The Fern Hill sub post office, which has been functioning in the same building since the late 1800s, is in need of urgent renovation, with a portion of the wall holding up the structure sustaining severe damage and in danger of caving in.

The post office, which operates in two expansive rooms, is an ideal example of colonial architecture, and is believed to have been built during the time when the Maharaja of Mysore moved to the Nilgiris.

Venugopal Dharmalingam, honorary director of the Nilgiri Documentation Center (NDC), said that it was probable that the building belonged to the Maharaja, who in turn allowed for the post office to be set up there, sometime in the 1870’s.

“Fern Hill itself has a very interesting history, with it making up the early British township in Udhagamandalam,” said Mr. Venugopal.

There had been plans to shut down the sub post office in Fern Hill a few years ago, but opposition from heritage enthusiasts had ensured that the building remains open to the public to this very day. However, lack of maintenance of the building has led to the wooden roof overhanging the front elevation of the building, sagging and in danger of collapse, while other signs of structural damage are also visible to the rear of the main structure.

Mr. Venugopal Dharmalingam believes that preservation of heritage structures is important, but said that to conserve buildings of historical value in the Nilgiris, they need to be identified first. “Firstly, what constitutes a heritage structure, be it a building, a bridge or even a lamp post, needs to be clearly defined, and then the historical value of such structures need to be assessed,” he added.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Coimbatore / by Rohan Premkumar / Udhagamandalam – November 26th, 2018