MADRAS

Settlement and segregation in Madras

The Company had first set up its trading activities in the

well-established port of Surat on the west coast.
Subsequently the search for textiles brought British
merchants to the east coast. In 1639 they constructed a
trading post in Madraspatam. This settlement was locally
known as Chenapattanam. The Company had purchased
the right of settlement from the local Telugu lords, the
Nayaks of Kalahasti, who were eager to support trading
activity in the region. Rivalry (1746-63) with the French
East India Company led the British to fortify Madras and
give their representatives increased political and
administrative functions. With the defeat of the French in
1761, Madras became more secure and began to grow
into an important commercial town. It was here that the
superiority of the British and the subordinate position of
the Indian merchants was most apparent.
The following are the principal Characteristics of Indo-Saracenic Buildings ™
• Onion (Bulbous) Domes ™
• Overhanging Eaves ™
• Pointed Arches, Cusped Arches, or Scalloped Arches ™
• Vaulted Roofs ™
• Domed Kiosks ™
• Many Miniature Domes, or Domed Chatris ™ T
• Towers or Minarets ™
• Open Pavillions ™

The leading Architects of 1ndo-Saracenic Buildings in India were

• Robert Fellowes Chisholm
• Charles Mant
• Henry Irwin
• William Emerson
• George Wittet
• Frederick W. Stevens
GOVERNMENT MUSEUM, CHENNAI
Government Museum, established in 1851, is located
in Egmore, Chennai known as the Madras Museum.
Many of the buildings within the Museum campus are
over 100 years old. Built in Indo-Saracenic style, it
houses rare works of artists such a Raja Ravi Varma.

MADRAS HIGH COURT

The building of the High Court, an exquisite example
of Indo-Saracenic style of architecture, was built in
1892 with the design prepared by J.W. Brassington and
later under the guidance of the famed architect Henry
Irwin, who completed it with the assistance of J.H.
Stephens.
MADRAS UNIVERSITY SENATE HOUSE

Madras 1870s – “…some of the arches are of ogee form…while others are
voluptuous horseshow…as those of Moorish Spain”
~ H R Tillotson

CHEPAUK PALACE
Madras 1871 ~ Chisholm (Governor of Mardras, Lord
Napier’s support)
HENRY IRWIN ART GALLERY
Madras 1907

HENRY IRWIN LAW COURTS