St Andrew's Church, Egmore – History
It was on April 6 in 1818 that the first stone was laid
for the construction of St. Andrew’s Church, popularly known as the Kirk. This
exquisite marvel of architecture was built and dedicated in 1821 for the Scotsmen
in then British army. The church was the result of efforts of Major Thomas Fort
de Havilland and Colonel James Caldwell. The East India Company had borne the
expense of the construction of St George's Church of England and therefore
decided to construct a church of the sister kingdom, Scotland. Thus St.
Andrew's Kirk came into being.
The plan was not suited for the hot and humid climate.
The proposed roof was a big challenge to implement. Financial constraint was
also there. The dome had to be built with the help of masonry, which suited the
local climatic conditions. A Bishop of the Church objected to the construction
of steeples outside of Scotland saying that it was "unusual and
unconstitutional" practice. The first stone had a brass plate with an
inscription in English and Latin, with several coins of the British and Madras
currency placed below it.
A parchment with the inscription in Tamil and Telugu,
sealed in a bottle along with more coins of the period, was also laid with the
first stone. The church was designed and built by Major Thomas de Havilland
with Colonel Caldwell as chief engineer, at a time when a number of
neo-classical churches were being built in England and Scotland. St. Andrew’s
follows this style of architecture. The church is built on a marshy land prone
to sinking and flooding. This land was purchased because of the low cost and
its proximity to Fort St. George.
The East India Company bore the expenses towards the
entire construction of this church. Special engineering efforts were taken to
ensure a strong foundation. A foundation of 14 ft with circular masonry brick
wells of 9- feet depth with a bed of pottery was dug to ensure that the
building did not sink or fall apart because of the marshy land. This British
church with towering steeples has indeed stood the test of time. The church
stands till today as one of the finest of Gregorian architecture.
