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| Gothic Revival. San Thome Church, Chennai, TN. en.wikipedia.org |
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| Gothic Revival, Protestant church. effinghamdailynews.com |
Pointed arches used for windows, doors, and decorative elements like porches, dormers, or roof gables, gargoyle, etc., are distinctive features of Gothic Revival. Other features include steeply pitched roofs and front facing gables with delicate wooden trim called verge boards or bargeboards. The latter refers to the exposed board or false rafter running underneath the slopes of a projecting gable roof. Such a board is often beautifully decorated with carved, cut-out, or painted designs and patterns to get the attention of the viewers.
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| Bargeboard pinterest.co.uk |
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| Bargeboard britannica.com |
Above images: Bargeboard. Gothic Revival style bargeboard on the New York Yacht Club House.
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| to drain rain water. Gargoyles of Mumbai indiapalette.com |
Gothic architecture highlights the greatness of the universe and its sublime nature by dwarfing the mortal human entering the structure that is vast and carries the natural elements like air, space, light, etc. There lies an undercurrent of cultural medievalism in the revival of Gothic style. According to historians the shift from Neoclassicism to the Gothic design was influenced by factors like medieval nostalgia of ruined castles, abbeys, etc., church reforms and the writings of John Ruskin in his book Seven Lamps of Architecture (1849) and Stones of Venice (1853). He mentioned the morally super way of life was well showcased by the quality of medieval craftsmanship and he impressed on the people to return to the old way of life. In the later period of the 20th century, Gothic revival had begun to fade away due to materialism and new architectural designs in tune with the growth of modern society. Unlike old styles, modern architecture does not leave a lasting impression on us. When you look at the old styled structures in the midst of modern buildings our mind lingers and it does not stop for a long time.
The Tribune Tower (1925), Chicago, an example of Gothic Revival architecture, .Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, London, .New York City: St. Patrick's Cathedral, Berlin Philharmonic Concert Hall, etc., are examples of Gothic Revival.
The following buildings, built during the colonial rule exhibit Gothic Revival style:
Mumbai High Court, Mumbai:
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| Mumbai High Court, Mumbai, India.livelaw.in |
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| Mumbai High court, Mumbai.freepressjournal.in |
The present Bombay High Court building in Fort, in South Mumbai, next to the Mumbai University, was built between April 1871 and November 1878 in English style with rubble, lime and basalt rock. It was designed by British engineer Col. J A Fuller. Architecture: Gothic revival in the Early English style. It is 562 feet (171 m) long and 187 feet (57 m) wide. To the west of the central tower are two octagonal towers. The statues of Justice and Mercy are atop this building. The building is part of The Victorian and Art Deco Ensemble of Mumbai and was added to the list of World Heritage Sites in 2018. The court started functioning in April 1871.
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Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus(Formerly Victoria Terminus),Mumbai :
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| Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus.Mumbai. alamy.com |
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| C. Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai. mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com |
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| Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus.Mumbai. dreamstime.com |
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| Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus.Mumbai. en.wikipedia.org |
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| Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai en.wikipedia.org |
Tis famous and busy Railway terminus in Mumbai was designed by British engineer and architect Frederick William Stevens. The initial design was done by Axel Haig, It is a fine model of Italian Gothic style. Its construction began in 1878, in a location south of the old Bori Bunder railway station and was completed in 1887, the year marking 50 years of Queen Victoria's rule. The station building designed in the High Victorian Gothic style of architecture exhibits a blend of elements from Victorian Italianate Gothic Revival architecture and classical Indian architecture. The skyline, turrets, pointed arches, and eccentric ground plan highlight the classical Indian palace architecture. Externally, the wood carving, tiles, ornamental iron and brass railings, grills for the ticket offices, the balustrades for the grand staircases and other ornaments were meticulously done by students at the Sir Jamsetjee Jeejebhoy School of Art
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Covocation Hall, Univ. of Mumbai:
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| Mumbai Univ. convocation hall .alamy.com |
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| Mumbai Univ. convocation hall anlassociates.com |
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| Mumbai Univ. convocation hall .flickr.com |
The Convocation Hall building of the Bombay (Mumbai) University, Mumbai is an amazing colonial structure built in Neo Gothic Victorian style. This Grade I heritage structure was designed by Sir Gilbert Scott. He never visited Mumbai and did his work mostly in England. Considered as one of the finest Victorian buildings in India the view of the high-roofed hall with balconies all around is inspiring and breath-taking. It was a mammoth project that need careful handling of structural consolidation of the roof and stone vault with good acoustics, exterior and interior decoration, electrical up gradation, etc. Besides matching furniture the work was to be focused on Minton tiles, Burma teak balconies, gold leaf gilding, and Victorian stained glass. This attractive building took five years to compile it - from 1869 and 1874, The hall was restored by a team led by the conservation architect Abha Narain Lambah.
This building won the UNESCO Asia Pacific Award of Distinction 2007. and Indian Heritage Society Award 2007,.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convocation_Hall,_University_of_Mumbai
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Municipal Corporation Building, Mumbai:
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| BMC tower, Mumbai. istockphoto.com |
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| Municipal corp. buldg. Mumba en.wikipedia.or |
Winged allegorical figure representing the 'urbs prima in Indis' and the Coat of Arms of MCGM below
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| curved arches, Municipal corp. buldg. Mumbai en.wikipedia.org |
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| Municipal corp buld.with tower Mumbai en.wikipedia.org |
The Municipal Corporation Building, Mumbai, in South Mumbai, Maharashtra, is a Grade IIA heritage building. It is across the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (a UNESCO World heritage site), yet another colonial building. The foundation stone for the new BNC was laid on 9 December 1884 by none other than the Viceroy of the time, Lord Ripon (In Chennai, Tamil Nadu the Chennai corporation is housed in a colonial building called Rippon building). After some deliberations, BMC chose a blend of Venetian Gothic and Indo-Saracenic that was made popular by famous Robert Fellowes Chisholm in Madras (Chennai). The building came up in 1893.
The building was completed in 1893.The building stands apart in this locality because if its 255 ft (77.7 m) tall tower. The attractions are the central dome that rises to a height of 71.5 m (234.6 ft). and the gable with a huge winged allegorical figure representing the 'urbs prima in Indis',
Plans were afoot to restore and conserve this old heritage site that beautiful beautiful Minton tiles inside and fine tiles outside, stained glass works, fine wooden windows, Winged Lion, Griffin like sculpture or Gargoyle on the building. The richly molded and paneled Council Chamber has a ceiling of unpolished teak. Al these and other decorations need to be conserved. The adaptation of the Gothic architecture with controlled custom made feature is well revealed by cusped window arches and elaborately domed corner towers. Already Rs. 80 cores had been earmarked for the restoration work.
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Ohel David Synagogue, Pune:
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| Ohel David Synagogue, Pune. kevinstandagephotography.wordpress.com |
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| Ohel David Synagogue, Pune. kevinstandagephotography.wordpress.com |
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| Ohel David Synagogue, Pune. en.wikipedia.org |
The Ohel David synagogue in Pune, MH was designed by Henry Saint Clair Wilkins in English Gothic architecture. The builder of this place of worship was philanthropist and businessman David Sassoon who began the work on the building in 1863 . But the project was completed by his successors in 1867.[Made of red brick, the structure looks like a church. Being one of the largest synagogues built in India, it is on Moledina Road near M. G. and Ambedkar Roads, Pune and stands majestically with a 90-foot tall obelisk with a clock imported from London.This used to be a cantonment in 1918 meant for troops of the British Indian Army. The Jewish community here along with Ohel David preferred Revival Gothic style design that became a standard in the 19th century for constructing places of Christian worship.
The features that get the attention of the visitors are gray marble flooring, raised Tebah with wooden handrail and brass balusters. Quite impressive are tall stained glass windows with specific geometric patterns, the wooden ceiling with lighting fixture and the wooden guardrail at the gallery.
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Maharashtra Police headquarters, Mumbai:
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| en.wikipedia.org |
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| Maharashtra Police headquarters, Mumbai flickr.com |
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| Maharashtra Police headquarters, Mumbai .indiatoday.i |
The 143-year-old ground plus two-floor heritage structure in the Colaba area of South Mumbai earlier served as the 'Royal Alfred Sailors Home' because seamen used to stay here. Its architect was Frederick William Stevens (his first assignment), who also designed the Victoria Terminus. The work lasted just 4 years between 1872 and 1876.
Constructed with blue basalt / the Kurla stone, the roof is made of red Mangalore tiles. The building used yellow basalt in the early years. Th e attraction is the pediment has sculptures of the Roman god of water and the sea, Neptune, nymphs, sea horses, and waves - all these features are suggestive of near-by sea. The sculptures were done in Bath stone by the English sculptor Richard Lockwood Boulton of Cheltenham. As for he polychromatic exterior, the inspiration came from the Venetian Gothic style. It is a Grade I listed UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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The Library building, the University of Mumbai:
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| Bombay Univ. library en.wikipedia.orgen.wikipedia.org |
Above image.: 1870s photograph of the library with the Rajabai Clock Tower under construction on top; to the left is the Bombay University Convocation Hall................
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| Stained glass in the library, Bombay Univ en.wikipedia.org |
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| Bombay univ. Library, Mumbai, alamy.com |
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| Gothic-Revival. Bombay univ. Library, Mumbai.edexlive.com |
The Library of the University of Mumbai, a part of the Victorian buildings complex around the Oval Maidan in Mumbai is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was built between 1869 and 1878 along with the Rajabai Clock Tower, and designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott who incidentally never visited Bombay and worked from London. The foundation stone for the library was laid on 1 March, 1869, and it formally opened for the students and faculty on 27 February, 1880
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Wilson college, Mumbai:
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| .wilsoncollege.edu |
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| Wilson College, 1893 .en. wikipedia.org |
The Wilson college, Mumbai is yet another building built in Gothic Revival. The building is famous for its grand entrance lobby with its catchy staircase with the multi-foil circular panel design in the handrail. The architect was John Adams who designed the façade in a pleasing manner. The fine features are the arched veranda with its segmental sandstone arches on the ground floor, the deep over-hanging verandahs on the west façade facing the sea form a buffer between the classrooms and the exteriors. They advantage is this feature protects the inmates from heavy downpour. Minton tiles are used used for the college verandah flooring and it differs from stair case area where one can see mosaic tile decoration with floral motifs. For the purpose of better look red terracotta tiles in the first floor and the second floor are used. Also interesting to note, despite aging, many original teakwood doors and windows in the college are in good shape. .
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