of power. The British followed various
The first buildings were factories but later courts, schools, municipal
halls and dak bungalows came up, which were ordinary structures built by
garrison engineers.
A deeper concern with architecture was exhibited in churches and other
public buildings. Churches were built in great style. Based on London
prototypes, several churches evolved with variations as highly original
works. The earliest example is the St. Mary’s Church in Fort St. George in
Chennai.
Most of the buildings were adaptations of the buildings designed by
leading British architects of that time.
• For instance, the Church of St. John at Calcutta was built in 1787 inspired
by St. Stephens Church at Walbrooks;
• the Government House in Calcutta was built by Capt. Charles Wyatt
modelled on the Kedleston Hall of Derbyshire;
• the Indian Government Mint in Calcutta is a half-scale replica of the
Temple of Minerva at Athens; and
• the Pachaiyappa’s Hall in Chennai was modelled on the Athenium Temple
of Theseus.
Unlike Europe, however, these buildings were built mostly of brick and
stuccoed with lime or chunam, sometimes “facades” incised to look like
stones. Some later buildings were, however, built with stones.
Neo-Gothic architecture flourished in different parts of India under the
British, inspired by the Houses of Parliament in London. Colonel Thomas
Cowper built the town hall in Bombay during 1820 to 1835.
Governor Sir Bartle Frere tried to give a truly imperial ambience to the
city of Bombay. During his reign the old town walls were broken down
and the Gateway of India was built in the Gothic style of architecture.
• The Secretariat, University Library, Rajabai Tower, Telegraph Office and
the Victoria Terminus all followed the Victorian Gothic style, similar to
buildings in London.
• Undoubtedly, the Victoria Terminus, designed by the architect Frederick
Willaim Stevens modelled on the St. Pancras Station, is the finest example
of Gothic architecture with a subtle hint of the Indo-Saracenic motifs.
• Stevens also designed other buildings like the Churchgate Terminus and
the Municipal Building opposite the Victoria Terminus.