Chennai with the
major cities within the country and also with countries like USA,
Singapore, U.K etc.
Rail: Chennai
is well connected by rail with the important towns and cities within and
beyond the state.
Road: State transport buses and private buses connect
Chennai with the
major towns and cities within the country. For local transportation local
trains, city buses, auto rickshaws and taxis are available.
Being the capital city of the state, Chennai is well equipped with various kinds of accommodation options, varying from economic class to luxurious ones.