Government House Draft
palace / seat of governmentImperial, enormous, and built to intimidate.
The Governor-General's residence, completed in 1803 to Wellesley's order and modelled on Kedleston Hall in Derbyshire.
Description
The Governor-General’s residence, completed in 1803 to Wellesley’s order and modelled on Kedleston Hall in Derbyshire. It cost an amount that scandalised the Court of Directors in London, which was rather the intention. Wellesley’s stated view was that India should be governed from a palace and not a counting house.
Four curved wings radiating from a central block, a domed hall, a marble staircase, and a ballroom.
Notable Features
The Senses
- Smell. Beeswax, hot lamp oil, hair powder, cut flowers, and five hundred people in wool and silk in thirty degrees.
- Sound. A string band working hard, and the flat roar of a very large room full of people who all know each other.
- Colour. White stucco and gilt, black windows, and candlelight multiplied through cut glass until the room hurts to look at.
Connections
- The Maidan to the south
- Lal Dighi nearby
- Edward Renwick
- Anglo Nepalese War
Appearances
Relationships
- Part of Calcutta 1814 — Seat of the Governor-General