Royal Alfred Sailors’ Home & Council Hall, Bombay, 2 Postcards 1905
Two postcards of British-era Bombay’s Royal Alfred Sailor’s Home & Council Hall. One of the postcards is from 1905, and the other is from the 1930s. This striking building, originally known as the Royal Alfred Sailors’ Home, was one of the most distinctive landmarks of British-era Bombay. Opened in 1876, it was established to provide accommodation for European officers and sailors during the British era. The imposing structure reflected Bombay’s growing importance as one of the British Empire’s busiest maritime ports. Its arcaded façades, corner towers, and richly ornamented stonework made it a familiar sight to generations of sailors and visitors alike.
As Bombay evolved, so did the building’s purpose. During the mid-20th century, it became known as the Council Hall, housing the Legislative Council of Bombay Presidency, which explains the caption “Council Hall” seen on one of the postcards. Today, the historic building serves as the Maharashtra Police Headquarters, preserving one of Mumbai’s finest examples of colonial civic architecture.
Did you know – although many vintage pictures identify this landmark as the Royal Alfred Sailors’ Home, photographs from the 1940s and 1950s often label it Council Hall. Reflecting its later use as the seat of the Bombay Legislative Council before it became the Maharashtra Police Headquarters.
