Imperial Edifices
Lawrence Gardens
and Lawrence and
Montgomery Halls,
1861-1866
Traveling west on
Durand Road, and
past Shimla Hill, if
you take the turning
left into Khalifa
Shujauddin Road (Egerton
Road), and turn left
again into Kashmir
Road, you will once
again arrive at our
main thoroughfare,
Shaharah-e-Quaid-e-Azam
(the Upper Mall).
This section of the
Mall contains some
of the most
prestigious
institutions and
establishments, and
because of the
enormous grounds of
each estate, gives a
feeling of
spaciousness hardly
encountered
elsewhere. Without
doubt it is the most
select of all areas
of Lahore, the charm
of which is enhanced
by the enormous
trees lining the
road, and their
concentration in the
gardens and estates
beyond.
To reach this
stretch of the road,
if you decide to
walk east from
Charing Cross, you
will enjoy one of
the most pleasant
walks in Lahore, for
if anywhere, here is
the road segment
that provides you
with the garden city
feel for which
Lahore is famous.
Along the same side
of the road as the
Masonic Lodge, and
opposite the Avari
Hotel, which
replaced the
once-famous Nedous
Hotel, is situated
the Zoo or Chiriya
Ghar, as it is
popularly known. One
of the finest zoos
of the country and
spread over a large
area, it is worth a
visit. On one side
of the road is the
expanse of Bagh-e-Jinnah
(earlier Lawrence
Gardens) and a
little further, on
the other the
sprawling estate of
the Governor's
House.
Bagh-e-Jinnah itself
is a historical
garden, being the
first major garden
set up after British
annexation—its
enormous grounds
providing a
befitting setting
for the
neo-classical
Lawrence and
Montgomery Halls,
now refurbished and
being utilized as
the Quaid-e-Azam
Library.
The halls were built
in memory of John
Laird Mair Lawrence,
first Chief
Commissioner and Lt.
Governor of the
Punjab (1853-59) and
subsequently Viceroy
and Governor General
of India, and Robert
Montgomery, second
Lt. Governor of the
Punjab (1859-65).
Lawrence Hall, the
first building
fronting the Mall,
was built in 1861-62
as a tribute to
Lawrence's critical
role in ensuring a
regular supply of
troops from the
Punjab to Delhi
during the First War
of Independence in
1857. The design,
prepared by G.
Stone, was referred
to as 'frigidly
classical' by
Kipling. That
neo-classical
expression was
chosen at this time
was not surprising.
The First War of
Independence, had
shaken the very
foundations of the
British East India
Company, and it was
imperative to
re-establish a
position of power
and authority
through the use of
classical orders, an
architectural
vocabulary which had
earlier been
successfully
employed elsewhere
in the subcontinent
by the Kumpany
Bahadur to portray
its might.
The second building
at the rear of
Lawrence Hall is
Montgomery Hall,
facing the central
avenue of the
sprawling Lawrence
Gardens (now Bagh-e-Jinnah).
It was built in 1866
from contributions
by native chiefs.
The conformity of
style with the
earlier building was
ensured by G. Stone
who, in order to
present a single
unified whole,
linked the space
between the two
halls by a covered
corridor.
The ensemble sits as
an elegant edifice
set off by the
sprawling green of
its grounds. Its
classically detailed
pediment porticoes
are supported on
simple Doric
columns, and window
openings are
surmounted by
triangular or
semi-circular
pediments.
Lawrence Hall, with
a hall size of 65' x
32.5', cost Rs.
34,000. It was used
for public meetings
and theatrical
entertainment, and
to all intents and
purposes was
Lahore's town hall
until the
construction of
Jubilee Town Hall; while
Montgomery Hall,
106' x 46',
originally
constructed at a
cost of 108,000, had
to be refurbished at
a cost of Rs.
66,000. It was
re-roofed and a
'splendid teak floor
for rinking and
dancing' was laid in
time for the visit
of the Prince of
Wales in 1876.
These halls became
the centre of
festivities for the
rulers, particularly
during the Christmas
and winter months.
Christy Minstrels
and Professor
Williams' endeavors
in music, songs and
dances made for a
'brighter Lahore',
while the group of
dwarfs of General
and Mrs. Tomb Thumb,
Minnie Warren and
Commodore Nutt,
along with the Star
company performed
all kinds of
conjuring feats. The
two-storey edifice,
which had been used
as Lahore Institute
and Lahore Gymkhana
Club during the late
1980s, was adapted
for re-use as a
splendid library—now
the Quaid-e-Azam
Library. This grand
building is worth a
visit to enjoy its
well kept interiors
and the grand
collection of books
that it houses.
Punjab Governor's
House (Government
House)
Across the Upper
Mall from
Quaid-e-Azam Library
(Lawrence &
Montgomery Halls),
is located the
sprawling estate of
the Governor's
House, which is
enclosed with a high
wall. To catch a
glimpse of this
historical
structure, you will
need to journey down
the Upper Mall,
until you reach its
main gate, which is
well guarded. This
is the Government
House which housed
successive
lieutenant governors
of the British Raj,
and now acts as the
residence of the
governor of the
province, and the
reason why its name
has been changed
from Government
House to Governor's
House.
The origins of this
important structure
lie in the Mughal
Period. Latif and
Kannahiya Lal both
agree that a Mughal
tomb in this
location formed the
nucleus of
Government House,
but there are
conflicting accounts
of who was actually
buried here.
According to
Kannahiya Lal it was
Saint Syed Badruddin
Gilani, while Latif
credits it to 'Mahomed
Kasim Khan' a cousin
of Emperor Akbar.
Both agree, however,
that the tomb
belonged to
Shahjahan's period
and that the ground
adjacent to the tomb
was used as a
wrestling ground,
due to which reason
the domed structure
became known as
Gumbuz Kushti Wala,
or Wrestler's Dome.
During the Sikh
Period, as was the
fate of many other
Mughal structures,
Gumbuz Kushtiwala
fell on hard times.
Towards the end of
Ranjit Singh's
reign, his Jamadar
Khushal Singh, uncle
of Raja Teja Singh,
built a house around
the tomb.
The vast area in its
vicinity was
utilized for
barracks to
accommodate Khushal
Singh's troops.
After British
annexation a nearby
mosque was
demolished by Sirdar
Khan, Lambardar of
Mozung for the value
of its bricks, and a
large well, attached
to the mosque, which
had been filled with
gunpowder during the
successive
Inter-Sikh wars
unfortunately
exploded, killing
two zamindars and
several bullocks.
After annexation the
house was utilized
as a residence by
deputy commissioners
Boring and Major
MacGregor. In the
early 1860s the
building was
acquired from
Khushal Singh's
successor Teja Singh
in exchange for
property given to
him in Sialkot, and
converted into
Government House
during the
lieutenant
governorship of
Robert Montgomery.
Extensive
modifications were
made at the time
leaving hardly a
trace of Sikh
construction. Even
so the original tomb
continued to exist
on the ground floor,
where it was
designated the
dining room. The
ever-optimistic
Latif found the
function admirably
suitable, noting:
"The arches around
it serve as recesses
for side-boards, the
room being lighted
through slits in the
dome. The walls are
decorated with
enameled
pottery-work, and
the alcoves of the
central hall are
embellished with
fresco designs."
The earliest British
additions included a
two-storey high
portico supported by
simple double
columns rising to
the full two storey,
adding instant
grandeur. Today, it
is a sprawling
mansion, its present
form a result of
incremental and
somewhat disparate
additions of scores
of rooms and
bathrooms. However,
it presents a
unified appearance
due to the
application of white
paint on plastered
surfaces. Although
for security reasons
you will not
bellowed to enter,
it is worth a peep
from the main gate
just to get a
glimpse of this
historic structure,
set amongst the
expansive grounds
spread over almost
seventy acres.
Administrative Staff
College (formerly
Punjab Club),
c.1910s
On the same side of
the road as
Government House,
but set well back is
a building with an
imposing pediment
portico. The
Administrative Staff
College is situated
directly opposite
the Pearl
Continental Hotel
and is set amidst
large grounds. This
is the original,
once exclusive
Punjab Club—a
reminder of a
distant past when
British clubs were
synonymous with a
rarefied world of
the rulers. The club
was established in
1904 and no doubt
the building was
constructed soon
after.
The club building
was taken over
during the early
1960s and converted
to the use of the
Administrative Staff
College, where
courses for the
training of
government officials
began to be
organized. Although
the building was
built at a time when
the Modern Movement
in architecture was
sweeping through
Europe and USA, the
Punjab Club members
sought to establish
their exclusivity by
the use of classical
symbolism, which was
reflected in the
creation of a grand
projecting portico
employing Doric
order and giant two
storey high columns.
The single-storey
side wings are lower
in height, and
employ Roman
arcading for the
verandahs. Plastered
and painted white,
the grand edifice
set off by the
verdant green of the
surrounding lawns
and foliage,
dominates a large,
well maintained
estate. A few
quietly attractive
small structures
have also been built
to provide extra
accommodation.
You can enter the
curving driveway
shaded by large
trees and bordered
with foliage, to
fully enjoy the
lofty porticoed
structure amidst
leafy surroundings.
Aitchson College
1886
Adjoining the
grounds of
Administrative Staff
College and a little
further south is the
entrance to a most
remarkable cluster
of buildings—the
grand estate of
Aitchison College.
The premier school
of the province, it
is a veritable
treasure trove of
historic buildings,
housing some of the
finest Anglo-Mughal
buildings that
Lahore has to offer.
Aitchison College
was established by
the British as an
elite institution
with the objective
of educating "the
relatives of the
Ruling Chiefs of the
Panjab, youths of
good family, and the
minors under the
guardianship of the
Court of Wards."
Also known as Punjab
Chiefs College, its
nucleus consisted of
the students of
Wards' School at
Umballa (now in the
Indian Punjab).
The site was
selected with great
care within a
prestigious district
located east of
Government House
(now the Punjab
Governor's House).
Being positioned
midway between
"Civil [Anarkali]
and Military
Stations [Mian Meer
Cantonment]" the
placement permitted
the students to
attend with ease all
government
functions, whether
the garden parties
of the Lieut.
Governor or the
military functions
in the Cantonment.
The foundation stone
of the residential
college, named after
Lieut. Governor
Charles Aitchison,
was laid in November
1886, "in the
presence of a very
large and
representative
assemblage, European
and Native,
including the Duke
and Duchess of
Connaught, the
Countess of Dufferin,
Sir Charles
Aitchison, the
Lieut. Governor of
the Province and
many of the Ruling
Chiefs of the
Province."
The campus, set up
in 150 acres, was
irrigated by an
abundant supply of
canal water. The
earliest buildings
consisted of the
main college
building, three
boarding houses for
100 boys, and a
house for the
principal, and
completed at a cost
of Rs. 5-1/2 lakhs.
There appeared no
lack of funds for
construction
activities due to
liberal
contributions by
"Native Chiefs of
the Province,
supplemented by
grants from
Provincial Funds,
and a contribution
from the Imperial
revenues."
Some of the boarding
quarters were
completed in 1888,
as was the residence
of the principal
(then titled
governor). General
Black, while the
college building,
consisting of class
rooms, library,
reading room,
laboratory, play
room, theatre or
speech room and
office rooms, was
completed a year
later. Subsequently,
a mosque, a Hindu
temple and a Sikh
dharamsala were also
constructed.
Outdoor games, such
as cricket,
football, hockey,
tennis, riding and
tent pegging and
athletic sports have
been compulsory for
Students at the
college, and before
partition of the
subcontinent,
considerable
excitement was
created by the
annual competition
held with students
of Mayo College,
Ajmer, a sister
institution
established on
parallel lines.
The college prided
itself on its
exclusivity and even
thirty years later
(in 1915) the
average student
numbers (including
day students) was
just a little over
100.
Without doubt the
pride of the campus
is the original
college building—now
referred to as the
principal's office.
It was designed in
Anglo-Mughal style
by integrating a
ground plan
developed by Colonel
Swinton Jacob and
architectural
expression devised
by Lockwood Kipling
and Bhai Ram Singh,
all three being
strong proponents of
this style—Swinton
Jacob of Jeypore
Museum fame having
recently designed
Sandeman Hall in
Quetta, while
Kipling had designed
Mayo School of Art
and would later
design the Lahore
Museum.
The building with
its facing of
mellowed brickwork
presents an
extraordinary and
exciting ensemble:
its cluster of brick
domes and cupolas,
corner chattris
(kiosks) and deep
chajjas over
openings its refined
air achieved through
intricate and fine
detailing, and
terracotta tracery.
The selective
employment of carved
marble elements and
tracery allow you to
marvel at the superb
skill of the local
craftsmen. Buildings
of the same
vintage—the
principal's
bungalow, the
similarly treated
structures of Leslie
Jones House, Kelly
House & Godley
House, as also
Bahawalpur House,
the science
laboratory and the
three places of
worship, a mosque, a
mandiranda
Sikhgiirdwara—are
generously spread
out in sprawling
grounds shaded by
mature banyan trees.
The campus exudes a
magic entirely of
its own,
transporting the
visitor to another,
by gone era. Since
Independence,
several additions
have been made to
its architectural
repertoire as
contributions from
old students,
belonging to the
most prosperous and
influential section
of the city.
Although still
largely consisting
of the elite, the
student body today
is much diversified,
since doors have
been opened to other
not so fortunate,
but bright students.
The best way to
explore the
sprawling acres of
Aitchison College is
to request the
college authorities
the use of the
principal's buggy
for a tour around
the campus—an
unforgettable
experience!Old Anarkali Buildings
The Upper Mall Heritage
Charing Cross Group
Miscellaneous
Imperial Edifices
G.O.R. & Cantonment Buildings
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