Madras: The Grange, Adyar

Amateur film of colonial Madras (now Chennai)

This attractively-shot amateur film takes us around colonial Madras (now Chennai). After a rare, 6-minute private tour of the palatial Grange - for a time the residence of the Governor of Madras - it takes us to the Thousand Lights bazaar, where many of the locals seem transfixed by the camera. From there, it's on to the waterfront, followed by shots of guards trooping the colour and images of local architecture.

This was one of a number of films shot by Sir Hopetoun Stokes (1873-1951) and his wife, Lady Alice Stokes. Sir Hopetoun served as an official in the Indian Civil Service from the mid-1890s and rose to high office: by 1930 he was the chief secretary to the Madras Presidency.