My last article on the chest of drawers was not just the proverbial trip down memory lane; it prompted questions on Hollywoods itself, a place I called home for nearly 22 years of my life. When I was growing up, Hollywoods, with its high ceilings, tall windows, trellised doors and spacious surroundings was a veritable mansion in the eyes of a child. When I last saw it in 10 years ago, it seemed to have shrunk in size, was worn down by over 60 years of use and was a far cry from the very first images I have of this place I once called home.
I have been researching my family tree for nearly four years now and the experience has been an interesting one, leading to the discovery of a possible fourth cousin living in Bangalore, a Renaux far removed, but probably related by blood, living in England and even visits to cousins I never knew existed! In the course of these discoveries, I came to learn that my great-great-grandfather was Samuel Charles White, a reputed surgeon in the Madras Presidency who once had an estate called El Dorado, in Madhavaram, Madras,. This discovery led to a lot of further thought and I pondered on the possible birth of Hollywoods. Questions rained. “Why did Samuel White’s son, Archibald, leave the luxury of El Dorado for obscure Arkonam?” The Anglo-Indian, even in India of those days, was a migratory bird. “Was it, perhaps, because of a job on the railways in a developing railway junction?” “If so, why Hollywoods? Why not a house in the newly established railways quarters?” These are but some of the questions that haunted me as I foraged into the past. Interestingly enough, during these forages I made quite a few possible “family connections” one of them being a Michael Ludgrove, the fourth cousin in Bangalore., but that is another story for another day.
Back to the questions on Hollywoods. At this juncture, I would like to warn the reader that the content hereafter is pure surmise and imagination on my part. Perhaps, I was told the story about Hollywoods a long time ago and if that was the case, I must have been too young to remember: so, after I made the connections between Samuel Charles White and Archibald White (my great-grandfather), I started on the process of premise and surmise. There are only three things I know about Archibald White: whenever he was mentioned, he was Archie Papa; he was a fine fencer; he was fluent in English and Telugu. He had died a long time before I was born; therefore when I unearthed his link to Samuel Charles White, I tried – given my knowledge of Norman Charles White (my maternal grandfather) – to put together some sort of character sketch of Archibald White, the creator of Hollywoods, 76 Mosur Road, Arkonam.
Hollywoods has absolutely no connection with its singular relative in California. At the time of its creation, the house was built in a wooded area in Arkonam and Archibald White named it after his second wife’s pet-name. Back to the surmising. It is possible that Archibald wanted to forge a name for himself just as his imperious father, Samuel, had done. It is possible that Archibald had visions of grandeur much bigger than his father’s. It is also possible that, like all men, Archibald wanted to build, live and bring up his children in his own home and not his father’s.
I have seen one or two pictures of Hollywoods in the 50s and/or 60s. Those dated and now blurry pictures, along with the hazy pictures formed by a vivid imagination that ran along with my research, led to further surmise. Perhaps, also, Archibald wanted to create his own El Dorado in Arkonam and that is why he bought a huge plot of land with woods all around and built – for those days, and in that small town – this mansion in the middle of the woods. And, in doing so, perhaps he had created a romantic, lushful and very English-countryside atmosphere for his children and his grandchildren, thereafter. I say so, because the one picture I have seen of Dawn Renaux (my mother) against the backdrop of Hollywoods, shows a six-year-old with lush trees stretching into the distance in the background. I am sure she, her sister, Mary and their many friends enjoyed walks in the woods and many other interesting games in a place and age that had yet to see the advent of television.
It must have been beautiful, even romantic and I am sure Archibald White beamed with joy and pride as he took his wife and young children to their new home. I am also sure a thirteen-year-old Norman’s eyes gleamed with joy and his mischievous mind might have already devised many naughty schemes in this huge house and even bigger woods! The girls, his sisters, I am sure would have started dreaming up tea parties and evening walks as they entered this lovely piece of “English” countryside. And what of Archibald White? He must have lived the life of the typical English squire, lording and surveying all before him. At the same time, he must have been quite popular with his fencing and his ability to converse extremely well in the vernacular. He must have also been quite a sturdy and swarthy man, for Norman Charles White definitely inherited those attributes.
What of Holly, his wife? I had the privilege of knowing her, if the knowledge of a three year old is worth anything to the reader. There are only two memories I have of this grand, but diminutive old lady: holding her by the hand and walking her to lunch or tea one afternoon and her funeral. I remember the wails and cries of the many ayahs and other domestics who must have worked under her as her body lay in the room she must have slept in for over a good part of forty years. She was a gentle old lady and the reader would agree once s/he realises that a widow herself, she married Archibald, her dead sister’s husband so that she could look after his then very young children, the eldest of whom was only ten at the time. Perhaps, then, Hollywoods, was Archibald’s tribute to this valiant and generous young woman?
What then, happened to the pomp and grandeur of Hollywoods? Perhaps its story is the narrative of the Anglo-Indian in general. By the time I was born, in 1976, Hollywoods was still impressive and spacious, but the veneer was slowly fading. The expansive woods had gone, much of it sold to other Anglo-Indians wanting to build their own homes, but there was still sufficient space – maybe even an acre or more – of land that belonged to Hollywoods. And, I remember climbing up custard-apple trees, hiding behind bushes and even taking the “back route” to the sugarcane fields behind Hollywoods, but it wasn’t as impressive as it must have been decades ago. The Anglo-Indian was perhaps no longer as privileged as he used to be and the same must have been the case with the White family. This slowly eroding level of status must have meant that something like Hollywoods was too huge to maintain, especially when the Anglo-Indian’s position was trending towards the tenuous. While Norman had a steady job on the Railways, perhaps it wasn’t one that could be accorded the same level of respect that was given to his grandfather, Samuel, whose photograph was once supposedly on display at the Egmore Town Hall in Madras. The Anglo-Indian’s lot was on the wane and I suppose that was reflected in Hollywoods as well.
I am not saying that I grew up in a dilapidated house. Far from it! It was wonderful, roomy, airy and spacious enough for a lot of hide-and-seek. Seven spacious rooms made for a lot of fun and my brother, Mark and I, enjoyed ourselves tremendously especially in the evenings when Norman White regaled us with stories. I must have forgotten much of what he told us, otherwise I am sure I would not be on this journey of premise and surmise! It is just that we could no longer maintain the grandeur that Archibald must have had in mind when he first crossed the thresholds of Hollywoods.
Today, Hollywoods is no more. There were moments when I felt I could buy it off my Mum and Aunt when they put it on sale, but my remoteness – all the way here in Zambia – meant the possibility of even further neglect. So the question is: “Should I be another Archibald White, and create my tribute to Hollywoods, here in Zambia?” That would be an idea, but the real problem will come when I have to give a name to the place for nothing can replace Hollywoods!
I have been researching my family tree for nearly four years now and the experience has been an interesting one, leading to the discovery of a possible fourth cousin living in Bangalore, a Renaux far removed, but probably related by blood, living in England and even visits to cousins I never knew existed! In the course of these discoveries, I came to learn that my great-great-grandfather was Samuel Charles White, a reputed surgeon in the Madras Presidency who once had an estate called El Dorado, in Madhavaram, Madras,. This discovery led to a lot of further thought and I pondered on the possible birth of Hollywoods. Questions rained. “Why did Samuel White’s son, Archibald, leave the luxury of El Dorado for obscure Arkonam?” The Anglo-Indian, even in India of those days, was a migratory bird. “Was it, perhaps, because of a job on the railways in a developing railway junction?” “If so, why Hollywoods? Why not a house in the newly established railways quarters?” These are but some of the questions that haunted me as I foraged into the past. Interestingly enough, during these forages I made quite a few possible “family connections” one of them being a Michael Ludgrove, the fourth cousin in Bangalore., but that is another story for another day.
Back to the questions on Hollywoods. At this juncture, I would like to warn the reader that the content hereafter is pure surmise and imagination on my part. Perhaps, I was told the story about Hollywoods a long time ago and if that was the case, I must have been too young to remember: so, after I made the connections between Samuel Charles White and Archibald White (my great-grandfather), I started on the process of premise and surmise. There are only three things I know about Archibald White: whenever he was mentioned, he was Archie Papa; he was a fine fencer; he was fluent in English and Telugu. He had died a long time before I was born; therefore when I unearthed his link to Samuel Charles White, I tried – given my knowledge of Norman Charles White (my maternal grandfather) – to put together some sort of character sketch of Archibald White, the creator of Hollywoods, 76 Mosur Road, Arkonam.
Hollywoods has absolutely no connection with its singular relative in California. At the time of its creation, the house was built in a wooded area in Arkonam and Archibald White named it after his second wife’s pet-name. Back to the surmising. It is possible that Archibald wanted to forge a name for himself just as his imperious father, Samuel, had done. It is possible that Archibald had visions of grandeur much bigger than his father’s. It is also possible that, like all men, Archibald wanted to build, live and bring up his children in his own home and not his father’s.
I have seen one or two pictures of Hollywoods in the 50s and/or 60s. Those dated and now blurry pictures, along with the hazy pictures formed by a vivid imagination that ran along with my research, led to further surmise. Perhaps, also, Archibald wanted to create his own El Dorado in Arkonam and that is why he bought a huge plot of land with woods all around and built – for those days, and in that small town – this mansion in the middle of the woods. And, in doing so, perhaps he had created a romantic, lushful and very English-countryside atmosphere for his children and his grandchildren, thereafter. I say so, because the one picture I have seen of Dawn Renaux (my mother) against the backdrop of Hollywoods, shows a six-year-old with lush trees stretching into the distance in the background. I am sure she, her sister, Mary and their many friends enjoyed walks in the woods and many other interesting games in a place and age that had yet to see the advent of television.
It must have been beautiful, even romantic and I am sure Archibald White beamed with joy and pride as he took his wife and young children to their new home. I am also sure a thirteen-year-old Norman’s eyes gleamed with joy and his mischievous mind might have already devised many naughty schemes in this huge house and even bigger woods! The girls, his sisters, I am sure would have started dreaming up tea parties and evening walks as they entered this lovely piece of “English” countryside. And what of Archibald White? He must have lived the life of the typical English squire, lording and surveying all before him. At the same time, he must have been quite popular with his fencing and his ability to converse extremely well in the vernacular. He must have also been quite a sturdy and swarthy man, for Norman Charles White definitely inherited those attributes.
What of Holly, his wife? I had the privilege of knowing her, if the knowledge of a three year old is worth anything to the reader. There are only two memories I have of this grand, but diminutive old lady: holding her by the hand and walking her to lunch or tea one afternoon and her funeral. I remember the wails and cries of the many ayahs and other domestics who must have worked under her as her body lay in the room she must have slept in for over a good part of forty years. She was a gentle old lady and the reader would agree once s/he realises that a widow herself, she married Archibald, her dead sister’s husband so that she could look after his then very young children, the eldest of whom was only ten at the time. Perhaps, then, Hollywoods, was Archibald’s tribute to this valiant and generous young woman?
What then, happened to the pomp and grandeur of Hollywoods? Perhaps its story is the narrative of the Anglo-Indian in general. By the time I was born, in 1976, Hollywoods was still impressive and spacious, but the veneer was slowly fading. The expansive woods had gone, much of it sold to other Anglo-Indians wanting to build their own homes, but there was still sufficient space – maybe even an acre or more – of land that belonged to Hollywoods. And, I remember climbing up custard-apple trees, hiding behind bushes and even taking the “back route” to the sugarcane fields behind Hollywoods, but it wasn’t as impressive as it must have been decades ago. The Anglo-Indian was perhaps no longer as privileged as he used to be and the same must have been the case with the White family. This slowly eroding level of status must have meant that something like Hollywoods was too huge to maintain, especially when the Anglo-Indian’s position was trending towards the tenuous. While Norman had a steady job on the Railways, perhaps it wasn’t one that could be accorded the same level of respect that was given to his grandfather, Samuel, whose photograph was once supposedly on display at the Egmore Town Hall in Madras. The Anglo-Indian’s lot was on the wane and I suppose that was reflected in Hollywoods as well.
I am not saying that I grew up in a dilapidated house. Far from it! It was wonderful, roomy, airy and spacious enough for a lot of hide-and-seek. Seven spacious rooms made for a lot of fun and my brother, Mark and I, enjoyed ourselves tremendously especially in the evenings when Norman White regaled us with stories. I must have forgotten much of what he told us, otherwise I am sure I would not be on this journey of premise and surmise! It is just that we could no longer maintain the grandeur that Archibald must have had in mind when he first crossed the thresholds of Hollywoods.
Today, Hollywoods is no more. There were moments when I felt I could buy it off my Mum and Aunt when they put it on sale, but my remoteness – all the way here in Zambia – meant the possibility of even further neglect. So the question is: “Should I be another Archibald White, and create my tribute to Hollywoods, here in Zambia?” That would be an idea, but the real problem will come when I have to give a name to the place for nothing can replace Hollywoods!
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