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| British Residency, Hyderabad, India .deccanchronicle.com |
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Residency, Hyderabad. discoverindiasite.wordpress.com
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Above images: A villa like British Residency, Hyderabad was commissioned in 1903 and completed in 1905. Originally built on a plot of 60 acres of land - mostly wooded area. The lush gardens providing serene ambiance were a source of joy and recreation. They witnessed many a soiree painstakingly organised by the memsahibs of the house. Its landscape dotted by three arched gateways, named after
Lord Roberts, the Commander-in-Chief,
Lord Lansdowne, the Viceroy and
Queen Victoria herself (part of rang mahal) including cemetery were demolished in 1860. Cornatheon columns (40 ft tall) with ornamental bordered pediment. remain intact.
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| newindianexpress.com |
Above image: A couple of heritage structures in the British Residency area, Hyderabad area under which the Koti Women’s College is also located .
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| Residency, Hyderabad. discoverindiasite.wordpress.com |
Above image: Hyderabad Residency, Telangana - Bindu Bhargavi Chandana, a conservation architect, mentions that the residency was spread around 0.17 sq km and its boundary area was 1.46 sq km. he says there are as many as 53 heritage structures within the Residency and among them 10 are in good shape. As for 22 structures they are in poor condition and need to be paid serious attention. In 1810 east and west wings within the campus came up. In the 1980s and 1990s, alterations were made on the structure and their heritage value was not taken into account. Plastering with cement and RCC could have been avoided................
Unlike the British officers of the East India company James Achilles Kirkpatrick, a British Resident in the princely state of Hyderabad. between 1798–1805, was a man of different mould and taste, quite independent of others. He had an irresistible aura about him not only for his unique style of living but also for his compulsive passion. Far from being different from his colleagues of his stature, matching with his style of living, he had a rich palatial mansion builtfor his family on the model of a Palladian villa called Koti or British Residency (also known as Hyderabad Residency) in the quiet suburb of Hyderabad close to the Musi river.
It was grand building worthy of his exalted status as the representative of the English company as well as his cherished taste. What is surprising is he had shed his British persona, married a local girl, a Hyderabadi noblewoman from the rich muslim community and adopted to the local living style by way of wearing local dress. This cultural metamorphosis surprised his colleagues but Kirkpatrick was oblivious to their remarks and carping comments.
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Hyderabad residency in ruins. siaphotography.in/blog
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Hyderabad residency in ruins. siaphotography.in/blog
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The mansion Kirkpatrick built for his begum became the official home for the later British Residents in Hyderabad. Thus the British saheb and his young wife became the cynosure of attention in the social gatherings. The couple remained undeterred despite objections from the English company and the elite of Hyderabad families. This is the reason why Kirkpatrick's Indian wife
Khair un Nissa was consigned to a few lines in the history books for nearly two centuries.
The British residency in this part of the princely state in the 1800s became a permanent seat of power for the simple reason that the Nizam, who had so many unfriendly rulers around his kingdom, had a close alliance with the British East india company till 1858 and later under the British Crown. All the military and administrative decisions were channeled through the British Resident to the higher authority either in Calcutta or Madras.
The amazing mansion designed by Lt. Samuel Russell of the Madras Engineers and construction (work began in 1803) served as an embassy of the East India Company in the state of Hyderabad. It was a self-contained residency building with separate living quarters for employees. The attractive part is its impressive classical portico which is a common feature in important European buildings.The Corinthian columns are big and tall - 40 feet in height. Two lions guard its 60-foot space of 21 marble stairs.The added feature is a separate quarters for the women - Zanana , a feature in all royal Muslim mansions. The unique features of the former British Residency are big halls and drawing rooms with galleries, huge Durbar hall with painted ceilings, parquet floors of inlaid wood, flanked by giant mirrors. There are decorative ball rooms with special flooring. The chandeliers are large and are believed to have been procured from king William IV th’s palace.
The wide stairway with attractive rails is split into two at the landing. A walk through the residency will reveal the opulence of the rulers of that time and the kind of luxury and extravagance, the senior British officers were accustomed to keep themselves apart from the natives.
After Hyderabad had joined the Indian union in 1949 the residency was converted into Osmania college for women. It was started in 1924 as Koti women's college (offering Intermediate Arts courses). After a period of time, this grand building, an architectural marvel, was reduced to a state which was a far cry from its glittering past. Because of prolonged official apathy coupled with aging, the damages were to such an extend redemption was a tough job. As in many cases how such a glorious landmark structure was left to rot is a sad commentary. The residency was built on a huge plot of 60 acres of land. Post-independence 18 acres were allotted to Osmania Medical College and Osmania women's college was left with just 42 acres.
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British Residency, Hyderabad, Indiasiaphotography.in/blog
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British Residency, Hyderabad, India .firstpost.com
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For more than 12 long years caught in the rolls of red tape, the heritage lovers saw the light at the end of the tunnel Restoration process began to take shape in 2013.
The good news is way back in Sept 2017 after decades of negligence on the part of the state government the British residency was restored back to old charm and splendor. Funds were made available by the Government of Telangana and World Monuments Fund. In the first phase the foundation work was taken care along with roof reinforcement. Because of severe damages to the structure dummy windows were set on elevations. Thus the foundation work and stability of the building got priority in the first phase. The rest focussed on various aspects of conservation and restoration without disturbing the left-out heritage elements. In some place wooden roof beams were taken out, treated with chemicals to avoid termite attack National Culture Fund of Union Ministry of Culture and the Telangana Department of Archaeology and Museums played a major role in the second phase of restoration. The estimated cost was about Rs17 crore.
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