Madras Lighthouse

The city of Madras (Chennai) was founded by the factor Francis Day of British East India Company on a three square mile strip of land, on 22nd July 1639. Immediately afterwards his boss Andrew Cogan laid foundation of Fort St George and established seat of the Company’s Agency in the Fort on 24th September 1641. Madras became the capital of Madras Presidency controlling whole of south India except a few princely states.Madras enjoyed the status of Capital ever since-after the independence and creation of linguistic state on 1st Nov 1956 renamed as Tamilnadu on 14-1-1969. Madras was renamed as Chennai in 1996.There must be some arrangement of exhibiting light to assist company’s vessels arriving at Madras and to enter the port during the 17 & 18th centuries but no such record is available. The first conventional lighthouse was the oil wick lamp placed on the roof of the officer’s Mess cum Exchange building in 1796. The building is now known as Fort Museum. The construction of a regular Lighthouse Tower in the compound of present High Court was taken up in 1838 and completed in 1840 on which the wick lamp was shifted as the supply of the new equipment by M/s Chance Bros, Birmingham was delayed. The new flashing light consisting of Argand lamps and reflectors was installed which started functioning from 1st January 1844. Fifty years later the Lighthouse equipment with lantern was shifted on to the dome of new High Court building and started functioning from there with effect from 1st June 1894. An improvement of equipment was introduced in 1927.The present modern Lighthouse was built in 1976 and Electrical Lighthouse equipment manufactured by BBT, Paris was installed on it which started functioning with effect from 10th January 1977.