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| The building, designed by the British architect FW Stevens, became the symbol of Bombay as the ‘Gothic City’ |
Mumbai (formerly Bombay) has some of the most fascinating colonial architecture that has always been the tourism highlight of the city. Interestingly, all the Gothic structures in this city have a touch of Indian style of architecture which makes these even more unique. Topping the list is UNESCO World Heritage Site of Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, formerly known as Victoria Terminus Station. It is a perfect example of Victorian Gothic Revival architecture in India, blended with themes deriving from Indian traditional architecture. The building, designed by the British architect FW Stevens, became the symbol of Bombay as the ‘Gothic City’ and the major international mercantile port of India. Starting in 1878, the terminal was built over 10 years. Its remarkable stone dome, turrets, pointed arches and eccentric ground plan are related to traditional Indian palace architecture. This monument is one of the example of the meeting of two cultures, as British architects worked with Indian craftsmen to include Indian architectural tradition, thus forging a new style unique to Bombay. The Flora Fountain stands on the site of the old church gate of the Bombay Fort, now a major crossroad named Hutatma Chowk.
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| Flora Fountain was erected to honour Sir Bartle Frere, a former governor of Bombay and named after the Greek goddess Flora. |
The Gateway of India is a unique landmark situated in the city of Mumbai. The imposing structure is located at the tip of Apollo Bunder in Colaba and was constructed in 1924. The main objective behind the construction of the Gateway of India was to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to Bombay. In March 1911, Sir George Sydenham Clarke, then Governor of Bombay, laid down the monument’s first foundation.
The India Government Mint, Mumbai is one of the four mints in India and is located opposite the Reserve Bank of India in Fort area. The mint was established in 1829 by the then governor of the Bombay Presidency. The mint’s main activity was production of commemorative and development-oriented coins, the mint also produced medals of various types, for ministry of defence, ministry of home affairs, educational institutions, social service institutions, etc. Initially, it was governed by the governor of the Bombay Presidency which was later transferred to the Government of India on May 18, 1876 through a Finance Department Resolution 247. In April 1919, after manufacturing 12.95 lakh (1.295 million) coins the Mint was shut down.
The Royal Bombay Yacht Club is the oldest yacht club in Asia and was founded in 1846 as the Bombay Yacht Club. This was the period when the resident British community took up sailing as a sport. In 1876, Queen Victoria acceded to the request of the Governor of Bombay that the Bombay Yacht Club be permitted to assume the title ‘Royal’ and commanded it to be styled the Royal Bombay Yacht Club. The original building was designed by John Adams, government architect, at a new estimated cost of about Rs 39,000.
Bombay Castle (also Casa da Orta) is one of the oldest defensive structures built in Mumbai. The castle was built by the British on the site of the Manor House built by a Portuguese nobleman Garcia de Orta. De Orta had leased the island of Bombay from the King of Portugal between 1554 and 1570. The castle was built of local blue Kurla stone and red laterite stone from the Konkan region. In 1662, after the islands came under the hands of the English, the East India Company took possession of the castle in 1665.
Few records of the original Portuguese castle remain and historians are trying to piece together the original location of the manor. Two gates of the manor are located within INS Angre, a naval station in south Mumbai. A sundial thought to date back to the Portuguese era is also present. The main building within the castle is the Governor’s House (Raj Bhavan), in which Gerald Aungier, the first Governor of Bombay used to stay.
