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Home , Bankshall Court, Chowringhee Road, Currency Building, Kolkata, Maidan (Kolkata), Metcalfe Hall

HERITAGE BUILDINGS IN DALHOUSIE SQUARE HERITAGE ZONE, CALCUTTA

SL HERITAGE BUILDING Historical Notes Ownership / Illustrations / Measured Drawings . DALHOUSIE (B.B.D.BAG) EAST 1 The history of the Old Currency Building is better told by Mr. Abhik Ray in the News Bulletin of the ASI / archival photograph of the façade ; present day 1 BB D Bag ( East) Preservation Society of Calcutta. The Directory of 1855 had listed R.C. Lepage & Co., booksellers, photograph after demolition of its dome ; publishers, stationers and print-sellers at 1 Tank Square East. This site was later acquired by the Calcutta Auction Company, which was probably started in competition with the well-established firm of Mackenzie Lyall & Company, the site of which is now occupied by Hongkong and Bank in Dalhousie Square south. A huge barn of the company reportedly stretched from Tank Square to Mission Row and was “filled from one end to the other with medley of sorts of goods and chattels” for sale. But the auction company did not do too well and closed around the middle of the 1860’s. and Masterman’s Bank Ltd., took over the site and erected the present building in 1867 in Italian style of with a wrought-iron gate of florid design. This bank was established in Agra on 1st July 1833 as the Agra and United Services Bank Ltd. Founded by Europeans soon after the collapse of the major Agency Houses, which also engaged in banking, the bank was expected to meet the credit needs of the Europeans in the vast hinterland. On 13th November 1838 the bank’s first agency was opened in Calcutta at 2 Council House . In 1857 the bank was incorporated in and was soon after amalgamated with the Masterman Banking Concern in London to assume the new name of Agra and Masterman’s Bank Ltd. The three-storeyed building of the bank at 1 Dalhousie Square Est baecame a landmark of Old Calcutta. Its roof was arched on iron joists and the floors, covering a plinth area of 8,762 sq. ft., were covered with marble and Chunar stone. The alliance with Masterman’s was short-lived and the London concern soon dropped out and the bank assumed the title of Agra Bank Ltd. Finding its resources restricted, the bank then sold the larger part of the premises facing Dalhousie Square to the Government which was then in search of a suitable building for its Currency Department. The Department was set up after the passing of the Paper Currency Act in 1861 for issuing Government Currency notes for the first time. The Government purchased the building in 1868-69 for Rs. 10,73,109 with its appurtenant land measuring one big 15 cottahs and 8 chittacks. The Agra Bank then withdrew to the rear part of the premises, numbered 26 Mangoe Lane in the municipal records, overlooking Mission Row. The collapse of the Agra Bank in 1900 recommended the Government to purchase the banks premises at 26 Mangoe Lane the Currency Building at a cost of Rs. 3,77,230 thus adding 7,676 sq. ft., of office accommodation and 14 cottahs, 9 chittacks and 22 ½ sq. ft., of land. In 1901-11 two out-houses were erected for the Currency Building at a cost of Rs. 1,46,606. The Lost Note and Registration Branch of the Currency Department was set up at 26 Mangoe Lane. The Reserve Bank managed the paper currency business from 1935 to 1965 from this building, after which it was in the occupation of Accountant General, central, for some years. The building became unsafe on account of the negligence of the Central Public Works Department. The demolition of the building was partly done, but could not yet be proceeded with as it was declared a heritage building by the Calcutta Municipal Corporation in September 1996. Restoration of the building is desirable as it is still worth a visit. The ground floor was the Office of Issue and Exchange. The entrance has a very handsome gate, in three parts, of a very florid design, in wrought iron. The central hall is of very grand proportions, and is lighted by skylights surrounding three large domes. Here were the exchange counters for notes, gold, silver and small change. To the left as you walked up the hall was a noble array of huge iron safes full of new note form representing the value of many millions. The bulk of the silver was kept in strong vaults in Fort William, but a working reserve was kept in the Currency Office, in a vault of massive masonry lined throughout, roof, walls, and floor with iron; an iron door six inches in thickness closed this room, which was further protected by a second iron door, and last of all by a massive iron grating. The rooms above were very massively and handsomely finished, and were floored throughout with Italian marble, even to the third story. Here was the residence of the Assistant Commissioner in charge of the Currency Office. Among its tenants we may include the name of Sir Richard Temple, then Financial Member of the Council, and later Lieutenant Governor of Bengal. As the Mint in Calcutta had a chequered history, shrouded in mystery, we shall pay visits to the various sites of this institution where the East

Documentation on Architectural Heritage of Dalhousie Square, ARCH - IFA Company minted rupees without a license in the beginning. For more than 150 years the Company had to convert their bullion into coins in Mogul mints paying the commission. In fact no mint of the Mogul Emperors was situated in the vicinity of Calcutta. On the east side of Dalhousie Square, is a lofty building in the Italian style of architecture. The ground floor is the offices of Issues and Exchange of Government Paper Currency, and is worthy of a visit. The entrance has a very handsome gate, in three parts, of a very florid design in wrought iron. The central hall is of very grand proportions, and is lighted by sky lights surmounting three large domes. Here are the exchange counters for notes, gold, silver, and small change. To the left as you walk up the hall is a noble array of huge iron safes full of new note forms representing the value of many millions. The bulk of the silver is kept in strong vaults in Fort William, but a working reserve is kept in the Currency office, in a vault of massive masonry lined throughout roof, and floor, with iron; an iron door six inches in thickness closes this room, which is further protected by a second iron door, and last of all by a massive iron grating.

The rooms above are very massively and handsomely finished, and are floored throughout with Italian marble even to the third storey. Here is the residence of the Assistant Commissioner in charge of the Currency Office. The building was originally erected for the Agra and Masterman’s Bank, and on the collapse of that institution (soon after its completion) it was sold to Government, who were at that time in quest of a suitable building for the Currency Department. (HEA Cotton)

DALHOUSIE SQUARE (B.B.D.BAG) EAST 1 Power Tools 2, B. B. D. Bag 2 Radio 3, B. B. D. Bag 3 Stephen Court 4, B. B. D. Bag DALHOUSIE SQUARE WEST 1 General Post Office This handsome structure is situated on the west side of Dalhousie Square, at the corner of Koila Ghat Measured drawings / photographs Street being a portion of the site of Old fort of Calcutta. The removal of the old foundation was a work of great difficulty owing to the extreme hardness of the masonry, which, in many cases, could only be removed by blasting, the building was erected from design by Mr. Walter B. Granville, architect to the Government of India. It was opened to the public in the year 1868. It consists of two lofty storeys, the east and south fronts being faced with handsome Corinthian , flanked ,by massive piers, in which are the staircases. The south-east angle of the building is semi-circular, also faced with Corinthian columns, leading to a lofty circular hall, in which are the public letter boxes. This is surmounted by as lofty lantern, crowned by a dome, which forms one of the most conspicuous landmarks of Calcutta. There is also a large clock with three illuminated dials. The building is approached by handsome flights of steps. (HEA Cotton) 2 Royal Insurance 3 Mc Leod House DALHOUSIE SQUARE SOUTH 2 H.S.B.C. Bank The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Ltd. (31 Dalhousie Square South) erected its own present Private 31, B. B. D. Bag building in Dalhousie Square in 1914 in 1914 and was the first to introduce ATM or 24 hours banking service in Calcutta 3 Standard building Private / measured drawing of the façade 32, 32/1 B. B. D. Bag 4 Return letter office building Post and Telegraph 33, B. B. D. Bag RED CROSS PLACE 5 Central Telegraph Office The Central Telegraph like the Calcutta GPO provides round the clock service to the public without Post and Telegraph 8, Red Cross Place observing any holiday even on national days. An old tank occupied the site of the CTO building before 1757. Next we find the auction mart of Tulloh there. Tulloh has been immortalised by Zoffany as Judas in his Last Supper , which hangs as the altar-piece of St. John’s church. The story goes that Tulloh sought the protection of law. But a careful search in the records of the Old Supreme Court for the years 1786 or 1787 or within the next few years by H.E. Cotton has failed to bring the traces of any such suit between Tulloh

Documentation on Architectural Heritage of Dalhousie Square, Kolkata ARCH - IFA and Zoffany. Hindusthan Bank, the first European style bank in India, opened its doors at Tulloh’s auction premises in 1770. There is a title deed (No. 2257) dated 18th and 19th May 1803 by which Benjamin Turner and his wife Finnellar, selling to the United company for Sicca Rs, 30,000 a dwelling house and ground (2 bighas) in Tank Square, bound on the north by Tank Square, on the south by a house, etc. tenanted by Willoughby Hair, on the east partly by certain stables formerly the property of Robert Palk and partly by the house, etc. of Thomas Boileau, and on the west by a house, etc. , tenanted by John Shore Esquire, Secretary to the Marine Board. The premises originally bore numbers 31 ½ and 32 in the municipal records and in 1855 G.C.Dey (wine merchants) and John Herriot & Co. , merchants were listed as occupants of it. Directories now simply list “Govt. Telegraph Office”, after Wellesley Place, without giving its premise number. When Government purchased the property now occupied by the Central Telegraph Office Messrs. Burkinyoung, F.C. Osler & Mackillop, Stewart & Co. were in possession respectively of the properties once held by Tulloh, the Hindusthan Bank and John . The low-roofed one-storeyed building of Burkinyoung & Co. contained their piano and other instruments shop. Designed in 1868 by Executive Engineer Barnfather with the assistance of Mr. Clark, the ground was cleared in 1870. The building was not actually begun in 1873. The plans and designs were revised by Mr. Vivian and commenced erection of the redbrick building. The construction was carried out by F. Sillis, Executive Engineer. The famine of 1874 held up the construction for a short while and it was completed in 1876. The Main Block originally faced Dalhousie Square, the East wing of which faced Old Court House Street. The total height of the building is 66 ft. above the plinth and of the tower 120 ft. The ‘new’ wing of Office of which the entrance is from Wellesley Place is where the public transact business today. The window sills of the Dalhousie Square side, shut up for a long time, is today a ‘pavement book stall’ for second hand books, pan shop and office bags and what not? The Dead Letter Office, now renamed ‘Returned Letter Office of which the entered from the Old Court House Street front. There are only three premises in Dalhousie Square South and the south-east corner, between Wellesley Place (renamed Red Cross Sarani) and Old Court House Street (renamed Hemanta Basu Sarani) is entirely occupied by Central Telegraph Office. ______

Will be found at the corner of Dalhousie Square, South, and Old Court House Street, East. The original design was made in 1868, and the ground cleared in 1870, but the building was not commenced till 1873. The style of architecture is one admirably suited to the requirements of the climate, somewhat resembling its neighbour-the Currency Offices- but differing in its external decorations. The building stands upon a plinth, 4 feet 6 inches high, and consists of a main block facing Dalhousie Square, with a Tower at the east, and three wings – the east wing facing Old Court House Street, the other two forming a centre and west wing the total height of the building is 66 feet above the plinth, and of the tower, which resembles an Italian campanile, 120 feet. The principal or northern front faces Dalhousie Square. The central entrance is of handsome design. The are well portioned, the balconies and cornices bold and rich in decoration, and the general effect is exceedingly good. The Tower is carried up as a part of the main building as far as the roof, strengthened, however, at its four corners, by buttresses which are continued to the top although nor originally intended to reach beyond the balcony level. The public entrance is in the centre of the north front. The ‘establishment’ entrance is by a broad flight of steps in Old Court House Street. In the public Lobby there stands at the entrance a handsome bust by Geflowski, erected in 1879 by the members of Telegraph Department in honour of Major-General Daniel George Robinson, R. E. who was for twelve years Director General of Indian Telegraphs, and who died in 1891 at the age of 65. On the wall on the right hand as the public vestibule is entered is a tablet erected in memory of Mr. W. B. Melville, Superintendent of Telegraphs for the Division and signaller James O’Brein, who were murdered in March, 1891, at Myankhong during the rising in which resulted in the death of Mr. Quinton, the Chief Commissioner of the province, and number of other British officers. (HEA Cotton) RED CROSS PLACE 4 Wellesley Place (Governor PWD Staff Quarter) 5/1 Red Cross Place 5 Wellesley Place (Governor PWD Secretary Press)

Documentation on Architectural Heritage of Dalhousie Square, Kolkata ARCH - IFA

DALHOUSIE SQUARE NORTH 6 Writer’s Building B. B. D. Bag (North) Looking to the north from Dalhousie Square nobody will miss the Red Bastion. The rulers of Writers PWD Buildings believe that they were erected for them using red bricks, red cement and red roof. The old Kranny Barracks or buildings of the Writers of the Company have been turned into Bengal Secretariat by the magic wand of architect Martin. Nineteen three-storeyed plain buildings, without the least architectural pretentions, were erected by Thomas Lyon on his own in 1776 and let out to the at the rate of Rs. 200 per month each building or for Rs. 38,000 per month. After the expiry of the lease for the first five years, Lyon sold the buildings to , a member of Council. Title deeds do not testify that it was a Benami transaction. Barwell, a great real estate owner of Old Calcutta, made over this property to trustees (of whom Sir , Chief Justice of the Old Supreme Court of Calcutta was one) to hold it on behalf of his children. The Company renewed the lease from 1782 onwards for the use of their Writers or covenanted civil servants. These Kerani (vulgarism for Writers or Clerks) lived in the buildings from 1776 to 1835 after which the lease was not renewed. Barwell’s descendants, some of whom even today sleep in the park Street cemeteries, let the Writers Building for commercial firms and in 1875, when Newman & Co.’s Hand-Book- to Calcutta was published, they were “now occupied by the offices of the East Indian Railway company, and by those of the Executive Engineers in the various branches of the Public works Department”. All the buildings designated Writers Buildings were purchased by Bengal Government in 1862. The heirs of Richard Barwell sold the Writers Building to Government for Rs. 7,75,000. Lieutenant Governor Sir George Campbell’s plan to convert the Writers Building into Bengal Secretariat was delayed as the East Indian Railway was functioning from the same premises and alternative accommodation was not forthcoming. In 1855 these buildings bore premises Numbers 7 to 23, Tank Square, and were in the occupation of commercial houses. The buildings numbered 15, 16 & 17 were described as “the late College of Fort William now termed Board of Examiners”. These buildings were on the Lyon’s Range side. A superb façade was added to the buildings fronting Dalhousie Square and the conversion of Writers Buildings into Bengal Secretariat was effected by Sir , Lieutenant-Governor, in 1877-1882. New blocks were also erected in Lyon’s Range for accommodating all the offices of the Bengal Government. The area occupied by Writers’ Buildings today amount to 12 bighas, valued at Rs. 12,30,682 in Government records. The three- storeyed octagonal building on the south-west corner was erected in 1882-83, at a cost of Rs. 2,62,989 on a plot of 7,278 sq. ft. which was the site of the Church of St. Anne’s, battered by Siraj-ud-Dowlah. The south front of Writers Buildings is 75 ft. long. A Gothic structure at present, the architectural style of the Writers Buildings has undergone a sea-change, since their inception. South entrance to the three-storeyed buildings was originally adorned with massive Ionic columns on high windows form the second storey. The John Bull of 9th August 1821 says: “The Writers Buildings, also, from being remarkable only for the nakedness of their appearance, which conveyed the idea of a work-house or range of ware-house, have been ornamented with three pediments in front, supported on , which form handsome verandahs. The centre one adorns the front of four suites of apartments, now appropriated to the use of the (Fort William) College, and altered in order to afford the requisite accommodation. The lower floor contains the lecture rooms, and the second has been fitted up for the reception of the College , which will thus occupy four rooms, each 30 ft. long by 20 broad. On the upper floor the partition walls have been removed, so as to throw the greater portion of the space into a large hall, intended for the examination Room, which is 68 ft. long and 30 feet broad. The remaining apartment is fitted up for the use of the Secretary. Each of the pediments the extremities of the building fronts two suites of apartments, which will afford accommodation to the Secretary and one of the Professors. The intermediate buildings, eleven in number, will accommodate twenty-two students so that the entire range will be sufficient for the use of the college, the College Officers, and as many of the students as are generally found to require accommodation in the neighbourings of the College”. Extensive additions and alterations were made in 1879-83 when Sir Ashley Eden decided to use the Writers’ Buildings as the Bengal Secretariat. Three large wings were added on the north side, at right angles, to the rear of the then existing buildings in 1879. The present 675 ft. long superb façade with allegorical figures of Science, Agriculture, Commerce and Justice, was finished in 1881-82. This façade was the work of Mr. William Frederick Woodington, who died at 92 Lewin Road, Sreatham. England, on or about 20th October 1922.

Documentation on Architectural Heritage of Dalhousie Square, Kolkata ARCH - IFA “The improvements to Writers Buildings are fast approaching completion. One of the chief features in the material used for the construction of the frontal is the artificial stone. The yellow terracotta is imported from England and is exceedingly handsome, but the grey bases of the pillars and columns are of local manufacture. These are very sharp-lined and very pretty. This style of decoration is entirely new in India, and when the work is completed will contribute to make the building one of the handsomest in Calcutta”, wrote on 15th August, 1881. The Writers Buildings originally occupied an area of 16 bighas 17 cottahs and 8 chittacks of land and their address is 16-25 Dalhousie Square North and 8-10 Lyons Range. The official name of Writers Buildings as Secretariat is “Mahakaran”.

7 St. Andrews Church St. Andrew’s Church, called Scotch Krik, commands an uninterrupted view from the , on account of CNI and Trust 14 Dalhousie square East its lofty steeple with a weather-cock. The foundation of this Grecian architectural style edifice was laid by Governor-General Marquis of Hastings on 30th November 1815 and it was consecrated on 8th March 1818 by Dr, James Bryce, the first Scottish Minister in Calcutta. Erected by Burn, Currie & Company (now Martin- Burn Ltd.) at a cost of Rs. 2,54,807 the church occupies the site of the Old Court House, the land of which measured 2 bighas 11 cottahs and 9 sq. ft. The clock at the tower was placed only in 1835 at a cost of Rs. 5000. The Enharmonic organ of the church was replaced in 1858 by a finer one. The Scotch Kirk session held services in ’s rooms in Park Street from 3rd November 1815 to 1st January 1816 and thereafter at the Hall in the Old Calcutta Exchange before St. Andrew’s was consecrated. Dr. Bryce was Editor of the Asiatic Mirror and John Bull in the East as well. The John Bull became The Englishman in the hands of J.H. Stocqueler in 1833. Situated in the midst of the busiest centre of Calcutta, the Church has several times lost its beautiful boundary railings.

This Presbyterian Church of the Church of England, opened to the public on 8 March 1818 occupies the site of the old Mayors Court of Calcutta (1726 – 1792). It was built under the supervision of Maria Imhoff, wife of the Marquess of Hastings. The church stands symmetrically on the axis of the Old Court House Street aand acts as a focus in the streetscape. The church stands white and dignified and on its north and south sides are with Doric pillars and triglyph friezes. Although these are similar to St John’s Church, the steeple is more successful adaptation of Gibb’s original prototype. The original balustrated roofline above the frieze is now replaced by a plane wall. The interior with composite column is gleaming white, the central cupola picked up in pastel blue. A fine marble floor, a black pulpit and an altar table, elegant black chairs with cane backs and seats.

LYONS RANGE 8 New India Assurance Private (Commercial) 4, Lyons Range 9 Turner Morrison & Private Co.(commercial) 6, Lyons Range 10 Stock Exchange Private (Commercial) The Association Ltd., erected its own three-storeyed building at 7 Lyon’s range in 7, Lyons Range 1927 at a cost of Rs. 3,77,000 and in 1928 the Stock Exchange was declared open by H.E. Sir Stanley Jackson, the then Governor of Bengal. The Calcutta Stock Exchange Association was formed in May 1908 at 2 New Bazar Street and 7th June of that year the Association was registered as a limited liability concern. Thus was born the present Calcutta Stock Exchange Association Ltd., with and authorised capital of Rupees three lakhs, divided into 300 shares of Rs. 1,000 each. Stocks and shares are sold and purchased since 1836 in Calcutta in an organised manner, if not earlier, for there was a Daily Money Market Report, issued by Roussac & Co., on or before 1864. The unorganized transactions were regularized by the institution of the Calcutta Stock Exchange Association in 1908. The Stock Exchange is now governed by the provisions of the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act of 1956. who is well-known for his literary labours was very much active in the Stock market, if we are to believe the late Dr. Atul Sur, who associated with the Calcutta Stock Exchange Association Ltd. the centenary of the Calcutta Stock Exchange is not far off.

INDIA EXCHANGE PLACE 11 Francis Klein & Co. (Commercial)

Documentation on Architectural Heritage of Dalhousie Square, Kolkata ARCH - IFA 1, India Exchange Place 12 Jute House (Commercial) Private 12, India Exchange Place 13 Bank (Commercial) Private 14, India Exchange Place 14 Union Bank of India Private 15, India Exchange Place NETAJI SUBHAS ROAD 15 (Commercial) Built in 1870, it is a three storeyed building. The central bay has a pediment above which is there a porch Private 2 Netaji Subhas Road consisting of fluted Corinthian columns. Ground floor is rusticated and the upper floors are connected by tall Corinthian pillars having a high pedestal. 16 Mc. Leod House Built in 1885, Macleod House is four storeyed building. The upper floors are connected by tall ionic pillars Private 3, Netaji Subhas Road supporting the wide cornice. Two elegant entrances. Ground floor and side bays are rusticated. 17 Standard Chattered Bank Ban was a chartered Bank of India, Australia and China later amalgamated with the Private (Commercial) Standard Bank which took place recently. It was formerly occupied by by Birdand Company. In 1890 it 4 Netaji Subhas Road (1 Old was where the original site of the Stock Exchange of Calcutta under a neem tree was situated, where Clive Street) Kipling used to transact shares. Earlier it was known as Theatre Street as Calcutta’s first theatre was at the site where the present Allahabad Bank is situated which was occupied formerly by James Finley and Co.

Built in 1857 it is a five storeyed building. It has a big central done and smaller ones on the projected side bays. Its arcaded façade is divided by white and red stripes. Rusticated exterior. 18 Royal Insurance Company Private 5, Netaji Subhas Road 19 Royal Exchange Building At the corner of the Clive Street and New China Bazaar Street may be found the Royal Exchange and the Private (Commercial) Bengal Chamber of Commerce in a large imposing building once occupied by the Oriental Bank. The earlier 6, Netaji Subhas Road Chamber of Commerce in the city was known as the Calcutta Chamber of Commerce and was founded in 1834, or two years before similar institutions came into existence in Bombay and Madras. There are unfortunately no records of the proceedings of the old Calcutta Chamber of Commerce available; all that is known about it is that, when it was originally instituted in 1834, it consisted of 79 members. So far as can be ascertained, its office was located in the buildings of the Bonded Warehouse, where the Bengal Chamber of Commerce also found a home, until entered into the possession of its present buildings in 1893. Some light is thrown upon the formation of the Calcutta Chamber of Commerce by an old letter dated 19th December, 1833, which is still preserved in the office of the Bengal Chamber of Commerce. This letter, which is signed by three firms viz., Bagshaw ands Co.,Turner, Stopford and Co., and Cokerell and Co., was apparently circulated to all the principal mercantile firms of Calcutta in order to obtain their views on the compilation of a half-yearly statement of stocks of imports, and on the fly leaf appear the signatures of presumably all the leading important firms at the time in Calcutta, to the number of 25, the only one of which existing at the present date under the same name is the firm of Messrs. Gillanders, Arbuthnot and Co. it is interesting to notice that the firms in question consented to combine for the object indicated in the letter, only on condition that Mr. James Napier Lyall, one of the founders of the well-known firms of Messrs. Mackenzie, Lyall and Co., then carrying on business under the same name, and still existing among us, should be the confidential recipient of the various particulars from each firm and the compiler of the statement. Mr. Lyall was apparently an absolutely disinterested person unconnected with the import trade. A not unnatural inference to be drawn from this letter is that the merchants of Calcutta began to feel about this time the necessity of combination, and of the formation of a central body for mutual benefit, and that this feeling resulted in the formation of the Calcutta Chamber of Commerce in 1834.

The Calcutta Chamber came to an end yearly in 1853; and in November of that year the first half-yearly report of the Bengal Chamber was issued. Eighty-six Calcutta members and eighteen mofussil members joined the new institution. The number of firms and individuals at present on the roll is 156; but in addition we have no less than thirteen Associations, all of whom recognize the Chamber as their present body.

Some twenty years later the question of establishing a Commercial Exchange in Calcutta was brought forward, and at a General Meeting of the Chamber, held on the 30th November, 1857, the scheme was inaugurated. The movement was so well received that 138 subscribers were registered, including parties and members of the Chamber, and a Special Meeting was held on the 25th of May, 1858 for the enrolment

Documentation on Architectural Heritage of Dalhousie Square, Kolkata ARCH - IFA of the members, when the Managing Committee was elected to frame the necessary rules and regulations. The Exchange was opened on the 1st of June, 1858, and in the Reports of the Committee of the Chamber, submitted at a General Meeting on the 4th September in that year, it was stated to be well supported. As it was managed by a distinct Committee, no further mention is made of it in the subsequent Reports of the Chamber; but a meeting of the subscribers, held on the 29th of June, 1867, it was carried unanimously that the name of the Exchange be altered to the Brokers’ Exchange. The scheme for a Mercantile Exchange remained practically in abeyance until revived in 1881, and was discussed, without result, at various times subsequently, until it took a practical shape in 1893, when Sir James L. Mackay was President, and resulted in the establishment of the present Royal Exchange, so designated by special permission of Herlate Majesty the Queen which was obtained through the good offices of the then , the Marquis of Lansdowne. In order to carry through this important scheme the Chamber was incorporated under Section 26 of the Indian Companies Act, 1882 and purchased, by the issue of a Debenture Loan the premises of the Oriental Bank Corporation, which are now known as the Royal Exchange Building. The opening was inaugurated in January, 1894, by a banquet to the Marquis of Lansdowne, the retiring Viceroy. The Chamber occupiers the upper floor of the building, the lower floor being devoted to the purpose of the Royal Exchange, which has since proved an institution of great value to the mercantile community of Calcutta, and possesses some 600 members.

An important Department in connection with the Chamber is the Licensed Measurers’ Department, which, under the control, of a special Committee, undertakes the measurement and weighment of all the export cargo in the port, and the certificates of which are accepted in all quarters of the globe. This department provides employment at the present moment for a staff about seventy European and Eurasians, and at the rate the work is expanding, it is probable that before many years are over the staff will number at least one hundred.

Tradition marks out the buildings at present occupied by the Bengal Chamber of Commerce as having once been the reside4nce of Sir Philip Francis and in still earlier days of Clive. An interesting relic of the Mutiny is still preserved in the Chamber in the shape of what is known as the Mutiny Gate, which was placed on the upper staircase in the troubled times of 1857 by the Manager of the Oriental Bank Corporation, which then occupied the building, as a possible safeguard against any attack which might be made on the Bank. Calcutta, however, as is well-known, escaped the trouble which descended on so many other cities, and it is not recorded that the gate had ever to be closed. It remains, however, as a reminder of the great struggle in which the fate and future ofg India were hanging in the balance. (HEA Cotton)

20 Gillander House Built in 1833 Gillander House is a four – storeyed building in pink sandstone. It has a rusticated and Private (Commercial) arcaded façade. 8, Netaji Subhas Road 21 (Commercial) 10, Netaji Subhas Road

22 Collectorate The present three-storeyed, red-brick building of the Calcutta Collectorate was erected in 1892 on land PWD 11, Netaji Subhas Road measuring 2bighas, 11 cottahs and 5 chittacks which formed part of the Old Fort William. The building cost Rs. 3,54,589 and provides 20,203 sq. ft. of office accommodation. The Office of the Collector or originally styled dates from 1700. The Deputy Collector was a native and was, therefore, called Black Zamindar. Govindram Mitter was the most famous among the Black . J.Z. Holwell of Black Hole fame was also a Zamindar. The office of the collector was situated in 1783 on the southern side of Lall Bazar with the old jail to its east and in 1820 at the crossing of Road and Park Street. In the 1830’s the Collector had his office at the Old Mint. From Church Lane the Collector moved to , the three-storeyed building of which was formerly the office of the Revenue Board. Colonel Reginald Craufuid Sterndale (1840-1895), the historian of the Calcutta Collectorate, was a chaste fluent Bengali speaker. There was a proposal to demolish the Collectorate in 1973 and erect an 18-storeyed building in its site. There was a furore over this proposition and the monstrous skyscraper was shelved. Except the Writers Buildings and the Collectorate, West Bengal Government Offices are scattered elsewhere. The major property owner of Dalhousie Square West is the Central Government. Half of the south side of Dalhousie Square is also owned by the Central Government. But before taking up Central Government and commercial properties in the Dalhousie Square Heritage Zone, which is bounded in the north by Canning

Documentation on Architectural Heritage of Dalhousie Square, Kolkata ARCH - IFA Street (=Biplabi Rash Behari Basu Sarani), in the east by Bentinck and in the south by Esplande East and West , we shall enumerate the heritage Buildings in the neighbourhood of Dalhousie Square 23 Bharat Chamber (Commercial) 12A, Netaji Subhas Road 24 The Reserve Bank of India, as the apex bank, was set up in 1935 to control banking and regulate money MINISTRY OF FINANCE 13, Netaji Subhas Road market. The Calcutta Office was located at 8 Council House Street between Hongkong Bank and National Insurance Company’s building. The site was formerly occupied by Mackenzie & Lyall’s Exchange wine godowns. The red-brick building was probably erected by Agra and Masterman’s bank. Various Departments of the Reserve Bank such as Agricultural Credit (6 Ganesh Chandra Avenue), Banking Operation (4 Avenue), Foreign Exchange Control (7 ) and Currency Issue (1 Dalhousie Square, East) were scattered in the city. the Old godown of the Customs House was taken over by the bank to erect its spacious 11-storeyed sky-scraper in Dalhousie Square in order to bring its various Departments into one place. Although the foundation piling work of the building was completed in 1954, shortage of building materials, particularly structural steel, held up its construction work. The building was ready in 1965 and the bank’s advertisement dated 14th November of that year in various local newspapers read:

“All the Departments of the Reserve Bank of India excepting Issue Department & Annuity Deposit Section which have been functioning at 8 Council House Street, 7 Chowringhee & 4 , have been shifted to Reserve Bank’s new premises at 15 Netaji Subhas Road and all the departments will be functioning from Monday the 15th November 1965. The telephone number of the new premises is 22-8331 (20 lines) – B.D. Kasbekar, Manager.”

The new 11-storeyed building of Reserve Bank formally inaugurated by the Bank’s Governor, Mr. P.C. Bhattacharya, on Saturday, the 18th December 1965. Built at a cost of Rs. 2.5 crores the building has a floor space of 3,54,800 sq. ft. The Reserve Bank was the first in India to install escalators in the three floors in which departments dealing with the public are located. Calcutta Journalists were carried up in these two escalators, the first of its kind in India, on 18th December 1865, and taken round the multi-storeyed building and its internal arrangements. Channels music, closed circuit television, public address system and other modern amenities were introduced in the bank in 1995. Computerisation has also been effected in 1995 overcoming the stiff opposition of the CITU-controlled All India Reserve Bank Employees’ Association. The bank was not allowed to keep coins minted abroad at the Calcutta Mint’s RBI vault by the Calcutta Mint Workers’ Unions persisting the prolonged shortage of coins as the issue of notes of the denomination of 1, 2 and 5 Rupees is totally stopped. As the Issue Department of the Bank functioned from 1 Dalhousie Square East for sometime after the opening of the new building. 25 Commercial Private 14, Netaji Subhas Road 26 Built in 1867, it is a four storeyed building. Lower two stories are rusticated. Divided into three bays, the Private 21, Netaji Subhas Road two end bays have semi-circular pediments lined up with the roof parapet. Arcaded windows and doors. 27 LIC (Former North British & LIC MercantileAssurance building) 29, Netaji Subhas Road 28 Duncan House (Commercial) Built in 1925, the Duncan House is a four storeyed building. Tall ionic pillars adorn the façade of this Private 31 Netaji Subhas Road elliptical building right from the parapet of the first floor to the third floor. The ground floor is rusticated and the roof is balustraded.

29 Commercial 53-59, Netaji Subhas Road

30 Jessop & Co. (Commercial) 63, Netaji Subhas Road 6 United India Insurance Co. Ltd 16, Netaji Subhas Road

Documentation on Architectural Heritage of Dalhousie Square, Kolkata ARCH - IFA 7 Bank Building 18, Netaji Subhas Road 8 Commercial Building (Old Building) 24, Netaji Subhas Road 9 Vijaya Bank 25, Netaji Subhas Road 10 Commercial Building (Old Building) 26, Netaji Subhas Road 11 Commercial Building (Old Building) 35,37 Netaji Subhas Road 12 Commercial Building (Old Building) 65, 69, Netaji Subhas Road 13 Gooptu Mansions 71A Netaji Subhas Road 14 Commercial Building (Old Building) 73, Netaji Subhas Road 15 Central Bank 75, Netaji Subhas Road FAIRLIE PLACE 31 Mackinon Mackenzie &Co. ltd Private 2, Fairlie Place FAIRLIE PLACE 24 Hemraj Mabir Prasad Limited (U.T.I) 4, Fairlie Place KOILAGHATA STREET 32 Rail Bhawan SE RAILWAYS 3 Koilaghata Street, Calcutta

HARE STREET 33 Shipping Corporation of India

CHURCH LANE CHURCH LANE 29 Old Building with alternative arches and pediment pilasters over window opening 2, Church Lane 30 Stationary Office CPWD 3, Church Lane 31 ANZ 6, Church Lane KIRAN ROY ROAD KIRAN SANKAR ROY ROAD 32 Hastings House 2, K. S. Roy Road 33 Govt. Central Press CPWD 3, K. S. Roy Road 34 Old Building

Documentation on Architectural Heritage of Dalhousie Square, Kolkata ARCH - IFA 5, K. S. Roy Road 35 Corner Building 10, K. S. Roy Road 36 Panchayet Bhawan 11, K. S. Roy Road COUNCIL HOUSE STREET 34 Commercial Library CPWD 1, Council House Street 35 St. John’s Church “A Pagan gave the ground: all characters subscribed, lotteries, confiscation's, donations received contrary CNI / trust 2/2, Council House Street to law, were employed in completing it. The company contributed but little”, said Sir John Shore, Governor- General who succeeded Lord Cornwallis about the construction of this church, the first Anglican Cathedral. The Pagan referred to here was Maharajah Nabakrishna Deb (Nobkissen) of Sova Bazar who conveyed to his friend Warren Hastings on 3rd April 1782, for the sum of Sicca Rupees 10,000, the ‘Old Poweder Magazine Yard’ which had been sold by the Company at a private auction on 11th January 1774. This property nearly a square of one hundred yards forms the churchyard. The Church itself was erected after demolishing some of the tomb in the Old Burial ground of the settlement which forms the half of the churchyard. The southern side where there is a long block of buildings was added to the Churchyard when silted creek was filled up to make Hastings’ Street. Apart from subscriptions a Lottery was organised in 1784 from which an amount of Rs.36,000 was realised for the building fund. Besides

Public subscription and lottery fund, there was an aid from the Government and Governor-General himself managed certain unauthorized diversions of Government money for the purpose.

Situated at 2 Council House Street, close to Dalhousie Square South, St. John’s church occupies 8 bighas 16 cottahs and 44 sq. ft. of land, besides the cemetery another 5 bighas 17 cottahs and 36 sq.ft. The church cost Rs. 2,00,302 in 1784. Designed by the Lieutenant James Agg of Bengal Army, the construction of the church was begun on 8th April, 1784 by Edward Wheler, Senior Member of the Council, laying the foundation stone, with full Masonic ceremony, while Governor General Warren Hastings was away in upcountry. The consecration on Easter Sunday, 24th June 1787, St. ’s Day, was performed by Chaplain William Johnson as the suffragette of the Archbishop of Canterbury in the presence of Lord Cornwallis and Members of his Council, Judges of the Supreme Court and a very numerous body of important persons of Calcutta

“The monumental remains of Gour were called into requisition, and Charles Grant ransacked and dismantled some of the noblest piles to procure marble and free stones for the new Church. Hence it is called by the natives Pathuria Girja or Stone Church”. (The Statesman, 25th June, 1887).

A large square building of Grecian columns, the flat roof of St. John’s measures 7,400 square feet, topped by a diminutive tower and spire 174 ft. high. The old heavy 1foot 6inches thick roof was replaced after Independence with aprecast, prestressed concrete light weight roof by Shalimar Tar Products Ltd. bringing down the dead load from 225 lbs. To 40 lbs. per square foot. Silver gilt Communion set of seven pieces was presented by the East India Company. The Last Supper of Zoffany, old Registers (of Baptism, Marriage and Deaths from 1700 till date) are some of the relics of Old Calcutta preserved in this church. The only church standing in Dalhousie Square itself was erected in 1815-1818. 36 LIC Building (Commercial) LIC 7, Council House Street 37 Former Reserve Bank of India RESERVE BANK 8, Council House Street COUNCIL HOUSE STREET

37 Remington House 3, Council House Street 38 W. B. I. D. C 6, Council House Street OLD POST OFFICE STREET 38 Temple Chamber Private

Documentation on Architectural Heritage of Dalhousie Square, Kolkata ARCH - IFA (Commercial) 6 Old Post Office Street OLD POST OFFICE STREET 44 Emerald House 2,3 Old Post Office Street 45 Rest Room House Private 7A, Old Post Office Street BANKSHALL STREET 39 Wallace House (Commercial) Private 4, Bankshall Street GOVERNMENT PLACE WEST 40 A.G. Bengal CPWD 2, Govt. Place (West) 41 Raj Bhawan The Government House or commanded an uninterrupted view of Writers Buildings before the PWD high-rise Telephone Bhavan was erected. The Viceroys and Governor Generals from 1800 to 1912 ruled India from this palatial house. Built at a cost of Rs. 13,01,286 by Governor-General Lord Wellesley, the House occupies 22.72 acres pr 81 bighas, 13 cottahs of land. India should be governed not from the counting house of the grand scheme by levelling Buckingham House, Old Council House, Wherler’s house and other buildings for the erection of the present Government House. Designed by Capt. James Wyatt(died on 20th March 1819), keeping in mind Keddleston House in Derbyshire, the foundation-stone of the house was laid on 5th February 1799 by Mr.Timothy Hickey, one of the supervisors. The Government House was ready for State entry on 20th April 1802, but was opened only on 26th January 1803. Modern amenities like gas (1863), hot and cold bath (1872), electricity (1899), shower baths (1905), etc. were introduced in the Government House from time to time. The hydraulic lift which is nothing but a bird cage now dates from 1899. The southern corner of the grounds of the Government House was originally proposed for the site of St. Paul’s Cathedral. Lightning struck the statue of Britannia a top the Government House on 29th March 1838,but not much damage was done. Tippu Sultan’s throne (in the throne room) as well as 12 Caesars (paintings) are the precious relics inside the House. The cannon in front of the Raj Bhavan on the north side with a carriage representing a dragon, taken from the Chinese, was erected there by Lord Ellenborough as a booty of the Opium War. Chou-Enlai, when he stayed in the Raj Bhavan for a day, saw it and wanted to take it back home in December 1956, but Miss Padmaja Naidu, the then Governor could not be prevailed upon for doing so. The 32-pounder near the south entrance of the Raj Bhavan was taken from the at Aliwal. The annual valuation of the Government House for payment of Municipal taxes was reduced to Rs. 6,91,929 in 1949 on appeal. The Raj Bhavan is now State Government property.

42 Bidhan Sabha or the State PWD Legislative Assembly

43 Forgotten Fountain & Bin In front of the High Court building on Row East, are a delightful drinking fountain and horse PWD trough that are easily overlooked. The fountain is dedicated to William Frase McDonnell, V.C., of the Bengal Civil Service and Puisne Judge of the High Court from 1874 to 1886. His Victoria Cross, according to the tablet, was awarded for gallantry in the field in Shahabad District. Tantalizing there is no mention of how an apparent civilian was so distinguish. All we are told, in true Victorian style, is that the good gentleman’s “manly rectitude and kindly disposition” won him the respect of allwho knew him. The memorial was erected by his after his death in England in 1894.

Someone with that good civic lack of taste the plagues Calcutta has had a monster iron and concrete fence erected within inches of the fountain. The drinking bowl with its lion-headed spout is hidden behind a concrete pillar. Immediately behind the memorial is what looks suspiciously like a latrine. Only dismantling the fountain completely could have done more to hide it from view. And a pity. It is handsome piece of Victorriana that could still slake modern thirsts.

Whether the splendid stone trough on then pavement in front of the fountain has anything to do with the memorial to McDonnell is obscure, but highly possible. Naturally there is no water in the trough today and for some obscure reason someone has had iron sheets bolted across the top. It suffers the indignity with

Documentation on Architectural Heritage of Dalhousie Square, Kolkata ARCH - IFA good grace.

There must be many who seeing the trough have visions of it as a private bath-reason perhaps, in those dashing days when Juniors of the High Court were wont to be high spirited, fore the iron lid.

44 Akash Bani Bhawan

GOVERNMENT PLACE NORTH 39 Red Cross Society 5,6 Govt. Place North 40 Two storied building with projecting Verandah 8,9 Govt. Place North ESPLANDE ROW (WEST) 45 High Court PWD 3, Esplanade Row West The amalgamation of the Old Supreme Court with the Company’s appellate courts, namely Sadar Devany Adalat and Sadar Nizamat Adalat toform the High Court rendered it necessary to have a suitable building for its accommodation. The original High Court building, designed by Mr. Walter Granvile, the Government architect, after the Town Hall at Ypres, cost the Government Rs. 20,33,641. Begun in March 1864 and completed in May 1872, the three-storeyed original or the south face with its Gothic Tower of 180 ft., taller than Ochterlony Monument in the Maidan, occupies and area of 10 bighas 8 cottahs and 10 chittacks of land, providing an accommodation of 79,198 sq. ft. The Eastern Block or Extension of the High Court at 4 & 5 Old Post Office Street, also three-storeyed, was added in 1908-09 at a cost of Rs. 4,50,265 on a plot of 2 bighas and 2 cottahs of land , providing 17,206 sq. ft., accommodation. There is a new Annexe to the High Court to which there is an overhead passage from the South face of the original building.

Several houses have been erased to raise the High Court. Archibald Keir’s house was purchased by the Government in due course and it was demolished to make room for the new Court building. To the east of the Old Supreme Court building stood the house of Longueville Clarke, a famous advocate of that court and founder of the Bar Library, Ice House, etc. Not only Clarke’s house, but also the house of William Macpherson, Master of the Supreme Court, which stood at the corner of Esplanade and Old Post Office Street, was demolished. The house of Sir James Colville, Chief Justice in 1855, was also leveled to the ground in the process of erecting the new High Court building. The Eastern Block was under construction when Cotton wrote his book, for he wrote: “A new block is in course of construction on the north, which it is intended to devote to a new Sessions Court and Jury Room – the latter a convenience represented by the merest makeshift in the present building.

The impressive south façade of the High Court building with a handsome , runs the entire length (420 ft.) of the ground floor. All columns are ornamented with capitals of Caen stone, no two being alike. No building in Calcutta was taller than the High Court’s tower till 1980. The principal entrance is under the tower, through which the litigants pass into a magnificent quadrangle enclosing a shady garden and fountain. Zofanny’s oil painting of Sir Elijah Impey is the most prized picture of the High Court. The High Court celebrated its centenary in June 1962 when documents since the days of the Mayor’s Court were exhibited. Lord Clive’s oath as President and Governor of Bengal on 1st October 1766 was on display on 30th June. The 125th anniversary of the High Court was celebrated in Calcutta on 1ar July 1987.

46 Town Hall A sophisticated exercise in Palladian architecture, designed by military engineer Colonel Garstin, Town Hall KMC 4, Esplanade Row West was opened for the public in 1814. It is an emblem of pride and civic celebration of Bengal the money for which was realized through a lottery in which people of Calcutta generously donated and was used for public gatherings. The design represents a mix of neo-classic and palladian styles in imitation of the architectural majesticity of the Roman Senate. Presently the building is being restored by the Homage Trust and managed by the Calcutta Municipal Corporation.

STRAND ROAD 47 Metcalfe Hall ASI 12 Strand Road The Metcalfe Hall, not far from the Presidency Small Cause Court, at the end of -Strand Road

Documentation on Architectural Heritage of Dalhousie Square, Kolkata ARCH - IFA crossing, remained neglected for half a century or so and has been restored as a heritage building. The Archaeological Survey of India which restored the building uses the Upper floor for its sale of publications and Brick Gallery. The ground floor is occupied by the Asiatic Society for its Library’s Periodical Section. The majestic Metcalfe Hall has regained its heritage status, but as a public place it does not command attention on account of the shifting of the Calcutta Public Library and Agri-Horticultural Society to Belvedere in .

Designed by Charles Knowles Robinson, the then Chief Magistrate of Calcutta, and built Martin & Co. ( Ltd.), Metcalfe Hall partakes the nature of the of the Temple of Winds at Athens. The building, raised on an ornamental basement of 10 ft. height and columns thirty in number, is 36 ft. high. The architect wanted the columns and colonnade nearly surround the whole building, but the scheme could not be carried for want of funds. The Agricultural-Horticultural Society contributed Rs. 10,000 from its own funds; the Calcutta Public Library, Rs. 6,000 and the public subscriptions amounted to Rs. 56,000. The total amount thus collected came to Rs. 72,000. The Government gave the site upon which the Hall now stands and which in 1839 was occupied by the Sailor’s Home. The foundation stone of the Hall was laid with masonic ceremonies on 19th December 1840 by Dr. James Grant, Grand Master of Bengal, assisted by Dr. James Burnes, Grand master of Western India and 350 Master masons. Lord Auckland and his sisters, Misses Edens and more than 200 ladies and Members of the Council witnessed the ceremony. The Building was completed and open to the public in June 1844. It has the external appearance of a Greek Temple of one lofty storey. A broad flight of steps leads to the portico or colonnade on the west or river front, and there is a covered colonnade entrance to the east, with another similar flight of steps which lead up to the entrance hall. The entrance from Strand Road is now closed. The upper floor is reached by a handsome stair. The main hall is 63 x 30 ft. the rooms in the upper floor are of the same dimensions as those in the lower one, when allowance for the subdivisions has been made: but they are thrown more open by means of arches, and the roof is 26 instead of 22 ft. high, admitting galleries with side lights above.

The idea of erecting a memorial to Lord Metcalfe, the liberator of the Press in 1835, who officiated as Governor-General of India from March 1835 to March 1836, originated with Longueville Clarke, a distinguished Advocate of the old Supreme Court. Different subscriptions were afoot to perpetuate the memory of Lord Metcalfe and it was at the initiative of Mr. Clarke that the Agri-Horticultural Society and Calcutta Public Library joined hands with him in erecting the Metcalfe Memorial. The Agri-Horticultural society established its own gardens and office in Alipore, contiguous to Belvedere, which houses the national Library since 1953. Thus these two institutions, which once occupied one and the same building, are functioning in Alipore from the same plot of land which once belonged to Warren Hastings. Another social centre, which has been similarly restored in recent years is the Town Hall.

48 Custom House The first Customs House was part of the Old Fort William, for we find that on 5th May, 1766 the Fort William CPWD 16 Strand Road Council ordered conversion of the Old Fort into a Customs House. Civil Architect T. Fortnom erected gateways and walls at the north side of the Fort at a cost of Rs. 19,000. The Fort Major’s house in the old Fort was appropriately for the use of the Custom Master. The Ditch round the Old Fort walls were filled up as ordered by the Government on 29th September 1766. Thus the first Customs House was part of the old Fort together with a long shed (504 ft. long and 30 ft. broad) on its north side for storing goods. This Customs House just west of Dalhousie Square fell into decay and a new one was constructed in 1819-1820 The foundation stone of the New Customs House, also on the site of the old Fort, was laid on Friday, 19th February 1819 by Governor-General Marquis of Hastings with masonic ceremonies. “The New Customs House of Calcutta was situated between Koilah Ghat and Old Fort, having its front aspect towards the Tank Square, and its rear facing the river; it occupies an area of 435, 000 square feet on 30 bighas nearly”, wrote the Calcutta Journal on 8th August, 1819. The Customs House stood at the north-west corner of Dalhousie Square whereas the old one stood at Koila Ghat, the southern extremity of the Old Fort. The ‘new’ customs House was finished in 1820. Very extensive godowns were attached, but the new jetties effected an entire revolution in the system of landing goods, formerly a scene of busy activity, in the 19th century. The Customs House which stood for 120 years between the Calcutta Collectorate in Charnock Place and the East Indian Railway House in Clive Street had marble tablets on its walls to indicate the limits and position of the “Factory House” and other parts of the Old Fort. The Customs House bore premises No.1 Charnock Place in the Municipal records and was valued at Rs. 8,70,697. The present Customs House at 14 Strand Road for which foundation was laid by Mr. Charles Carey Morgan,

Documentation on Architectural Heritage of Dalhousie Square, Kolkata ARCH - IFA District Grand Master of Freemasons in Bengal with usual masonic ceremonies on 10th February 1940 occupies the “New” Opium godown of the Customs Department, erected in 1861-62. The Opium godown was a Pucka building, terraced and roofed with corrugated iron. This one-storeyed structure with terraced stone and brick-in-edges occupied and area of 3 bighas, 10 cottahs and 8 chittacks, valued at Rs. 84,600 in the Government records. Th godown itself occupied 53,062 sq. ft. and its cost of erection in 1861-62 stood at Rs. 2,29,355. Electrical installations in 1923-24 cost Rs. 3,157 and in 1924-28, another Rs. 2,179. This was the “new” opium godown pulled down to make room for the present spacious customs House on Strand Road. The Customs House built by Martin (Burn) & Co. at a cost of Rs.23 lakhs is happily overlooking Dalhousie Square as did its two predecessors. No ceremony marked the opening of the present Customs House on account of the Second World War and we understand that the building was occupied in 1943 without any fanfare. The Customs earned Rs. 4,288 crores as revenue for India in 2000-2001. After wandering a little, we shall go back to Dalhousie Square south and gaze at the skyscraper with a very big dish antenna at its top.

49 Allahabad Bank (Commercial) 18 Strand Road 50 Kettlewell Bullen &Co. 21 Strand Road 51 Commercial 26 Strand Road 52 Mohta House 29 Strand Road 53 Commercial 37 Strand Road 54 Strand Warehouse KPT Strand Road 55 Old Silver Mint The Mint (native name, Takshal) is situated on the Strand Road about 200 yards north of Bridge. MINISTRY OF FINANCE Strand Road The Mint Buildings occupy a large space of ground on the east of Road and on the opposite side the Mechanical Engineers’ Quarters, the Warder’s Quarters and those of the Inspector of Police are situated, and here also are the Stores Go-downs, and a large water tank for the Engines of the Copper Mint.

There are really two Mints, the Silver and the Copper Mints, the former being much the larger and finer building. It was designed and constructed by Major W. N. Forbes, R. E., and took six years to build: it was erected on alluvial soil reclaimed from the river, the foundations being laid at an average depth of 25 feet below the level of Clive Street, so that there is as much brickwork below as above the surface. The architecture is Grecian Doric and the central portico facing the Strands was a copy in half size of the Temple of Minerva at Athens. This Mint was opened in 1831. In the Bullion room is a fine marble bust ( on a pedestal) of Major General Forbes, who constructed the Mint and presided over it for many years. The water tank for the Engines of the Silver Mint is at the south side of the main building, and beyond it are the Quarters for the Civil Guard, the Police attached to the Mint and the Military Guard House.

The Copper Mint, opened in 1865 consists of a very large block of buildings, to the north-east of the Silver Mint. The Mint Master’s Office Accountant’s Office, the Record Room, Library and the Mint Master’s residence occupy a block in front of the Copper Mint, and opposite to this is the Assay Office and Laboratory. In the centre of the Silver Mint is a quadrangle where the Bullion vaults are located and between the Silver and Copper Mints is an extensive workshop including a Brass and Iron Foundry, Carpenters, shops and Blacksmith’s shop.

Persons wishing to view the Mint should apply to the Master of the Mint. The words ‘Application for Pass’ should be written on the corner of the envelope. Parties of not more than 5 persons are allowed to go over, and 10 of these passes are granted. The best time to see the Mint is between the hours of 11A.M. and 1P.M., in order to be present at the pouring of the molten Silver. Visitors should go to the Warder’s Lodge4 to present their passes and get permission to enter the Mint. HIS MAJESTY’S MINT, CALCUTTA ( HEA Cotton)

Documentation on Architectural Heritage of Dalhousie Square, Kolkata ARCH - IFA STRAND ROAD 46 Old Building 8 Strand Road 47 Alferd Herbet (India) Ltd 13/3 Strand Road 48 Calcutta Port Trust 15 Strand Road 49 Old Building20 Strand Road 50 Kettle Well Bullen &Co. Ltd. 21 Strand Road 51 Old Building 23 Strand Road 52 Old Building 40 Strand Road 53 Fairlie Ware House KPT Strand Road 54 Clive Ware House KPT Strand Road 55 Canning Ware House KPT Strand Road 56 Old Mint Master’s House Ministry of Finance Strand Road 57 Old Mint Staff Quarter Ministry of Finance Strand Road SARANI (CLIVE ROW) 56 LIC (former Oriental LIC Assurance) Bldg. 2, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Sarani 57 Yule House Private 8, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Sarani CLIVE ROW 19 Old Commercial Building 6B, Clive Road 20 Old Commercial Building 7B, Clive Road 21 Hindusthan Mercantile Bank Ltd. 10, Clive Road OLD COURT HOUSE STREET 41 Great Eastern Hotel Auckland Hotel or Wilson’s Inn or Great Eastern Hotel : Original name was Auckland Hotel and Hall of DOT 2,3 Old Court House Street Nations, shortened as Auckland Hotel. It was also known as Wilson’s Inn after Mr Wilson who was the proprietor and a confectioner. It was established in 1840 and after 25 years it was changed to Great Eastern Hotel, Wyne and General Purveying Company Limited, shortened as Great Eastern Hotel. The Auckland Hotel is a wonder in its way. It was one of the best planned hotels in India and was based on a unique concept where a person can get in and come out dressed in complete bride’s dresses. In one large house there is an attempt to combine a tailor’s, a milliner’s, a dressmaker’s, a haberdasher’s, a confectioner’s, a hardwareman’s, a wollen merchant’s, a provision dealer’s, a grocer’s, a coffee house, keeper’s establishment, a woolen merchant with a hotel and a variety of other trade and callings. This is the only hotel where an Indian ( Mr Mitra) was associate with the management. Bilimoria was the proprietor in the post independence period. Dr S. Radhakrishnan’s and Ashok Kumar’ BONIFIELD LANE 58 Batakristo Pal (Commercial) 34, Bonifield Lane CHINA BAZAAR 59 Satkari Das (Commercial)

Documentation on Architectural Heritage of Dalhousie Square, Kolkata ARCH - IFA

PROPOSED HERITAGE BUILDINGS OF DALHOUSIE SQUARE HERITAGE ZONE CALCUTTA

Sl. Heritage Building Address B. S. R Bose Road 16 Maghen David Synagogue 109, B. S. R Bose Road 17 Old Commercial House 135A, B. S. R Bose Road 18 Old Commercial House 137, 138B. S. R Bose Road BAZAAR STREET (CHINA BAZAAR) 22 Old Commercial Building 57 Radha Bazaar Street

23 Old Commercial Building 63, Radha Bazaar Street KOILAGHATA STREET 25 Postal 7, Koilaghata Street BANKSHALL STREET 26 Bankshall Court 1,2 Bankshall Court 27 Presidency Court 3, Bankshall Court House HARE STREET 28 United India Assurance 16, Hare Street ESPLANDE ROW (WEST) 42 Staff Selection Commission PWD 43 Eastern Region Office 5, Esplanade Row West

To be updated

Documentation on Architectural Heritage of Dalhousie Square, Kolkata ARCH - IFA