Hornby Vellard Reclamation of Bombay – 2 Postcards 1905
Two old postcards showing the Hornby Vellard reclamation of Bombay (Mumbai). The postcards date from 1905 to 1910. Bombay as we all know consisted of seven islands: Colaba, Little Colaba, Bombay, Mazgaon, Parel, and Worli. It came to the British in 1661 as part of the dowry of King CharlesII.
The city of Bombay grew through the reclamation of land from the sea. The reclamation was a complex task of building embankments. Hills were flattened to fill the marshy waters between the islets. Construction work commenced on the Vellado (anglicized to Vellard) or wall close to the Great Breach. The Great Breach was between the islands of Bombay and Worli.
Completed in 1784, this enabled the city to expand northwards. William Hornby, then governor of Bombay was the brain behind this project. The busy road which leads today from Haji Ali junction to Worli has been built on the foundation of the Vellard. The Vellado was named after William Hornby.
Did you know – prison convicts were deployed to fill the breach. The water of the Great Breach was some 50 feet deep.
Past posts – Pensive Lady British India Watercolour Sketch, 1837., Moat & Defensive Walls of Fort St George Madras, 1900 Photo., View From The Madras Pier – Old Print 1880., End Of The Beginning War Speeches By Churchill, 1942 Book.
