The 116-year-old police station that the British built in Thiruporur

The 116-year-old police station that the British built in Thiruporur

Thiruporur town, which is 32.2 km from Adyar, is mostly known for the Arulmigu Kandaswamy Temple. But all around this busy town that can be reached through both Rajiv Gandhi Salai and the East Coast Road, one can find interesting and quaint landmarks.

Near the southern side of the temple tank sits a structure that has withstood the test of time for over 116 years — the E-6 Thiruporur police station, which is locally known as “English kaaran kattina station” (the station that the English built).

Though from the outside, the red-coloured tiled building is not visible. When you look inside the gates, the charming structure, opened in 1907, is visible. A stone on the building says it was laid by one A.P. Agar, Esq., Superintendent of Police, on 4.2.1907.

“It is built with small-sized bricks and lime mortar. The roof tiles remain intact and so do the teak wood rafters. A few modifications have been made to the original structure. Tiles have been laid on the flooring, a small wall has been raised inside to partition a room and a small awning has been fixed in the front to prevent tiles from falling off. These works were carried out with Police Building funds,” explained an official source.

Advocate K. Sivaraman, whose office is a stone’s throw from the police station, said the old building that houses the office of the inspector had been used as a record-room for a few years from 2004 when a new building was constructed for the station. “Thankfully, the police did not demolish the old building and it is a sight worth seeing in town. The new building was necessitated by the increase in the number of policemen. In 2012, the inspector at that time wanted to put the old building to use and made it into his office. The building has a hall, rooms for the inspector and the writer, and a lock-up that is a record room,” he said.

The new building has five rooms, one lock-up and rest rooms for the police personnel.

Heritage structure or not, it is business as usual inside the station. Clusters of people hang outside the station and talk in hushed tones. The existence of the building also helps the seasonal fruit seller and the tender coconut vendor earn their daily keep.