22 October,2016 05:09 PM IST | | The Guide Team
Continuing our weekly series of lesser-seen parts of the city, we step into a nondescript building near Lion Gate that was once home to the Governor of Bombay and served even as the High Court
A dated photo showing the northern end of Horniman Circle Buildings where David Sassoon Buildings stands. Pics/Datta Kumbhar
Last year, in the middle of an engrossing tour of the Bombay High Court, a time came when veteran solicitor Rajan Jayakar (who conducted the walkthrough) dropped an intriguing nugget about a building not too far away from where we stood. With it, began our quest to locate Admiralty House.
Turns out, the forgotten footnote was actually the seat of the Bombay High Court between 1862 and 1878. Piqued, we set out one grimy afternoon towards Shahid Bhagat Singh Marg, and spotted the building sandwiched between many famous neigbours. As we made our way to this building that stands opposite another historic landmark - the Naval Dockyard - its nondescript character struck us. Soon enough, we were able to dig up the glorious past of of this Grade I Heritage structure.
As we squinted our eyes to read the signboard that greeted us at the entrance, more information of its impressive legacy emerged. Built in 1715, it initially served as the Residence of the Admiral (1764-92), which explains the origins of its name. It was later the Court of the First Recorder of Bombay and remained the Chief Court of Bombay till 1878. Immediately after, the seat of justice in the city moved to its present site, facing Oval Maidan. Record books reveal that the building also served as the second Government House (the first being within the Bombay Castle). It was the official residence of the Governor till 1829. In 1883, the building was leased and eventually purchased by a wealthy Parsi, Jewanjee Guzdar, who converted it into the Great Western Hotel, and the name stuck.
There was a time when the main roof on the topmost floor had a series of dormer windows that offered an unobstructed view of the harbour. Today, the building is a clash of the old and new, where fashion houses on its ground floor exist beside its upper levels that remain untouched, seeped in another century.
Facing us, we noticed that weathervane atop the Bell Clock Tower on boundary wall of Naval Dockyard moved slowly on the whims of a steady breeze from the seafront. A whiff of history was certainly in the air.
Where: Near Lion Gate, Shahid Bhagat Singh Marg, Colaba.
Did you know?
Apollo Gate, one of the gates to the Bombay Fort, stood near the Lion Gate entrance to the Naval Dockyard (opposite Dr Salim Ali Chowk). It served as the southern exit to the walled Fort. The Apollo Gate also served as the main entry point from the docks to the fortified church that corresponds to the area on the present-day site where St Andrew's (Scotts Kirk) Church stands.
1735
The year in which Nusserwanji Wadia set up the first dry dock at the harbour
