1900 Photo Of The General Post Office (GPO) In Calcutta
A 1900 photograph of the General Post Office (GPO) in Calcutta (Kolkata). One of the most iconic structures of the British colonial era in India. The majestic circular domed building was designed by Walter B. Granville, who served as the Consulting Architect to the Government of India (1863–1868). Built in the neo-classical architectural style, the GPO features tall Corinthian columns, high arched windows, and a massive central dome that dominates the skyline of Dalhousie Square (now B.B.D. Bagh).
The Calcutta GPO stands on the very site of the first English fortification in Bengal, known as Old Fort William, on the banks of the River Hooghly. The British East India Company established the GPO in the late 17th century. When a new and stronger Fort William was later constructed nearby in 1757, the old site was repurposed for the General Post Office.
Completed in 1868, the Calcutta GPO served as the central hub for postal communication across eastern India and beyond. The building’s façade faces the Dalhousie Square tank. Among the three major post offices of British India —Calcutta (1868), Madras (1884), and Bombay (1913) —the Calcutta GPO remains the oldest and most historically significant. Today, it continues to function as the chief post office of Kolkata. Click photo to enlarge.
Did you know- the staircase at the eastern side of the General Post Office displays a brass plate, which marks the eastern end of the old mud Fort William.
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