St. Stephen's Church, Ooty

St. Stephen's Church stands on the Mysore road in Ooty and ranks among the Nilgiris' oldest churches. Stephen Rumbold Lushington, then Governor of Madras, wanted a church in Ooty for the British alone and laid its foundation stone on 23 April 1829, the birthday of King George IV. Captain John James Underwood of the Madras Regiment was the architect, the work cost about Rs 24,000, and Bishop John Matthias Turner of Calcutta consecrated the building on 5 November 1830. It passed to the Church of South India in 1947.

Its massive main beam and other timber were brought from Tipu Sultan's palace at Srirangapatna, carried up the Sigur ghat. Inside, a painting of the Last Supper hangs on the west wall above panelled doors, and stained glass shows the crucifixion and Mary with the infant Jesus. Instead of a bell, four hammer-like strikers fixed to wooden frames give a musical sound when their wires are pulled from the floor.