The scallop-walled twin-house looks rather like a ship. And indeed, boats were brought in on high tide and parked downstairs in its stable and dry dock! Since 1928, it is owned by the Peirce Leslie. Past a frangipani, redolent with fragrances of the past, enter another era of generous, wide arches held on fluted pillars. When, below a white, casket-roofed ceiling, captains’ wives waltzed on wooden floors with governors and sultan, pirates and princes. Now skylights pierce the double height entrance-pit to bring the present in. Multi religious art honours Cochin’s residents: Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and Christian. Walk out to the ancient Chinese fishing nets, see how they catch fish at night luring them with lanterns.
