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(ARCHIVE) Vol. XX No. 2, may 1-15, 2010

Historic Residences in Chennai - 41

(Sriram V.)

The Grove
1, Eldams Road, Alwarpet

This is one of the better-known historic residences of the city. Once part of a much larger property called The Baobab, it was purchased by Conjeevaram Venkatasubbiah and his son-in-law C.R. Pattabhirama Iyer. The house was built in 1885-86 and named The Grove in view of the large number of trees on the grounds. C.R. Pattabhirama Iyer’s only son Sir C.P. Ramaswami Iyer (1879-1966) was the best-known occupant of the house.

A brilliant lawyer, Sir CP, as he was known, became Advocate-General of the Madras Presidency and later Law Member of the Governor’s Executive Council, Madras. A close associate of Annie Besant, Sir CP, however, broke with the Congress, of which he was a member for some time. In 1936, he became the Dewan of the princely state of Travancore and there he made a mark as a powerful administrator. After Independence, he was actively involved in education, being Vice-Chancellor of Annamalai and Benares Hindu Universities.

During his time, The Grove saw much expansion, involving an addition of a suite of rooms on the first floor, reinforcing of the ground floor, and the use of expensive material such as Burma teak and Venetian marble. The ceiling of the library was imported from Belgium. The garden boasts of statues and some ancient trees. It was under one of them that Annie Besant edited her New India, when the British Government forbade any building from housing its offices! Today, The Grove is part of the CP Ramaswami Iyer Foundation and is well tended. (Courtesy: KalamKriya.)

 

In this issue

Can Tamil signage lead to uniform signage?
Is Government really committed to maintaining heritage buildings?
Two tales of the Hall
A good season, but it could have been better
Historic Residences of Chennai - 41
Other stories

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Short 'N' Snappy
a-Musing
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Quizzin' with Ram'nan
Dates for your Diary

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