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British Architecture In Shimla

Britishers build many marvelous structures some of which are Christ Church, Regal Lodge, Railway building, Ellirsle and others.

 

But in order to understand how different this architecture is from the indigenous architecture in Himachal Pradesh we must first observe the ancient Himachal architecture.

Ancient Himachal Architecture

Himachal’s ancient architecture used building materials such as:

• Wood (mainly deodar)

• Stones

• Mud

The architecture style in Himachal changes with altitude.

The low lying hills or the Shivalik hills have Shikhara style, doomed and flat roofed temples.

The mid and higher hills have pent roofed and tiered roofed(Pagoda style) temples.

British Architecture Styles in Shimla

British architecture was very different than the traditional styles.They used more stones and usually had fancy carvings.British structures in Shimla were constructed mainly using two styles. These styles are as follows:

1. Neo-Gothic Style
2. Victorian Style

The Neo-Gothic Style
Classical Gothic buildings of the 12th to 16th Centuries were a source of inspiration to 19th-century designers in numerous fields of work.Architectural elements such as pointed arches, steep-sloping roofs and fancy carvings like lace ant lattice work were applied to a wide range of Gothic Revival objects which can be observed in the Christ Church of Shimla.

The Victorian Style

Victorian architecture is a series of architecture revival styles in the mid-to-late 19^th century. Victorian refers to the reign of Oueen Victoria(1837-1901).However, the styles in Victorian architecture styles often included interpretations of historic styles mixed with introduction of middle east and Asian influences.The name represents the British and French custom naming architectural styles for reigning monarch.

Some notable structures

Christ Church

The most prominent building on the Mall is the yellow Christ Church, reputed to be the second oldest church in northern India.The Christ Church is the most important landmark here and is photographed by tourists.It is designed in the neo-Gothic style.
It was designed by Colonel JT Boileau in 1844, but consecrated only after 1857.The total construction was over in 13 years.The clock was donated by Colonel Dumbleton in 1860, and the porch added in 1873.The church contains five fine stained glass windows.One represents the Christian virtues of Faith, Hope, Charity, Fortitude, Patience, and Humility, the chancel window was designed by Lockwood Kipling (father of Rudyard Kipling).

The towers of this church are about 90 ft. tall.The church has a bell made of brass, a clock and a set of 5 tabular bells.The pipe organ in the church is one of the biggest in the country and was erected in September, 1899. It was extensively repaired in 1932.The actual cost of the church came out to be Rs 89,000.

Ellerslie House (Secretariat)

This heritage building was designed by Lt. Colonel H .S. Abbott for government use in 1886.Before construction, they had to dismantle the old building which had the same name and was used by the Military Department of Punjab Government.Due to this fact, today also it is known as the Ellerslie House by the people.This building was constructed from the stone which was quarried from the Branes Court which is today known as Raj Bhavan and Sanujali.The stones and lime were cemented together with the lime mortar.

This is a 3 stored building, which have 143 rooms for various government departments and the 31 rooms for public service and 31 refreshment rooms.It also has a basement and sub-basement.

The Himachal Pradesh Government took over this building in 1967.Today all the government activites are conducted from Himachal Pradesh Secretariat.

Vice Regal Lodge

Also known as Rashtrapati Niwas, it was formerly the residence of the British Viceroy Lord Dufferin.A gallery with well-appointed teak panelling is the central space of the building around which the other rooms are arranged.Verandas and terraces surround the entire building at different levels.Those at the lower level link the lodge to the magnificent grounds while those on other floors provide superb views of mountains.

Way back in 1888 this Lodge had electric light – when nobody else in Shimla did – and an indoor tennis court!The list of Fellows of the Institute includes names the Burmese Nobel peace prize winner Aung San Sun Kyi, who was a fellow here in 1986.

This building was designed by Henry Irvine, architect to the Public Works Department of the colonial government in India.

Henry also designed the Gaiety Theater.

Gaiety Theater

It was opened on the 30th of May, 1887,Queen Victoria's Jubilee Year.It was designed by Henry Irvine.It is designed in Gothic Style of architecture.It was named after the famous Gaiety Theater of London, this building was originally designed as the Town Hall.

Initially, it was a five-story building with a theatre, ballroom, armoury, police office, bar and galleries. After nearly two decades from its date of establishment, it was found that the building was structurally unsafe. It was partially demolished, but the Gaiety theatre remained untouched.

Many great personalities such as Rudyard Kipling, Prithvi Raj Kapoor, Pran, Manohar Singh, Shashi Kapoor, Raj Babbar, Naseeruddin Shah and Anupam Kher have performed on the stage of this theater.

The Railway Line Building

Built in 1896-97, this unusual cast iron and steel structure once held the offices of the Railway Board and the Department of Commerce. But at a time when safety was a core-consideration for important buildings throughout the British Empire, this was designed to be structurally fire-resistant, and a recent blaze has testified to this in Shimla.

Above road level, the building has four levels and with one side exposed, climbing down the hill, it has three basements.

On the 10 Feb,2001 a blaze broke out in the top floor and standing testimony to its construction and to the subsequent restoration, no trace of this huge remains today and its facade is as imposing as ever.Presently, it houses many of the Central Government Offices.

These artitectural marvels now-a-days act as attraction for tourists from all around the globe which is very important for the local Businesses. They need to be maintained properly to preserve them for future generations.

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