Public Works Office Building British Era Bombay, 1872 Photo
A rare 1872 photograph of the Public Works Office Building (PWD) during the British era in Bombay (Mumbai). The British Architect Colonel H S Wilkins designed the Public Works Department building in the Indo-Saracenic and Gothic styles.
Completed in 1872 under the supervision of Col. J A Fuller and J H E Hart. The structure was enlarged in 1895 with an additional wing, an annexe, facing west. The main entrance is on Veer Nariman Road facing north. The cost was a consideration for the British government at the time.
But some materials particularly the stones were substituted with slightly lesser quality. The PWD building is located just across from the General Post Office in Mumbai, with almost the same building design. Visible in the foreground is the Flora fountain, with the statue of Flora standing elegantly on the top. Click on photo to get better view.
Read also Bombay Rising.
Did you know- F W Stevens the designer of Victoria Terminus Station or Chatrapathi Shivaji Terminus (CST) served in the PWD as an assistant engineer before getting the coveted offer to design the CST building in 1878.
From the collection- Vintage Postcard Raja Ravi Varma’s Portrait., Old Photo- Mumbai Racecourse Bombay 1880., Antique Print The Elephants Of The Rajah Of Travancore., St Stephen’s Church Ooty Hills – Vintage Postcard 1900.
