Willingdon Island

Willingdon Island is the home of the modern port that serves Kochi in Kerala,India.It is a man-made island created from the materials dredged while deepening Kochi Port,it's in Ernakulam district of Kerala in south India. It's named after Lord Willingdon,the erstwhile governor of Madras who had a hand in the project.Robert Bristow,the chief protagonist and engineer for the project owned the first building on the island.The first liner,which belonged to the Bibby Line,arrived at the island on the 9 March 1935.A port hostel had been purposely built to accommodate any passengers who wished to rest for a few nights.The hostel was soon afterwards named the Malabar Hotel.It is connected to Kochi's mainland by road and the railway Venduruthy Bridge.

The Royal Air Force quickly found use for this flat expanse of conveniently located virgin territory,and constructed a large aerodrome.The man-made island thus became a thriving military base.The Malabar Hotel provided quarters for all the wartime staff and the building gained a new administrative block next door to it.A new post office,an open-air swimming-bath between the hotel and offices,and a branch bank adjoining both,completed the amenities.When the British withdrew in 1947 they left behind an indispensable and significant transport hub.During its short colonial tenure the island had handled at most one million tons of freight,by 1960 this had almost doubled.The island aerodrome was extensively developed and became the city’s modern airport.Nowadays Cochin has an international Airport at Nedumbassery,30 kms north-east of the twin-city Cochin/Ernakulam.The remaining space on the island was quickly utilized in the 1950s,and far from being an unnatural appendage of the picturesque and ancient city,the isle,left behind by the British so soon after its completion,became the commercial heart of the ancient metropolis of Cochin

Location: Cochin,Ernakulam

Willingdon Island is a major port in India,and a landmark in the city of Kochi,Kerala.It serves as a link between the other sea ports of the world.Willingdon Island is connected to the mainland by the road and railway Venduruthy Bridge.Navy headquarters are located in this charming island.Cochin shipyard is also located near this island.It is also a major tourist center.Willingdon Island today plays an important role in the city of Kochi and houses some of the district's best hotels,commercial and industrial offices.When the British withdrew from India after independence in 1947,they left behind an indispensable and significant transport hub.During its short colonial tenure,the Willingdon Island in Cochin handled almost one million tons of freight and by the year 1960,the traffic had almost doubled.It is a major artificial port in India and serves as a major landmark in the Kochi city of Kerala.The Willington Island also serves as a link between the city and some other seaports of the world.

Getting There:

Nearest Bus Station: Ernakulam Central Bus Station
Nearest Railway Station: Ernakulam Junction,Kochin
Nearest Airport: Cochin International Airport,Ernakulam

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