Among the dynasties that ruled India in the past centuries at different periods, it is the British rule that covered almost the entire subcontinent, is marked out for good reasons: their reign in this tropical country lasted more than 250 years. The beneficiary was primarily the British who generated vast and unthinkable revenue from the land endowed with rich natural resources. But during the long reign, natives were economically exploited, oppressed and racially discriminated. Though India got the freedom in 1947 after prolonged struggle marked by violence and massacre by the British India army, their dominance in every sector, tea to textiles, railways to banking, etc., was so much the incredible impact they left behind can not be ignored and will be ever lingering in the mind of the natives.
With a view to showcasing their supremacy in the new nation they built public buildings in their own native styles, either English or European. The arrival of Europeans to India added a new chapter in the nomenclature of architecture and further enriched the traditional design styles of our country. The result was the birth of synthesis of indigenous architectural traditions with various European architectural styles. It meant the mindset to establish superiority by the colonial rulers slowly changed to a pointing of accepting and acknowledging the unique, improvised and practical ‘Indian way of design in unison with nature.
In the later years British architects understood the rich native architectural designs relevant to the geography and started adopting them with flourish along with varied European designs. In this respect, British architects Robert Chisholm and Henry Irwin were pioneers and trailblazers.
Focussing on the European style buildings in India that were built by the British, if you get the impression that they are primarily English in style, you are wrong. They partly duplicated designs for the public buildings, places of worship,etc., of course, from the west and not necessarily adopting English design features.
English design styles:
The following early colonial buildings in India were predominantly built in English design styles:
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| Steeple,St. Mary's Anglican Church, Chennai, upload.wikimedia.org |
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| St. Mary's Anglican Church,1905 image, Chennai upload.wikimedia.org |
St. Mary's Church, an Anglican church consecrated in 1680 in Fort St George, Chennai, Tamil Nadu is the oldest British building in India East of the Suez Canal. Popularly, it was known as the Westminster Abbey of the East. Robert Clive got married here. This earliest church is known for its bomb proof roof in case of wars
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| Non-functional St. Peter's Church,Ft.William, Kolkata.en.wikimedia.org |
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| Fort William Garrison Church Kolkata,1866,wikipedia. |
One of the best examples of British colonial architecture in Calcutta (Kolkata), the then capital of British India is the popular Victoria Memorial (now converted into a museum). A stunning marble edify it came up in memory of Queen Victoria after her death in 1901. The man primarily responsible for this massive building was none other than Lord Curzon.
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| The Rajabai Clock tower, Mumbai. blogs.ubc.ca |
Above image: One of the earliest Victorian buildings in Bombay (Mumbai) metropolis, the Rajabai Clock tower (soaring to a height of 280ft, the tallest structure then) embodies the impressive symbol of the British Raj and the Crown’s reign over the native inhabitants. Within the landscape it served no purpose except serving as a clock tower showing time. The image shows the clock tower and the attached University Library, 1869-78. Shown in the foreground is the Bombay University Convocation Hall, 1869-74. Sir Gilbert Scott who designed them incorporated using various gothic elements and to project the Victorian image and looming imperialistic ambition and domination.
Quite visible are other influences of European architecture in many early Indian cities, but the dominance of British architectural style is very much in cities like Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Agra, Delhi, Hyderabad, Nagpur and Bhopal. Though aged many landmark English structures have survived till today and the governments both state and central are taking action to retain their old splendor as they stand as the bygone legacy of both early and later colonial era.
The following colonial buildings show the influence of styles other than British, presumably to showcase their superior design style:
Calcutta High Court, Calcutta(Kolkata):
This one of the earliest colonial structure is almost a replica of the cloth market in Ypres, Belgium.
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| Ypres Cloth hall, Belgium. en.wikipedia.org |
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| Kolkata High Court, WB. en.wikipedia.org |
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| Kolkata High Court, WB. en.wikipedia.org |
It has red brick facing with stucco dressings, above an "elegant vaulted cloister of Barakur sandstone with capitals of Caen stone. When the huge cloth hall building was severely damaged in WWI, the Mayor of Ypres asked for the plans of Calcutta High Court to help reconstruct it. As it happened, the Gothic Revival failed to catch on in Calcutta and, but in the case of Mumbai (Bombay) the Indian as well as the British residents felt that the major city had become a Gothic outpost of Empire.
St paul church, Pune:
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| St. Paul church, Pune, Alamy.com |
After several years of wait, the government (Bombay Presidency) gave permission for a second church in Pune, MH to meet the increasing demand for the church services. It was on 29th August 1863, the foundation stone of St. Paul's Church was laid by the Governor and later the work was completed at the cost Rs.90000 by the middle of February 1867 and the consecration took place on 5th of March 1867.
The architect of the old church was Rev. F. Gell.who designed it following the English style of design in Gothic with a high pitched roof of corrugated Iron sheets. At that point of time most of the churches in Europe followed Gothic architecture with occasional incorporation of other styles. Length of the Church is 95 1/2 feet.
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| Sainte-Chapelle de Vincennes,, Paris enwikipedia.org |
Above image: The Sainte-Chapelle de Vincennes, a Gothic royal chapel within the fortifications of the Château de Vincennes on the east edge of Paris, France is a royal chapel. Work began in 1379 by Charles V of France to house relics of the Passion of Christ. Not a functional church it is now a French historical monument run by the Centre des monuments nationaux because its most celebrated feature is the incredible 13th-century stained-glass windows, among the finest in the world. An opulent place of worship with more than 1113 Biblical scenes adorn the 15 meter high ceiling and the hall casts a spell filled with fascinating light emanating through the windows......
St Paul church of Pune, MH is a fabled version of St. Chapelle in Paris with cobblestone exterior.
https://loving-travel.com/en/sainte-chapelle-paris
http://www.navrangindia.in/2020/12/st-peters-anglican-church-in-ft-william.html
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Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai:
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| Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Mumbai flamingodiaries.com |
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| Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Mumbai flamingodiaries.com |
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| Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Victoria terminus, Mumbai - |
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| Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (Victoria terminus), Mumbai whc.unesco.org |
Above image: The Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, formerly known as Victoria Terminus Station, in Mumbai, is a classic example of Victorian Gothic Revival architecture in India and hence the city is called Gothic city. It was designed by the British architect F. W. Stevens. The terminal was built over a period of 10 years starting in 1878 and what is special about it is the design is blended with themes deriving from Indian traditional architecture. The High Victorian Gothic design is based on late medieval Italian models with remarkable stone dome, turrets, pointed arches and eccentric ground plan. The British architects worked with Indian craftsmen to include Indian architectural tradition and norms thus forging a new style unique to Bombay. The intricate carvings are made in local yellow malad stones blended with Italian marble and polished granite in a few places. The architectural detailing is brought out through white limestone. The doors and windows are made of Burma teak wood with some steel windows mounted in the drum of the octagonal ribbed masonry dome with the coats of arms and corresponding paintings in stained glass panels. The facade has fascinating features - gargoyles, allegorical grotesques carrying standards and battle-axes, and figures of relief busts representing the different castes and communities of India. In 1997, it was declared as Heritage Grade I structure. It is modelled after St Pancras railway station, London designed by William Henry Barlow
St Pancras railway station, London:
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| St Pancras railway station,London melbourneblogger.blogspot.com |
Above image: St Pancras railway station is a central London railway terminus on Euston Road in the London Borough of Camden. The station was designed by William Henry Barlow and constructed with a single-span iron roof. Following the station's opening on 1 October 1868, the MR constructed the Midland Grand Hotel on the station's façade, which has been widely praised for its architecture and is now a Grade I listed building along with the rest of the station.
The Victorian neo-gothic station was designed and built in two parts; the train building and the hotel frontage. Midland’s consultant engineer, William Henry Barlow, designed the extension route and station layout, including the single span arched train shed built from iron and glass.
