Interior of Colonial Bungalow In British Era Bombay, 1883 Photo
An 1883 photo of the interior of a colonial bungalow in British-era Bombay (Mumbai). By the look of the tastefully done interior, the bungalow probably owned by a Britisher of some ranking. Notice the leg of the dining table with caster wheel, a partially visible hanging oil lamp. Victorian-era colonial furniture of fine craftsmanship most likely perfected by Indian workmen.
Many of these cozy colonial bungalows that were a legacy of India’s past have given way to newer concrete homes. Many of those that are still standing are near dilapidated, although some are still maintained well. Read more- BUNGALOWS OF BANDRA – BOMBAY’S VANISHING HERITAGE. Mumbai grew from the splinter of islands it once was into a single landmass by reclamation.
The British East India Company who owned Bombay invited people from all walks of life to settle down around the Fort area. Encouraging them to open their businesses as goldsmiths, weavers, shipbuilding, bakers, butchers, carpenters, and so on. As the population rose from 10,000 when it was a group of islands to 1,13,726 by 1780 the housing demand also rose.
Many bungalows were built from the Fort area to the Malabar Hill area and so on. Read also- The origin and indigenisation of the Imperial bungalow. See my post-British Bungalow At Malabar Hill Mumbai Old 1895 Photo.
Did you know- the word “Bungalow” actually originated in India and not in England.
From the collection- Buick Cars In Madras – Old Photo 1929., Vintage Postcard Of Balamani Raja Ravi Varma., Garhwal Hill Village India -Old Print 1833., Vintage Book – Parry’s Of Madras By Hilton Brown., Raja Ravi Varma’s “Birth of Shakuntala” Oleograph c1894
