The Lockhart Tea Museum is located in Munnar, which was originally constructed in 1936. It is situated 9 km (5.6 mi) from Munnar on the Thekkady Road. The museum was opened to the public on 22 January 2014.

Lockhart Tea Museum
Map
Established22 January 2014 (2014-01-22)
LocationMunnar, Idukki district Kerala, India
Coordinates10°03′15″N 77°06′33″E / 10.0543°N 77.1091°E / 10.0543; 77.1091
TypeTea museum, industry and history museum
OwnerHarrisons Malayalam Limited
Websitehttp://lockhartteamuseum.business.site

The museum is part of the Lockhart Estate,[1] which is one of the earliest tea plantations in High Range (Munnar), established by Baron John Von Rosenberg and his son, Baron George Otto Von Rosenberg[2] in 1879.[3] Initially they planted cinchona then coffee and afterwards tea.[4]

The building, which houses the museum, was constructed in 1936. The Lockhart Tea factory produces about 20 million kilograms of tea annually[5] and is owned by Harrisons Malayalam Limited,[6][7] one of South India's largest tea cultivators. The factory allows public visits during regular working hours, allowing visitors the opportunity to observe the various stages of tea processing. The museum houses photographs and machinery that was used in earlier days of tea production.

The factory and museum are located on the slopes of Chokarmudy, one of South India's highest peaks, from which the entire valley of Lockhart can be seen.[8]

Standing from Left to Right : Third is Baron von Rosenburg
Cemetery of Otto George John Michael Baron von Rosenburg, who was the first planter of Munnar during 1879

References

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  1. ^ "Lockhart Tea Factory". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  2. ^ "Lockhart and Manale Estates". University of Glasgow Archive Services. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  3. ^ Griffiths, Sir Percival Joseph (1967). The History of the Indian Tea Industry. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. p. 159.
  4. ^ Muthiah, S. (1993). A Planting Century: The First Hundred Years of the United Planters' Association of Southern India, 1893-1993. Affiliated East-West Press. p. 196. ISBN 9788185938042.
  5. ^ Cummings, Jack (15 September 2016). "Inside the Indian Factory That Makes Your Favorite Tea Bags". Vice Media LLC. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  6. ^ "Indian tea estates". International Tea Database. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  7. ^ "List of New Registration of Tea Estate during:from 01/01/1930 To 02/05/2008" (PDF). Tea Board of India. p. 52. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  8. ^ Kennedy, Dane Keith (1996). The Magic Mountains: Hill Stations and the British Raj. University of California Press. p. 94. ISBN 9780520201880.