It's too hot to do much more than race from one air-conditioned enclosure to another, so I think I'll take advantage of our travel lull to show you some things I never got around to posting.
Way back in January we took an afternoon to explore Fort St. George (and here), the first British fort in India. The fort was the base of the East India Company for more than a century before the British moved government headquarters to Calcutta. Bet you didn't know that Chennai/Madras was the first British settlement in India! I didn't.
Most of the fort is now used to house state government offices, but there's a nice little museum to explore as well as the first Anglican church on Indian soil, St. Mary's Cathedral.
There are lots of interesting things in the museum, but I was most taken with the porcelain dinnerware decorated with the East India Company crest. These pieces were used for state dinners. At least, I guess you'd call them state dinners. The company wasn't technically its own nation, but it sure acted like it was.
The kids were more interested in the displays of uniforms and weapons. They had British military uniforms and uniforms worn by Indians who worked for the Raj. And the uniforms were made of WOOL. Have I mentioned that today's heat index was near 110 degrees F?
I think Evie took this picture of a cannon.
St. Mary's Church is small and old and fun to explore. I had to talk John down from the bell tower's ladder.
The church is surrounded by old tombstones, which Johnny found delightfully creepy. Here are the kids standing outside the church entrance.
So, fellow history buffs, that's a quick glimpse of Fort St. George. It made for a nice afternoon of exploration.
Way back in January we took an afternoon to explore Fort St. George (and here), the first British fort in India. The fort was the base of the East India Company for more than a century before the British moved government headquarters to Calcutta. Bet you didn't know that Chennai/Madras was the first British settlement in India! I didn't.
Most of the fort is now used to house state government offices, but there's a nice little museum to explore as well as the first Anglican church on Indian soil, St. Mary's Cathedral.
There are lots of interesting things in the museum, but I was most taken with the porcelain dinnerware decorated with the East India Company crest. These pieces were used for state dinners. At least, I guess you'd call them state dinners. The company wasn't technically its own nation, but it sure acted like it was.
The kids were more interested in the displays of uniforms and weapons. They had British military uniforms and uniforms worn by Indians who worked for the Raj. And the uniforms were made of WOOL. Have I mentioned that today's heat index was near 110 degrees F?
I think Evie took this picture of a cannon.
St. Mary's Church is small and old and fun to explore. I had to talk John down from the bell tower's ladder.
The church is surrounded by old tombstones, which Johnny found delightfully creepy. Here are the kids standing outside the church entrance.
So, fellow history buffs, that's a quick glimpse of Fort St. George. It made for a nice afternoon of exploration.
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