Salem zilla ex-collector’s tomb gets facelift

Krishnagiri: A tomb of a former Salem zilla collector during the Colonial era has been renovated in Hosur. The tomb of Walter Eliot Lockhart, who was the Salem collector during British Raj, is located opposite the Central excise office, on Rama Nayakan lake road in Hosur in Krishnagiri.

Little is known about the British bureaucrat's life but, according to the inscription found on his tomb, Walter died on January 30, 1850, at the age of 49, during his stint as the collector for Salem.

Unfortunately, the tomb is in ruins like many other historical monuments in Hosur. The Kenilworth fort constructed between 1859 and 1862 by Mr Brett, a British collector, to fulfill the wish of his wife, is also found in ruins

According to K.A. Manoharan, the president for the Krishnagiri district historical research centre, a movement to save historical monument in Krishnagiri, said “The history if Walter

Eliot Lockhart could not be traced, however, we have restored the tomb to its original shape at the cost of Rs 3.5 lakh to save the historical monuments”