Church Street's talking of its past...

At any given point in the day if you were around a prime location in Bengaluru city, if you found yourself lost in a mildly chaotic street with a bustling crowd trying to go places, you were at Church Street. Starting from Brigade Road all the way to St. Mark’s Road, Church Street is a popular and busy area in Bengaluru city. This community-favourite street is approximately 715-750 metre long and features a variety of cafes, eateries, art instalments, artists, musicians and much more.

Sign board to Church Street from St. Mark's Road. Photo Courtesy: Jesly Pulikotil

The name ‘Church Street’ has been given to this place due to the fact that this road promptly leads the way to an Anglican Church named- St. Mark’s Cathedral. It is said that when the city was a military cantonment under the British Raj, British soldiers would march to St. Mark’s Cathedral through the street for the cathedral’s service and hence the it came to be known as ‘Church Street’. Another story said that, earlier, St. Mark’s Cathedral compound was huge and empty. When the street was merely a lane and nowhere close to what its development is today, the Cathedral would be visible far away from the street and hence came to be known as ‘Church Street’. It is on the 200th anniversary of the cathedral that Church Street officially got its name.

Around the 2000s, when Bengaluru city came to terms with a lot more urban development, the lane transformed into a more commercial space with shopping complexes and eateries. Most residents who lived in the area were requested to leave their homes and shift for commercialisation. Through the years, this area developed with increasing commercial buildings, was home to multiple brands and became the place for improving community culture in the city.

It wasn’t however foolproof in terms of its infrastructure and planning. Residents who lived in the area before the commercialisation of the street, never stopped expressing their disappointment in how they had to give up on their homes to let the street develop into what it is today. There have been residents who decided to never give up their homes, and are still living in areas around Church Street. The never-ending crowd, noise pollution, lack of green cover were some concerns they expressed. Hence, not everyone finds the culture around Church Street to be worth the rush and noise.

Regardless, Church Street, today is a fully pedestrian space for Bengaluru residents to spend time around various things. It is a space for people from all states and backgrounds, all languages and religions and ethnicities. It is a space for artists, musicians, dancers, singers, actors, activists, all alike. There will always be something for everyone at Church Street to see or do, and there will always be a story for someone at Church Street to tell.

Here is a sight of Church Street which lies between Brigade Road and St. Mark's Road. Click on the map to directly visit Google Maps.