G.O.R. &
Cantonment Buildings
G.O.R. and Chamba
House, 1920
If you would like to
enjoy the taste of a
quarter of Lahore
much influenced by
the Garden City
concept of Ebenezer
Howard, you will
need to enter the
Golf Estate, in the
Civil Lines of
Lahore, which is
located opposite the
Aitchison College
estate, across the
Upper Mall.
You can turn into
G.O.R. on Club Road,
which will allow you
to follow the
winding streets, and
enjoy the
interesting layout
of small bungalows
in large compounds
with well maintained
trees and verdant
shrubbery—an effort
worth the
experience.
G.O.R. (Government
Officers'
Residential Estate),
is a well planned
enclave where
well-designed
bungalows with
projecting porches
were built for the
use of civil
servants belonging
to the elite I.C.S.
(Indian Civil
Service), later the
C.S.P. (the Civil
Service of
Pakistan). It is an
area that was
developed during the
early 20th century
to provide civil
servants an
exclusive and
charming
environment.
Although the
bungalows are small
and rendered in
simplified classical
style, they are
placed in generous
lots. The mature
trees have added to
the calm and leafy
atmosphere of the
estate.
The location of the
estate was obviously
selected with care,
bordered as it is by
some of the most
exclusive estates in
the city. To the
north east, across
the Upper Mall lie
the grounds of
Government House and
Aitchison College;
on its west the
enormous Bagh-e-Jinnah
or Lawrence Gardens;
and in the south the
race course,
ensuring a freshness
of air and a minimum
of traffic
congestion for those
who toiled hard in
the service of the
empire.
From Club Road in
the G.O.R. you might
like to turn right
into Golf Road which
leads you to the
only Anglo-Mughal
fantasy in the Golf
Estate—the Chamba
House, a building
utilized as a
government guest
house. Although an
extremely
interesting
structure, presently
painted an
unfortunate garish
red, you will not be
able to enter it
without official
permission, since
for the time being
it is occupied by
one of the law
enforcement
agencies.
Civil Services
Academy
To view the next
buildings on this
rahguzar, you will
need to cross the
canal and enter the
Canal Bank area
which has its own
charm. Here too you
will experience the
same sense of
continuity, of
spaciousness and
calm that you
encountered in the
Golf Estate.
The academy, as the
name implies was set
up for the training
of civil servants
and is spread over a
large area. The
estate is accessible
and there is no bar
on driving inside to
get a glimpse of
this well maintained
place.
The driveway from
the main road leads
to the central block
as well as to other
blocks flanking it.
The academy consists
of several
interlinked
single-storey
buildings rendered
in plaster and
painted white. The
estate is well
landscaped and the
cluster of buildings
is endowed with an
all-pervading sense
of seclusion and
calm.
State Guest
House, 1877
After visiting the
Civil Services
Academy, and
proceeding towards
the canal (north
west), you can see
the buildings of the
State Guest House.
They are set at some
distance from the
main road, and even
though a gate is
located on the Mall,
the usual access to
the estate is from
the side road which
leads to the rear of
the main building.
Although, for
security reasons you
may not be allowed
to enter the
premises, you can
enjoy viewing the
elegant regency
style piece of
architecture through
the iron railings
from the main road.
The comparatively
chaste, graceful
central block was
built during the
1870s probably
during the
viceroyalty of Lord
Lytton, to provide
suitable
accommodation when
he visited Lahore in
1877.
The accent to the
simply rendered
two-storey building
is provided by its
projecting
centre—consisting of
simple Roman arches
on the ground, and a
deeply shaded
verandah on the
first floor, its
roof supported on
simple Doric
columns. A similar
architectural
vocabulary is
employed in two
flanking blocks,
which endow the
ensemble with a
certain unity. All
the buildings, with
their plastered and
white painted
facades are set off
to very good effect
by the lush green of
the surrounding
lawns.
After Independence
the estate served as
the Civil Services
Academy and was part
of the Civil
Services Academy
next door. However,
during the time of
hosting the Islamic
Summit in 1974, the
building was
declared a State
Guest House and is
now under the
control of Federal
Ministry of Foreign
Affairs. The estate
extends up to the
canal bank.
Church of St.
Mary Magdelene
In case you would
like to experience
the first purpose
built church of the
city, you might like
to take a 'U' turn
at the crossing with
the canal and
continue southeast
on the Upper Mall,
which will lead you
directly to
Shahrah-e-Aziz
Bhatti (earlier St.
John Road). Turning
right (south) at the
crossing known as
Alif-Lam-Meem Chowk
on Shahrah-e-Tufail
(earlier Wellington
Mall) you will reach
Girja Chowk or
Church Chowk
signifying the
presence of the
church.
In its spacious
grounds stands the
earliest cantonment
church, impressive
in its chaste
expression.Old Anarkali Buildings
The Upper Mall Heritage
Charing Cross Group
Miscellaneous
Imperial Edifices
G.O.R. & Cantonment Buildings
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