Poonamallee Blind School (Chennai) | school for the blind and visually impaired

India / Tamil Nadu / Punamalli / Chennai
 school for the blind and visually impaired  Add category
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Once a palace for Queen Victoria during the British Rule, now is an abode for the visually handicapped.
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Coordinates:   13°2'51"N   80°6'24"E

Comments

  • my hoyse
  • This was not a palace of Queen Victoria, This was a barracks for the british army which is 21 km from the harbour, or Fort St George. Lord Clive got married in the St. Mary's church inside Fort St George. The barracks in Poonamallee were later converted into a Blind school and named Victoria memorial Blind school.This is the school where the Great Helen Keller once visited. Nearer to this erstwhile barracks stands a similar architecture, now Sacred Heart seminary which was the hospital of the British. Lots of colonial houses were there nearby. And a Captain used to reside in front of the barracks. Which now has become the Government High School. The cemetery near by is also the oldest one with cenotaphs full of stories. It is said that Tippu sultan's army happened to come as close to this and threatened the British to siege the fort St George. There are more stories.
  • No.6/14 namabi nagar 2nd corss street poonamallee chennai -600 056 near : ayyapanna koil
  • I believe my grandfather, Eric Conran-Smith, was responsible for starting the School for the Blind at Poonamallee - this would have been in about the early 1920s - when he was Private Secretary to the Governor of Madras at the time, Lord Willingdon. I wonder if anyone knows any more about the history of the school, and whether anyone can confirm or deny this?
  • @ Suresh - the info you had shared is awesome and exactly the one I was looking for. I'm a resident of Poonamalle and I'm a member of the Church nearby the blind school (barracks). I'm in the process of digging the history of the church and the nearby cemetry. So, I request you to share me whatever info you have with regards to the barracks or the hospital nearby or the cemetry. Even a one liner would be of great help for my research. Thank you.
  • The property adjoining the blind school was owned by my grandfather called Mahood castle...my father ws born there and I used to play in those beautiful gardens, almost 70 years back!
  • Dear Rakesh, I am seeing this after 10 years and your quest is about 4 years old but i am not sure if my reply would help you, however there are three old churches in front of the blind school and one behind the seminary, The one behind the seminary had a dutch architecture and i guess it must be around 200 +_ old the three in front one is a tamil baptist mission church which is adjacent to the School which was the captains house, the other is the st marys church which was isolated all these years and the third one on the road near James street is Wesly church, These churches have been renovated and the Baptist church seems dilapidated, there is only one cenotoph which is facing the opposite side and the oldest one. Much has happened in Tamilnadu after the onslaught of the pentecost missions and also had lots to do with economy, these has been covered by " breaking india"a book, do get in touch if possible, imsuresh2412atgmaildotcom
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This article was last modified 12 years ago