The Bristow Land - Willington Island, Cochin

On a sultry April afternoon in 1921 when Robert Bristow got off his train from Madras (now Chennai) at Ernakulam Terminus, irony awaited him. At the water-front nearby, a small boat was ready to give him the first glimpse of the harbor he was to famously upscale. He did notice that the launch was called ‘Vasco’. But even before he could spell out Vasco da Gama’, Cochin had hit him. He was absorbed by “the blue lagoons”, “the interminable vista fading only into the sky itself” and “ the faint mirage of trees over an invisible horizon”.

The scenic Malabar shore had seen in 1498 a far more historic visitor who cared a lot less for the scenic. Among the few reminders left of the big visit was the little boat that bore his name. The colonial practice the Portuguese Argonaut kicked off with much madness had since acquired a method. Bristow embodied it. The European script itself was beginning to unravel on India’s happening ‘left coast’ and this harbor engineer stayed on to add a footnote. Which he eventually signed off with a flourish. In the 20 years ‘Vasco’ ferried him countless times across the back waters, his mind was on bloodless battles to be waged in committees, sub committees and the mother of all, with the stubborn sand bar that stretched across the harbor mouth. A veritable underwater speed-breaker that had long stalled Cochin’s maritime trade.

Bristow won on all fronts. He got his approvals, dredged the channel and set up a deep-sea port big enough for world trade and the world war he had anticipated. With minimal cost to the land-scarce princely state. He didn’t carry his cranes and boilers into an already crowded mainland. Instead he reclaimed an island to house the port office, workshops and the wharfs. Since then, over some seventy years, the workaday island has notched up its own heritage-

- A non-green ecology of men and metal

- The vintage dry dock and workshops,still functional

- A steam crane, in tact with a fitness certificate

- Anvils and ovens straignt out of Dickensian England

- The shop floor with a long rotating shaft powered at one end by an electric motor and in tirun powering a series of machines through pulleys.

- A mazdoor – turned shed clerk recalling his routine ride not too long agog in the six-seater “Vasco”

- The bearded Basil John running a millling machine with a Biblical hymn on his lips

- His colleague who pulls out his hankie to wipe the dust and grease off the embossed marking on the machine: ‘Made in USA, 1907′.

- And, under the bridges Bristow built, herons perched on floats of weed surveying the going on.

Ro-Ro Container Barge Service from Willington Island to Vallarpadam

Another first of its kind in India, the Ro-Ro (Roll-on-Roll-off) barge service transports containers and trucks from Willingdon Island to Vallarpadam Terminal, through the Cochin backwaters. It is the first double-end ferry operated in India and has a capacity to move fifteen 20-TEU container trucks in a trip and 500 TEUs a day.

The Kochi Port and the IWAI through joint venture had set up Ro-Ro terminal in Bolghatty and Willingdon Island at an investment of Rs16crore to facilitate inland waterway connectivity to the Vallarpadam terminal for moving containerised cargo.

The vessel is on long term charter from a Singapore company and was under Singapore Government employment. The vessel is classed by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS).

The Taj Malabar at Willington Island

Set on the man made Willington Island, the Taj Malabar, Cochin has breathtaking view of Cochin’s famous natural harbors and backwaters. A seamless blend of old world charm and new age luxuries, the hotel promises the finest and most unique leisure experiences . It is the perfect place to start Kerala travel.

The heritage wing built in 1935,is known for its simplicity,ethnicity and tastefully done interiors with intricate ceiling and wooden flooring which have been furbished keeping in the mind the colonial history of the original hotel. In the Tower wing of the Taj Malabar, a 7 storey block built in the 1970’s every guest room and suite is a delicate mix of the classic and contemporary offer scenic views of the waterway outside and the island beyond from evey corner. The Suites comprise of separate living room and bedroom,with large balconies that allows gueststhe option of enjoying a meal or simply to put their feet up and enjoy the breathtaking views.

Cochin’s muilti cultural ethnicity can be experienced at the various restaurants of Taj Malabar. Offering panoramic views over the water to the colonial warehouses of Fort Cochin ,the Rice Boat Restaurant,designed along the the lines of the traditional Kettuvallom boats,gives guests the feeling that they are dining on a boat in the water. Featuring the cuisines of the regions,the Rice Boat menu also showcases Kerala’s three distinct sea food styles. Pepper,the all day dining restaurant is designed around the theme of Malabar Coast’s spices trade,with displays depicting the indigneous spices of the region. The restaurant serves a daily buffet breakfast and lunch offering a wide variety of Mediterranean,Kerala and North Indian cuisine. Other dining options at Taj Malabar,Cochin include mouth-watering delicacies cooked in authentic Thai herbs at the Thai Pavillion or exotic cocktails at the Mattancherry Bar.

Making the leisure experience complete are special facilities such as the hotel’s infinity pool ‘Aquarius’,authentic Ayurvedic treatments at the Jiva Spa,or a cruise around the backwaters aboard the three bedroom luxury yacht Cinnamon Coast.

Courtesy : keralaholidays247

Willington Island - at a glance !

Willington Island is an island in the backwaters of Kochi, one of the best natural harbours on the Malabar cost. Much of the island was reclaimed from the backwater, by dredging either side of a previously existing tinly natural island. soil around a previously existed, inorder to make the water on either side deep enough for ships to come into the harbor. Thus the island paved way for two separate shiping channels within the harbor, the Ernakulam channel and the Mattanchery channel.

The Willington Island is significant as the home for the Cochin Port Trust, as well as the Cochin Naval Base, the head quaters of the Southern Naval Command. Apart from that, there are numerous government bodies, functioning in the island, like the Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, a constituent unit of Indian Council of Agricultural Research. The island is also home for other establishments associated with the port namely, the Customs Office, more than two dozen export-import offices, warehouses, a few premium hotels and business centers.