Charing Cross
Group
Marble Pavilion,
1902
To enjoy Sullivan's
grand concept of
Charing Cross, it is
best for you to
continue on Hall
Road and take a left
turn (northeast) on
Ferozepur Road. This
route allows you to
see the pristine
marble pavilion with
its elegant cupola
as the focal point,
against the backdrop
of the Punjab
Assembly building,
the whole ensemble
framed by similar
buildings on two
sides—the original
Masonic Lodge on the
right (east) and
Shah Din Building on
left (west).
Approaching it from
Regal Chowk on the
Upper Mall, although
the pavilion appears
to have been
sidelined, but is
still impressive in
its purity of form.
The 'Moghul-style
canopy', as it is
referred to in
contemporary
accounts, is a
memorial to 'Her
Majesty's glorious
reign'. The pristine
white marble
pavilion was built
to house a massive
statue of Queen
Victoria, wearing a
widow's veil and
complete with her
royal regalia.
The design and the
material for the
canopy was well
chosen by the
neo-Mughal rulers,
as the British are
referred to by
Stanley Wolpert.
White marble has
been long associated
with Mughal royal
buildings: the
greatest Mughal
builder, Shahjahan
ordered some of his
most elegant
structures in marble
for a chaste and
highly decorative
architectural
expression.
When completed in
1902, the canopy
with its regal
occupant immediately
formed the focus of
the Mall. Later, the
roads in the area
were realigned as
part of the
ambitious Charing
Cross scheme, taken
up to beautify
Lahore. Basil M.
Sullivan, Consulting
Architect to the
Government of the
Punjab, designed the
whole neighborhood
in 1914 and the
realignment of the
roads, with the
objective of
providing Victoria
Memorial with a
dignified setting.
The Anglo-Mughal
design, a style
particularly in
vogue since the
construction of Mayo
School of Art and
Aitchison College
etc., was selected
to convey the
feeling of a
benevolent rule
overseen by a benign
queen. Situated as
the pavilion was on
the most important
thoroughfare of
Lahore, at the most
significant location
that the road had to
offer, it was
certain that nobody
who lived in Lahore
could miss the
gracious queen
looking down upon
the city's populace.
Many statues were
removed from the
streets of main
cities of Pakistan.
Karachi's Frere Hall
lost its statues
(here too was one of
Victoria), but where
Karachi statues have
been irretrievably
lost or broken,
Lahore's Queen
Victoria resides in
the basement of
Lahore Museum, and
can still be seen in
its pristine glory.
Although the
attractive pavilion
still occupies a
place in the open
square in front of
the Assembly Hall,
Victoria's former
place in the
pavilion has been
taken over by a
larger than life
Holy Quran. For
some, the importance
of the pavilion and
that of the fine
public square which
it once dominated
has been
compromised, due to
the erection of the
Islamic Summit Minar.
Masonic
Lodge,1914
The practice of
freemasonry in the
subcontinent was a
closely guarded
secret, and the
lodge was
inaccessible to the
general public. In
view of the secrecy
shrouding its
practice, local
inhabitants referred
to Masonic Lodges as
'Jadu ghar' (a
Sorcery or
witchcraft House), a
term employed by the
famous
anthropologist
Richard Burton in
discussing the lodge
in Karachi. Lahore
became the
headquarters of
freemasonry in the
Punjab and a
District Grand
Lodge, "a commodious
and handsomely
furnished hall" was
built to conduct the
activities. Members
of the society were
chiefly Europeans,
although the
Gazetteer of 1884
informs us that "Parsis
and Muhammadans and
a few of the more
enlightened sects of
Hindus" were also
admitted.
The first lodge,
built in 1860, was a
comparatively modest
structure, and
employed the
classical form
utilized in Lawrence
and Montgomery Halls, with
pediment windows and
a small projecting
portico carried on
simple fluted
columns. However,
the original
building was sold
during the early
1910s when it was
decided to acquire a
site for a new
building.
The impressive
Masonic Lodge is
situated on the east
comer at the
junction of
Shaharah-e-Quaid-e-Azam
(the Upper Mall) and
Sharah-e-Fatima
Jinnah (Ferozpur
Road), while its
almost exact
replica, the Shah
Din Building, forms
the opposite corner
on the west of the
junction. Together
with the Marble
Pavilion and the
Punjab Assembly
Building (described
later in this rahguzar), these
buildings constitute
the most important
urban elements of
Lahore's Charing
Cross. The two
identical buildings
were envisioned to
form the backdrop
for the new square
designed by
Consulting Architect
Basil M. Sullivan
A.R.I.B.A., and
brought much order
into a disorderly
collection of
streets and untidy
urban environment.
The foundations of
the new Masonic
Lodge were laid in
1914 on a site
measuring 13 kanals
at the south-east
corner of the newly
launched Charing
Cross scheme. This
is where three
important roads met
and the Consulting
Architect Basil M.
Sullivan was keen to
treat the whole
neighborhood in the
form of a
comprehensive
scheme, in order to
combine "the
existing straggling
gardens and broken
frontage, with the
main roads focusing
more directly upon
the Victoria
Memorial," which he
believed was
essential to provide
a dignified setting
that such a monument
required, but lacked
at the time.
The building, with
its graceful and
comparatively
uncluttered
character, has a
significant presence
on the main road.
Consisting of a
two-storey
structure, evocative
of classical
detailing, the
building is much
simplified, in
deference to the
Modern Movement that
held sway in Europe
and USA at the time.
Although Doric
columns are employed
to flank the ground
floor openings with
pilasters rising to
the full height of
two storey, the
moldings and
detailing of
slightly projecting
eaves etc. are in
conformity with the
utilitarian
character demanded
by the Modern
Movement. A large
porch or deorhi, in
the manner of many
buildings of the
period, rises to the
full two storey, and
projects out from
the main facade,
providing accent and
emphasis to the
dignified building.
The building
situated at 90, The
Mall, lay desolate
for many years;
however, it was due
to the impetus
provided by the
Heritage Foundation
Pakistan through the
conservation of the
nearby General Post
Office during the
1980s, as well as
pressure from
conservation groups
in Lahore, that the
restoration of this
important landmark
was taken up. It was
hoped that after its
restoration, a
museum and archives
dedicated to the
Pakistan Movement
would be
established, but
this objective is
still to be
achieved. There is
little doubt that
through adaptive
re-use, fine
architectural
edifices such as
this one should
allow the general
public to visit and
enjoy the treasures
of the past, instead
of relegating them
to the exclusive use
of government
officials or
political leaders.
It is gratifying
that Shah Din
building across
Shahrah-e-Fatima
Jinnah is now being
restored by a
well-known bank as
adaptive reuse. If
the bank is able to
maintain the
integrity and
characteristics of
the original
structure, it would
help in
re-establishing the
dignified character
of Charing Cross
envisioned by
Sullivan.
Punjab Assembly
Building, 1935
Going past the
marble pavilion, the
encircling road
network allows you
to go around this
important structure
of Punjab Assembly.
Seen from
Shaharah-e-Quaid-e-Azam
(the Upper Mall),
though the
Anglo-Mughal
pavilion seems to
have been dwarfed by
the tall Islamic
Summit Minar, at its
rear stands the
dignified structure
of the Punjab
Assembly Building.
Occupying one of the
most prestigious
locations after the
transformation and
realigning of the
Charing Cross
streets, the
presence of the
assembly building
symbolized the first
step towards
self-determination.
Its construction was
begun in 1935, to
coincide with
Government of India
Act 1935, under
which the first
Legislative Assembly
of the Punjab was
established, and Sir
Shahabuddin elected
as its first
speaker.
At present the
importance of the
assembly is somewhat
compromised, flanked
as it is on one side
by Edward Stone's
white fantasy WAPDA
House and
nondescript Alfalah
Building on the
other, and facing
the Islamic Summit
Minar constructed in
1977 to commemorate
the first conference
of Islamic countries
(1974). At the time
of its construction,
however, viewed
beyond the elegant
Victoria Memorial
pavilion, the Punjab
Assembly held a
commanding position
on the vast expanse
of Charing Cross
square.
The Punjab Assembly
is a two-storey
building, with a
central projecting
portico composed of
giant columns rising
to the full height
of the building.
Although the columns
carry Ionic
capitals, influenced
by the international
movement in Europe
and USA an
architectural
ensemble of
simplicity and grace
was created. The
composition presents
a unified
appearance, capped
by a sloping roof,
while the portico,
faced with soft pink
stone, carries a
distinctive roof.
Situated amongst an
expanse of open
space, it retains a
commanding position
on Charing Cross.
The building,
constructed at a
cost of Rs. 246,030,
was designed to
accommodate 271
members in its
semi-circular
assembly hall. Other
facilities include
members' lobby,
visitors' gallery
and press gallery,
as well as offices
for ministers and
staff. The building
also houses an
impressive
collection of books
on legislative
matters.
It was fitting that
the architect of the
master plan of
Charing Cross, Basil
M. Sullivan, should
also have been the
architect for this
building.Old Anarkali Buildings
The Upper Mall Heritage
Charing Cross Group
Miscellaneous
Imperial Edifices
G.O.R. & Cantonment Buildings
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