Signage of BC Press Road in Chennai | Photo credit: Special arrangement
BC Press Road is a short stretch running east to west in Royapuram. In a town that abbreviates everything, it’s no surprise that no one in the area remembers what those initials stood for. With considerable difficulty it was discovered that the road was named after the Brunton Cotton Press – a short-lived entity.
But behind that is the story of the whole family, the story of the Bruntons. However, it begins with a dreamer – Josiah Marshall Heath, who joined the East India Company as a writer in 1806 and by 1812 had become Deputy Resident Merchant at Salem. After learning of the presence of iron ore in the area, he resigned his position, returned to England, studied metallurgy and returned in 1830 as the Novoponym Company, now known in the port of Portoron and I. Parangipettai. The venture was unsuccessful but went through various avatars before ending in the 1870s.
Published – 01 April 2026 07:30 IST
