Willingdon Island is an island, which forms part of the city of Kochi

Kochi

-Places:* Kochi, a city in the state of Kerala, India, formerly known as Cochin* Kingdom of Cochin, a former feudal city-state on Malabar Coast, India** Fort Kochi, one of the three main urban components which constitute the present day city of Kochi, Kerala, India...

, in the state of Kerala

Kerala

or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....

, India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. Much of the present Willingdon Island was claimed from the Lake of Kochi, filling dredged soil around a previously existed, but tiny natural island. The Willingdon Island is significant as the home for the Port of Kochi, as well as the Kochi Naval Base (the Southern Naval Command

Southern Naval Command

The Southern Naval Command is one of the three main formations of the Indian Navy. It has its HQ in Kochi, and is commanded by the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief....

) of the Indian Navy

Indian Navy

The Indian Navy is the naval branch of the armed forces of India. The President of India serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff , usually a four-star officer in the rank of Admiral, commands the Navy...

 and Central Institute of Fisheries Technology a constituent unit of Indian Council of Agricultural Research.

The island is also home for other establishment associated with the port namely, the Office of the Cochin Port Trust (that controls the Port of Kochi), the Customs Office, more than two dozen export-import offices, warehouses, a few hotels and business centers.

Name & History

The Island was created during construction of modern Kochi Port in 1936 with the soil dredged out while deepening the Vembanad Lake to accommodate the new Kochi Port. It was named after Lord Willingdon

Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon

Major Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon was a British Liberal politician and administrator who served as Governor General of Canada, the 13th since Canadian Confederation, and as Viceroy and Governor-General of India, the country's 22nd.Freeman-Thomas was born in England and...

, the erstwhile governor of Madras who ordered to commissioning the project. Robert Bristow

Robert Bristow

Sir Robert Bristow was a British harbour engineer who is best known for his contributions to the development of the port of Kochi in India. Bristow recounted his experiences in his book Cochin Saga, which is considered an important source of historiography of Kerala...

, the chief protagonist and engineer for the project owned the first building on the island. Today the entire land belongs to Cochin Port Trust and Indian Navy.

Location

Location: Cochin

Highlights: Links Kochi with other seaports of the world and houses some of the district's best hotels, commercial and industrial offices.

How to Reach: It is connected to Kochi's mainland by road and the railway Venduruthy Bridge.

The Willington Island contains the modern port serving Cochin city of Kerala. The island is an artificial man-made island created from the sand dug out while deepening Kochi port. It has been named after Lord Willingdon, the former Madras governor, who was instrumental in implementing this island project. The main engineer spearheading this project, however, was Robert Bristow. A port hostel was built to accommodate passengers who wished to halt for a short while and it was named as the Malabar Hotel.

As per the project draft, a basic port structure was completed by 1939, just prior the Second World War. A deep wharf, a rail bridge and a road bridge connecting to the mainland were made to provide valuable infrastructure for the local war effort. A naval works was also built on the adjacent Venduruthy Island. When the time war ended, those working on island project got busy constructing landing craft for the presumed invasion of Japan. In 1940, a passenger jetty and customs house were constructed adjoining the hotel.

The other buildings constructed nearby include a passenger platform and rail siding. This huge expanse of virgin territory was soon procured by the Royal Air Force, which constructed a large aerodrome there. This man-made isle near Cochin City, thus, became a thriving military base. The Malabar Hotel served in providing quarters to all wartime staff and soon this building was joined by a new administrative block next door. A new post office, a swanky open-air swimming bath and an adjoining bank completed the facilities.

When the British withdrew from India after independence in 1947, they left behind an indispensable and significant transport hub. During its short colonial tenure, the Wellingdon Island in Cochin handled almost one million tons of freight and by the year 1960, the traffic had almost doubled. It is a major artificial port in India and serves as a major landmark in the Kochi city of Kerala. The Wellington Island also serves as a link between the city and some other seaports of the world.

Geography

History

The idea of a new Island in Kochi, was first felt by Sir Robert Bristow, who was appointed by Lord Willingdon, then-the Governor of Madras Presidency

Madras Presidency

The Madras Presidency , officially the Presidency of Fort St. George and also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision of British India...

 for commissioning a new modern port in West coast of India at Kochi.

The first liner, which belonged to the Bibby Line, arrived at the island on the 9 March 1935. A port hostel had been purposely built to accommodate any passengers who wished to rest for a few nights. The hostel was soon afterwards named the Malabar Hotel.

All the pre-planned basic port structure was completed in 1939, just in time for the Second World War. A deep wharf, a rail bridge and a road bridge to the mainland provided valuable infrastructure for the local war effort. A naval works was also constructed on the adjacent Venduruthy

Venduruthy

Venduruthy is a small island in Kochi, India. It is now a part of the greater Willingdon Island. The isolated island is approachable only from the Ernakulam backwater channel...

 Island to the south, where by the end of the war they were busily constructing landing craft

Landing craft

Landing craft are boats and seagoing vessels used to convey a landing force from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. Most renowned are those used to storm the beaches of Normandy, the Mediterranean, and many Pacific islands during WWII...

 for the presumed invasion of Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. In 1940 a passenger jetty and customs house were built adjoining the hotel, together with a passenger platform and rail siding.
The Royal Air Force

Royal Air Force

The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...

 quickly found use for this flat expanse of conveniently located virgin territory, and constructed a large aerodrome

Aerodrome

An aerodrome, airdrome or airfield is a term for any location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve cargo, passengers or neither...

. The artificial isle thus became a thriving military base. The Malabar Hotel provided quarters for all the wartime staff and the building gained a new administrative block next door to it. A new post office, an open-air swimming-bath between the hotel and offices, and a branch bank adjoining both, completed the amenities. When the British withdrew in 1947 they left behind an indispensable and significant transport hub. During its short colonial tenure the island had handled at most one million tons of freight, by 1960 this had almost doubled. The island aerodrome was extensively developed and became the city’s modern airport. Nowadays Cochin has an international Airport at Nedumbassery

Cochin International Airport

Cochin International Airport is an international airport located in Nedumbassery, a suburb on the outskirts of the city of Kochi about northeast of downtown Kochi, in the state of Kerala, India. It is the busiest and largest airport in the state of Kerala...

, 30km north-east of the twin-city Cochin/Ernakulam. The remaining space on the island was quickly utilized in the 1950s, and far from being an unnatural appendage of the picturesque and ancient city, the isle, left behind by the British so soon after its completion, became the commercial heart of the ancient metropolis of Cochin.

It is a major port in India, and a landmark in the city of Kochi, Kerala

Kerala

or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....

. It serves as a link between the other sea ports of the world. Willingdon Island is connected to the mainland by the road and railway Venduruthy Bridge. Southern Naval headquarters is located at this charming island. Cochin shipyard

Cochin Shipyard

Cochin Shipyard Limited is the largest ship building and maintenance facility in India. It is part of a line of maritime related facilities in the port-city of Kochi, in the state of Kerala, India....

 is also located near this island. It is also a major tourist center. Willingdon Island today plays an important role in the city of Kochi and houses some of the district's best hotels, commercial and industrial offices.

Apart from these, it is here that the airport used to be positioned (until it was moved to present location in Nedumbassery near Kochi) along with the shipbuilding yard, wharf, the Southern Naval Command Headquarters and the customs house. Cochin Chamber of Commerce and Industries has been strategically placed here, as is the Government of India Tourist Information Office in the vicinity of the airport. This island is a hub of activity with a number of offices, branches of national and international banks, travel agencies and souvenir shop warehouses and one cannot possibly miss visiting the place while being in the city of Kochi.

External links