Willingdon Island

Artificial island in Kerala, India
the island in Chile

Willingdon Island is the largest artificial island in India, which forms part of the city of Kochi, in the state of Kerala. Much of the present Willingdon Island was claimed from the Vembanadu Lake, filling in dredged soil around a previously existing, but tiny, natural island. Willingdon Island is significant as the home for the Port of Kochi as well as the Kochi Naval Base, the Southern Naval Command of the Indian Navy, Plant Quarantine station, Custom House Cochin and 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 Office of the Cochin Port Trust (that controls the Port of Kochi), the Customs Office, the Mercantile Marine Department and more than two dozen export import offices, warehouses, a few hotels and business centers. The Cochin Port Maritime Heritage Museum is located in the island.

The idea of developing a new port in Kochi was first felt by Sir Robert Bristow, who was appointed by Lord Willingdon, then the Governor of Madras Presidency, to create a new modern port on the West coast of India at Kochi.

The island was created during the construction of the modern port in 1936, with the soil dredged out while deepening the Vembanad Lake to accommodate the new port. It was named after The 1st Earl of Willingdon, the Viceroy of India at the time, who commissioned the project. A naval works was also constructed on the adjacent Venduruthy Island to the south, where, by the end of the war, they were busily constructing landing craft for the presumed invasion of Japan. In 1940 a passenger jetty and customs house were built adjoining the hotel, together with a passenger platform and rail siding.

The Royal Air Force quickly found a use for this flat expanse of conveniently located virgin territory, and constructed a large aerodrome. A new post office, an open air swimming bath between the hotel and offices, and a branch bank adjoining both completed the amenities.

Control of the transport hub was transferred from the British Empire to India in 1947 when the latter gained independence. north east of the city, the civilian enclave of the Island airport was shut down. The airport continued as the naval air station INS Garuda. 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. Cochin is a major port in India, and Willingdon Island is a landmark. The Island is connected to the mainland by Venduruthy Bridge, which has road and railway links. is also located near this island. It is also a major tourist center. Willingdon Island is also home to several hotels and offices of clearing agents. Apart from these, the Island has a dry dock, a fire station, tank farms, a hospital and places of worship. The Port Health Organisation functions on the Island and it works towards the prevention of entry of Quarantinable diseases. Cochin Chamber of Commerce and Industries is strategically placed here, as is the Government of India Tourist Information Office in the vicinity of the airport. This island is a hub of international trade. A number of port offices, branches of national and international banks, travel agencies, souvenir shops, and warehouses. Employees of the Cochin Port and Custom House live on the island. For the benefit of these families and those on the Naval Base, there are five schools and a Kindergarten. Three of these schools belong to the Kendriya Vidyalaya groups of schools.

Willingdon Island is connected to the mainland through the Mattanchery Bridge and Venduruthy Bridge. Many passenger boats operate daily to the island from Mattancherry, Fort Kochi, Vypin, and Marine Drive. The island can also be reached via national highway 47A, which is the shortest national highway in India.