Old view

Have you ever wondered about what Madras would have looked like in the middle of the eighteenth century? If so, all you have to do to satisfy your curiosity is to walk along to the Fort Museum. Apart from all those statues - that of Cornwallis being the most in-your-face - there are quite a few paintings showing various facets of the fort. 

This one seemed especially nice; the ships coming in from the sea appear to be firing their cannons. But the fort itself seems quite unperturbed by this aggression. Notice the gate of the fort. It opens out almost into the sea itself; at high tide, the sea was right there at the gate - even now that eastern gate is also referred to as the Sea Gate. 

Maybe everyone in the fort knew that the 'Madras Roads' would not allow the ships to get close enough to inflict any serious damage!