Parks

 

 

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Introduction

 

Calcutta had always had a special relationship with its parks.  Although some features where taken up for war duties they were still an important part of life in the 1940s and provided a much needed escape from an increasingly overcrowded city. 

 

 

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Parks

 

 

 

 

          _____Pictures of 1940s Calcutta________________________

 

 

 

 

 

          _____Contemporary Records of or about 1940s Calcutta___

 

 

Parks

Calcutta is admirably served in the matter of "lungs", There is no part which is not provided with a park or open space. The facilities for public recreation are, in fact, in several respects far in advance of those of many Western towns. Buf the pride of Calcutta is its Maidan, an. extensive plain in ihe heart of the city covering about 1200 acres. Sports clubs of all descriptions have their temporary homes here, and Viceroys and the humblest workers alike have for generations enjoyed the amenities of this delightful stretch of greenery.

John Barry, journalist, Calcutta, 1939/40
(source page 4 of John Barry: “Calcutta 1940” Calcutta: Central Press, 1940.)

(COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Reproduced under 'fair dealing' terms as part of a non commercial educational research project. The copyright remains with John Barry 1940)

 

 

 

 

          _____Memories of 1940s Calcutta_______________________

 

 

 

 

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Maidan

 

 

 

 

          _____Pictures of 1940s Calcutta________________________

 

Ochterlony Memorial, Maidan, Calcutta

Glenn Hensley, Photography Technician with US Army Airforce, Summer 1944

 

 (source: Glenn S. Hensley: Ochterlony Memorial, Hb010, " Ochterlony Memorial, Maidan, Calcutta"  seen at University of Chicago Hensley Photo Library at http://dsal.uchicago.edu/images/hensley as well as a  series of E-Mail interviews with Glenn Hensley between 12th June 2001 and 28th August 2001)

 

 (COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Reproduced by permission of Glenn Hensley and under a Creative Commons license)

 

 

Activity in Maidan late fall

Glenn Hensley, Photography Technician with US Army Airforce, Summer 1944

 

 (source: Glenn S. Hensley: Activity in Maidan, Mf003, "Activity in Maidan late fall."  seen at University of Chicago Hensley Photo Library at http://dsal.uchicago.edu/images/hensley as well as a  series of E-Mail interviews with Glenn Hensley between 12th June 2001 and 28th August 2001)

 

 (COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Reproduced by permission of Glenn Hensley and under a Creative Commons license)

 

 

Refreshments in Maiden during a festival, fall
Glenn Hensley, Photography Technician with US Army Airforce, Summer 1944

 

 (source: Glenn S. Hensley: Refreshments, Mf004, "Refreshments in Maiden during a festival, fall."  seen at University of Chicago Hensley Photo Library at http://dsal.uchicago.edu/images/hensley as well as a  series of E-Mail interviews with Glenn Hensley between 12th June 2001 and 28th August 2001)

 

 (COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Reproduced by permission of Glenn Hensley and under a Creative Commons license)

 

 

I can't identify the event, but it is in the Maidan, Calcutta

Glenn Hensley, Photography Technician with US Army Airforce, Summer 1944

 

 (source: Glenn S. Hensley: Event, Mf007, "I can't identify the event, but it is in the Maidan, Calcutta."  seen at University of Chicago Hensley Photo Library at http://dsal.uchicago.edu/images/hensley as well as a  series of E-Mail interviews with Glenn Hensley between 12th June 2001 and 28th August 2001)

 

 (COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Reproduced by permission of Glenn Hensley and under a Creative Commons license)

 

 

Cane juice seller in action at a festival in the Maidan, Calcutta

Glenn Hensley, Photography Technician with US Army Airforce, Summer 1944

 

 (source: Glenn S. Hensley: Cane juice seller, Mf008, "Cane juice seller in action at a festival in the Maidan, Calcutta."  seen at University of Chicago Hensley Photo Library at http://dsal.uchicago.edu/images/hensley as well as a  series of E-Mail interviews with Glenn Hensley between 12th June 2001 and 28th August 2001)

 

 (COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Reproduced by permission of Glenn Hensley and under a Creative Commons license)

 

 

Afternoon monsoon clouds form over the Maidan and Calcutta's downtown tram terminus, 1944

Glenn Hensley, Photography Technician with US Army Airforce, Summer 1944

 

 (source: Glenn S. Hensley: Monsoon clouds, Mf012, "Afternoon monsoon clouds form over the Maidan and Calcutta's downtown tram terminus, 1944."  seen at University of Chicago Hensley Photo Library at http://dsal.uchicago.edu/images/hensley as well as a  series of E-Mail interviews with Glenn Hensley between 12th June 2001 and 28th August 2001)

 

 (COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Reproduced by permission of Glenn Hensley and under a Creative Commons license)

 

 

 

Indian Naval Unit in Retreat ceremony in the Maidan, Calcutta, fall

Glenn Hensley, Photography Technician with US Army Airforce, Summer 1944

 

 (source: Glenn S. Hensley: Indian Naval Unit, Mf005, "Indian Naval Unit in Retreat ceremony in the Maidan, Calcutta, fall."  seen at University of Chicago Hensley Photo Library at http://dsal.uchicago.edu/images/hensley as well as a  series of E-Mail interviews with Glenn Hensley between 12th June 2001 and 28th August 2001)

 

 (COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Reproduced by permission of Glenn Hensley and under a Creative Commons license)

 

 

 

Maidan Crowds on a Weekend day

 

Richard Beard, US Army Lieutenant Psychologist with 142 US military hospital. Calcutta,

(Source: Elaine Pinkerton / Reproduced by courtesy of Elaine Pinkerton)

 

Trams and Carts on the Maidan

 

Richard Beard, US Army Lieutenant Psychologist with 142 US military hospital. Calcutta,

(Source: Elaine Pinkerton / Reproduced by courtesy of Elaine Pinkerton)

 

Musician with instrument at a festival in the Maidan

Glenn Hensley, Photography Technician with US Army Airforce, Summer 1944

 

 (source: Glenn S. Hensley: Musician, I007, "Musician with instrument at a festival in  the Maidan, Calcutta"  seen at University of Chicago Hensley Photo Library at http://dsal.uchicago.edu/images/hensley as well as a  series of E-Mail interviews with Glenn Hensley between 12th June 2001 and 28th August 2001)

 

 (COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Reproduced by permission of Glenn Hensley and under a Creative Commons license)

 

 

 

 

 

 

          _____Contemporary Records of or about 1940s Calcutta___

 

 

THE CALCUTTA MAIDAN

The Calcutta Maidan, a wide rolling expanse of greensward covering about 1400 acres in the very heart of the city, and bounded on the north by Esplanade and Government House, on the south by Lower Circular Road and Hastings, on the east by Chowringhee Road and on the west by the river Hooghly, is rightly considered to be the pride of Calcutta. Aptly described as the finest "lung" of the city, the Maidan is the chief venue for games and athletic sports of all descriptions. Some idea of its extent and importance can be gauged from the fact that it has a Public Works Division of its own.

Entering the Maidan from Government Place West, we have on the left Government House and on the right Esplanade Row West leading to Strand Road. In Esplanade Row West are the Town Hall, the High Court, the Imperial Bank of India (entrance from Strand Road), Northbrook Statue, Northbrook Road and the Calcutta Swimming Club. Farther down is Auckland Road running parallel to Esplanade Row West. On the northern side of Auckland Road is the Bengal Legislative Council House, Auckland Statue, and the Headquarters of the Calcutta and Presidency Battalion Auxiliary Force, a commodious two-storeyed building, the foundation stone of which was laid by the Marquess of Lansdowne on the 1st April 1889.

The Auxiliary Force came into existence under an act of 1920 with the object of assisting in home defence: it consists of all branches of the service, membership being limited to European British subjects. Service is purely local and training, which is adjusted to conform with these conditions, is graduated according to age, the younger members receiving the more extensive training. The Unit is under the control of the local military authorities, and in case of emergency may be called out for local service.

On the southern side of Auckland Road is the Eden Gardens, bounded on the east and south by Eden Garden Road leading to Strand Road. Proceeding along Eden Garden Road we pass, on the left, Plassey Gate Road which leads to the Fort: on the right of this road are the pavilions and grounds of the Calcutta Customs Club and the Calcutta Police Athletic Club, and on the left the Women's Hockey Association ground, and the pavilions of the Presidency College Club, Measurer's Athletic Club, Greer Sports Club, High Court Athletic Club, Mohan Bagan Athletic Club and the East Bengal Club. Farther down Eden Garden Road is the Calcutta Football Club's pavilion and ground. This ground is considered to be the finest in the East and it is on it that all the important Provincial and International fixtures are played. Next is Calcutta Gate Road leading to the Fort, and farther on, at the junction of Eden Garden and Strand Roads, stands the bronze memorial statue of King George V, sculptured in England by William McMillan, R. A. The statue, mounted on a base of Bottocino marble, rises to a height of 27 feet. The base is surrounded by three tiers of fountain basins, the fountains playing at a capacity of 2,000 gallons per minute.

Continuing our way southwards, we note on the the right the Maidan, gradually rising in undulating levels to the outer redans and embattlements of Fort William. Across the moat many of the fine buildings in the Fort can be seen ; also the Semaphore tower which supports the time-ball, according to which the one o'clock gun is fired, while soaring high, and festooned with trailing wires, are the six giant aerials of the Military Wireless Station. The Fort is considered to be one of the finest of its kind in the world : the site was selected by Lord Clive, the foundation stone laid in October 1757 and the Fort, constructed at an approximate cost of Ł2,000,000, was completed in 1781.

Fort William is built in the form of a regular hectagon, with five sides to the land and three to the river, and is surrounded by a moat which can be flooded in times of emergency. It has six gates, and can accommodate 10,000 men : it also has its own Institute, Swimming Bath, Cinema, Firing Range, Parade and Football Grounds, Boxing Stadium, Post and Telegraph Office and Bazar. In about the centre of the Fort is the Anglican St. Peter's Church, built during 1822-28, and considered to be the finest garrison Church in India. Of particular interest here are the baptismal font, two stained glass windows on the right as one enters by the main door, the handsome marble pulpit, the arcades adorned on either side by figures of angels, and the stone reredos behind the altar representing the Lord's Last Supper. The walls and pillars are lined with tablets erected to the memory of the brave. About a hundred yards to the east of St. Peter's Church stands St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Chapel, opened on the 18th January 1859.

Retracing our steps to the point where we entered Eden Garden Road, we turn left into Government Place South. Proceeding, we pass on the right the statues of Lord Canning, Lord Lawrence and Lord Hardinge and come to Government Place East, in the centre of which, at its junction with Ochterlony Road, is a traffic island, where vehicular traffic passes on the roundabout or gyratory system. On the left, stretching back to Esplanade junction, is Curzon Gardens, laid out in the form of a Union Jack, and at the south-west corner of Government Place East and Ochterlony Road is the Bhowanipore Club's pavilion and grounds, with the Ochterlony Monument, about a hundred yards to the east.

Pursuing our way southward along Government Place East, we note on the right, the Cenotaph: farther down, forming a junction with Mayo Road and Government Place East is Red Road. In Red Road, on the right, is the Mahomedan Sporting Club's pavilion and ground ; also the statues of Field-Marshalls Lord Roberts and Lord Kitchener; and on the left, the statues of Governors-General Lord Lansdowne, Lord Minto and Lord Ripon.

Turning left we enter Mayo Road, which leads across Dufferin Road to Chowringhee Road. Proceeding, we have, on the left, the pavilions and grounds of the Calcutta Wanderer's Club and the Aryan Club, and beyond, across Dufferin Road, the pavilion and ground of the Telegraph Recreation Club, and Lindsay Tank. On the right of Mayo Road, in a line, are the pavilions and grounds of the Dalhousie, Rangers and University Clubs, and at the intersection of Mayo and Dufferin Roads the equestrian statue of Lord Mayo (Governor-General), who was assassinated at the Andaman Islands in 1872. The statue was unveiled by H. R.H. the Prince of Wales, afterwards King Edward VII. Within the triangle formed by Mayo, Dufferin and Outram Roads, are the pavilions of the Calcutta Police Court Tennis Club, the Town Club, the Parsee Club, the Jewish Sports Club, the Marwari Club, the Y.M.C.A. Club, Burns Sports Club, the Bengal Government Press Club, the Chowringhee Athletic Club, Kalighat Sporting Club; the Ronaldshay Hut, the Armenian Football and the Badminton Association grounds.

Deviating into Dufferin Road and proceeding, we come to a point where five roads, namely Dufferin, Red, Outram, Kidderpore and Chowringhee Gate Roads, converge. At the junction of these roads stands a bronze statue of the Marquess of Dufferin and Ava, Viceroy and Governor-General of India (1884-1888) and at the southeast corner of Kidderpore and Outram Roads, is the pavilion of the Royal Calcutta Golf Club.

Pursuing our way along Kidderpore Road we have, on the left, the Parade Ground, bounded on the east by Chowringhee and Elliott tanks and on the south by Queensway. Passing Casuarina Avenue, leading to the Victoria Memorial, and then the Ladies' Golf Club, we come to Hospital Road, leading past the Victoria Memorial to Lower Circular Road. To the east of the Victoria Memorial and separated from it by Cathedral Road, is St. Paul's Cathedral.

At the angle formed by Kidderpore and Lower Circular Roads is the Race Course, said to be the finest in the world, and on the other side of Kidderpore Road, lies the Ellenborough Course (Polo ground) bounded on the west by St. George's Gate Road; beyond is Napier Road leading to Hastings Bridge. At the junction of Napier Road and St. George's Gate Road, stands the equestrian statue of Lord Napier of Magdala, a replica of the one by Boehm, occupying the centre of the lower half of Waterloo Place, London. Directly facing the statue is Prinsep Ghat, erected in memory of James Prinsep, Master of the Mint, Secretary of the Asiatic Society, and the first decipherer of the ancient alphabets of India. A short distance to the south is the Laskar Memorial. This brings us to Hastings.

John Barry, journalist, Calcutta, 1939/40
(source pages 154-157 of John Barry: “Calcutta 1940” Calcutta: Central Press, 1940.)

(COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Reproduced under 'fair dealing' terms as part of a non commercial educational research project. The copyright remains with John Barry 1940)

 

 

THE OCHTERLONY MONUMENT

On the western extremity of the Maidan, facing Esplanade East, towers the Ochterlony Monument, for years the most prominent landmark in the city. It was erected to perpetuate the memory of that distinguished soldier, Major-General, Sir David Ochterlony, the hero of the Nepalese "War.

Sir David Ochterlony was born in February 1758 at Boston, U. S. A., joined the Hon'ble East India Company's army as a cadet in 1777, and rose to the rank of Major-General. He died at Meerut in 1825.

The monument, a fluted column of brickwork, was built in 1828 by J. P. Parker, from the design of Charles Knowles Robinson, at a cost of about Rs. 35,000, met by public subscription. It is of Eastern design, with a rare combination of three architectural styles. The base is Egyptian, the column Syrian, while the dome with its metal cupola is typically Turkish. The height of the monument is 158 feet; the spiral staircase within contains 198 steps from the ground level to the first balcony, and another 25 from the first to the second balcony.

A trip to the top is well worth the trouble entailed, as from it one can view and marvel at the spreading panorama of the busy city below, laid out in a perfect bird's-eye view.

No charge is levied for ascending the monument, the only formality being the obtaining of the necessary permission, which is readily had from the Assistant Commissioner of Police at 18 Lall Bazar Street.

John Barry, journalist, Calcutta, 1939/40
(source pages 120 of John Barry: “Calcutta 1940” Calcutta: Central Press, 1940.)

(COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Reproduced under 'fair dealing' terms as part of a non commercial educational research project. The copyright remains with John Barry 1940)

 

THE CENOTAPH

At the northern end of the Maidan, to the west of the Ochterlony Monument, stands that dignified Memorial, the Cenotaph, erected by public subscription to the memory of those who, during the Great War (1914-1918), gave their lives for King and Country. The Memorial, a simple and massive column of stone inscribed with the words "The Glorious Dead", is almost a replica of the Cenotaph in Whitehall, London. It was unveiled in 1921, by H. R. H. The Prince of Wales, afterwards King Edward VIII.

In Memoriam

1914       -               1919

Lest We Forget

At 11 A. M. on Armistice Day (November 11th) each year, the Cenotaph, with its base covered with floral tributes, is the scene of a most impressive ceremony, when the Governor and his suite, the Military, the Navy and a large gathering of people of all communities, stand bareheaded in reverential silence for two minutes which is maintained throughout the British Empire.

John Barry, journalist, Calcutta, 1939/40
(source pages 160 of John Barry: “Calcutta 1940” Calcutta: Central Press, 1940.)

(COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Reproduced under 'fair dealing' terms as part of a non commercial educational research project. The copyright remains with John Barry 1940)

 

THE LASCAR WAR MEMORIAL

At the southern end of the Maidan, within a hundred yards of Prinsep Ghat, is the Lascar Memorial, erected by the Shipping and Mercantile Companies to the memory of the 896 lascars of Bengal, Assam and Upper India who lost their lives on active service during the Great War (1914-1918). It was unveiled in 1924 by Lord Lytton, then Governor of Bengal. The Memorial, a foursided column of Oriental architecture, appropriately designed with a prow of an ancient galley projecting from each of its sides, is capped by four small minarets and a large gilt dome.

John Barry, journalist, Calcutta, 1939/40
(source page 161 of John Barry: “Calcutta 1940” Calcutta: Central Press, 1940.)

(COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Reproduced under 'fair dealing' terms as part of a non commercial educational research project. The copyright remains with John Barry 1940)

 

 

 

 

          _____Memories of 1940s Calcutta_______________________

 

 

 

Fighter plane air strip

I do remember passing an unused, fighter plane air strip by the fort in the Maidan, then the race course and after that, it's a blank until we came to the bridge in Kidderpore. After that, nothing until we came to our base.

Glenn Hensley, Photography Technician with US Army Airforce, Summer 1944

(source: a series of E-Mail interviews with Glenn Hensley between 12th June 2001 and 28th August 2001)

(COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Reproduced by permission of Glenn Hensley)

 

"Hey, sahib, you want good jig-jig? "

And if an American happened to be walking, for instance, across the Maidan, it was not unusual for a young boy to come up beside you and whisper, "Hey, sahib, you want good jig-jig? Come my house see my sister. Cheap!"

And that was one impression with which many Americans left India. It's too bad, but true.

Glenn Hensley, Photography Technician with US Army Airforce, Summer 1944

(source: a series of E-Mail interviews with Glenn Hensley between 12th June 2001 and 28th August 2001)

(COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Reproduced by permission of Glenn Hensley)

 

Talk loud

Americans were warned that should we be crossing the Maidan in the dark, we should talk loud and at all times because some Indians were known to attack British soldiers they caught out in secluded spots at night. But, if Americans talked so others could hear, they never bothered us. I think they really thought Americans were their "saviors." We were recognizeable by the absence of a "Brtitish" accent. No one ever gave me a moment's worry when walking along dark streets or across the blacked-out Maidan.

Glenn Hensley, Photography Technician with US Army Airforce, Summer 1944

(source: a series of E-Mail interviews with Glenn Hensley between 12th June 2001 and 28th August 2001)

(COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Reproduced by permission of Glenn Hensley)

 

 

Sunday on the Maidan

It was Sunday on the Maidan, and the Communist meeting was evidently only one entertainment among many to tempt the passerby. A huge crowd nearby had collected to watch a wrestling match; another was entranced by two dancing monkeys; beyond it a performing bear attracted the attention of several hundred laughing coolies. Other amusements scattered about the huge area included a story teller telling tales of Rama and Sita, singers and drum-beaters, a fortune-telling cow, a holy man discoursing on the Gita, a pundit leading a prayer meeting, a boy loudly proclaiming the virtues of a foot ointment compounded to order on the spot, and a cricket match.

The class distinction was never more evident. Easily recognizable by their clothes, their spectacles, and their general air, the young intellectuals, students, and other members of the middle class were gathered en masse at the World Peace Congress. In rags and tatters, the proletariat were having an even better time watching the dancing bears and the monkeys.

Margaret Parton, American foreign correspondent (New York Herald Tribune). Calcutta, 1950
(source page 47 of Margaret Parton: “The leaf and the flame.” London : Bodley Head, 1959.)

(COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Reproduced under 'fair dealing' terms as part of a non commercial educational research project. The copyright remains with Margret Parton 1959)

 

 

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Victoria Memorial

 

 

 

 

          _____Pictures of 1940s Calcutta________________________

 

Victoria Memorial with wartime scaffolding and dark, grey camouflage paint

Glenn Hensley, Photography Technician with US Army Airforce, Summer 1944

 

 (source: Glenn S. Hensley: Victoria Memorial, Hb002, "Victoria Memorial with wartime scaffolding and dark, grey camouflage paint"  seen at University of Chicago Hensley Photo Library at http://dsal.uchicago.edu/images/hensley as well as a  series of E-Mail interviews with Glenn Hensley between 12th June 2001 and 28th August 2001)

 

 (COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Reproduced by permission of Glenn Hensley and under a Creative Commons license)

 

 

 

 

 

          _____Contemporary Records of or about 1940s Calcutta___

 

 

VICTORIA MEMORIAL

Location :—At the southern end of the Maidan, with the main entrance on Queensway.

Admission to the Grounds : —Open daily from sunrise to sunset, throughout the year.

Admission to the Memorial :—Except on Mondays, when the Memorial is entirely closed, and on Tuesdays, when it is open from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Victoria Memorial is open daily, including Sundays, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (March to October), and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (November to February).

Admission to the Memorial is free with the exception of galleries XII, XIV, XV, XVI, XVII and XVIII, for which an entrance fee of annas four is levied.

On Fridays an entrance fee of annas eight is made which admits one to the whole building.

A charge of annas eight per head is levied for ascending to the Grand Dome and entering the Echo Chamber and Whispering Gallery.

Trams :—Kalighat, Kiddcrpore.

 Buses: —Nos. 2, 2A, 3, 3A, 4, 4A, 5, 12, 12B.

The Victoria Memorial in Calcutta is incomparably the most magnificent monument erected to the memory of the great Sovereign whose name it bears. This enormous yet symmetrical pile of white marble, conceived by the genius of Lord Curzon, is regarded as one of the great buildings of the modern world and is unsurpassed as a repository for priceless collections of pictures, statues, historical documents and other objects of art and interest, illustrative of Indian History in general and the Victorian era in particular.

Designed by Sir William Emerson (architect), the foundation stone was laid on the 4th January 1906 by King George V, then Prince of Wales. The building, of Renaissance architecture with traces of Saracenic influence, was constructed by Messrs. Martin &. Co. Calcutta, under the supervision of Mr. V. J. Esch, C. V. O. (architect), at a cost of Rs. 76,00,000, subscribed by the Peoples and Princes of India, and was formally opened on the 28th December 1921, by H. R. H. the Prince of Wales, afterwards King Edward VIII.

The dimensions of the Hall at the corner towers are 339 feet by 228 feet. The dome of the building, 182 feet above ground level, is surmounted by a figure of Victory 16 feet high, weighing 3 tons, revolving on a sphere 2 feet in diameter. The ornamental statuary groups over the entrance, and the figures surrounding the dome were designed and executed in Italy.

The treasures within the Memorial are worthy of their magnificent repository. The collection and arrangement of the material was entrusted to Sir William Foster, C.LE., and later the work of revision and completion was supervised by Sir Evan Cotton, C.I.E. At the express desire of Lord Curzon, the Trustees have prepared an illustrated catalogue of the exhibits, which is in itself a work of art and of historical value. This catalogue is on sale to the public and a copy should be in the hands of every visitor.

Arriving at the Memorial from Queensway, we pause at the Lion-guarded gate to inspect the striking bronze statue of Lord Curzon by Pomeroy. The great Proconsul stands bare-headed facing his Sovereign and the magnificent Memorial he was instrumental in raising to her Imperial memory. Surrounding his statue at the four corners, are groups of statuary representing Commerce, Famine Relief, Agriculture and Peace.

Proceeding up the drive, we come to the bronze statue of Queen Victoria by Sir George Frampton. Her Majesty is represented seated on a throne, wearing the Robes of the Order of the Star of India, on her head is a crown, in her right hand the Sceptre and in her left hand the Orb of State adorned with the figure of St. George. Surmounting the throne are bronze figures representing Art, Literature and Justice, while at the back in relief, side by side, are the Lion of Britain and 'the Tiger of India, and above them the Sun that never sets on the British Empire. The pedestal is of green marble, adorned in front with the Royal Coat of Arms encircled by palms of Victory. On the base of the pedestal are bronze bas-reliefs, depicting Indian State processions.

The spacious grounds around the building are well laid out with gorgeous flower beds, wide lawns, sequestered walks and gleaming stretches of water, while rustic benches beneath shady trees, provide inviting and restful retreats.

Proceeding, we reach the Memorial, awe-inspiring in its superb construction, sheer white beauty and sweeping grandeur: ascending the broad marble steps we pass into the Entrance Hall (I) where we note marble statues of King George V and Queen Mary; bronze busts of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra; a musical Grandfather Clock by Whitehurst of Derby; a wooden model of the Victoria Memorial; and the original design of the Victoria Memorial by Sir William Emerson. Passing through the Vestibule to the Royal Gallery (II), which contains photographs of former Governors-General and a bronze bust of
Florence Nightingale, we enter the Royal Gallery (III), on the south wall of which hangs a masterpiece by Vassili Verestchagin, depicting the State procession of the Prince of Wales, afterwards King Edward VII, at Jaipur in 1876. This exhibit, regarded as one of the finest works of art in India, was presented by the Maharaja of Jaipur. Of particular interest here are Queen Victoria's writing table and armchair, which she used daily at Windsor Castle; a pianoforte made to the order of William IV by S. and P. Erard in 1829, on which she learned to play; oil paintings of Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort, their marriage, the christening and marriage of King Edward VII, Queen Victoria's Jubilee Services, and a portrait of Queen Alexandra.

In the Annexe to the Royal Gallery (IV) are a number of interesting exhibits, including Queen Victoria's last letter to India, dated 14th December 1900; King Edward VII's signed message, read at the Delhi Coronation Durbar; two exquisitely Indian embroidered dresses, one worn by Queen Alexandra at Courts in London and the other worn by Lady Curzon at the Centenary Fancy Dress Ball held in Government House, Calcutta, in January 1903 ; Queen Victoria's Proclamation Banner (1877); a gold embroidered footstool used by King George V. at the Delhi Coronation Durbar in 1911; photographs of Earl and Countess Canning ; lithographs of Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace, an engraving of Windsor Castle; paintings of Queen Victoria's Coronation; the laying of the foundation stone of the Victoria Memorial Hall; several engravings of Queen Victoria; a photograph of her Majesty with her Indian Attendant, and 60 engravings, on a screen, depicting the female aristocracy of her Court.

Returning to the Entrance Hall (I), we pass into the Vestibule to the Portrait Gallery (V), containing a number of engravings of Indian scenes, a coloured engraving of the Court of Fath Ali Shah of Persia and a marble bust of Charles James Fox. In the Portrait Gallery (VI) we have fine portraits of Lord Metcalfe, Lord Bentinck, Sir Robert Sherley (1581-1628), Dwarkanath Tagore, Field Marshal Gough, Dr. Alexander Duff, Bishop Heber, John Zephaniah Holwell, Major-General Sir David Ochterlony, Lord Clive, Major-General Stringer Lawrence, Admiral Charles Watson, Viscount Lake; marble statues of the Marquess of Wellesley, the Marquess of Hastings and the Marquess of Dalhousie; two large oil paintings representing the investiture of the Duke of Edinburgh with the insignia of G. C. S. I.; and the State Entry of Lord and Lady Curzon and the Duke and Duchess of Connaught into Delhi for the Coronation Durbar of 1903. In the show cases are displayed manuscripts of great interest to antiquarians, including Tipu Sultan's note book written by himself; an Ain-I-Akbari by Abdul Fazi, Prime Minister of the Emperor Akbar; poems of Nizami and Jamali; the first volume of the Calcutta Gazette dated Thursday, June 3rd, 1784; Akbarnamah in two volumes, bearing the imprimature of the author Abdul Fazi Allami; Sir William Jones* translation of the great Sanskrit drama Sacontala (The Fatal Ring) by Cali Das; an illustrated Anwar-I-Soheili, written in 1518 A. D., bearing Akbar's signature; Quhstan, written by Zarein Haqam; also aquatints and paintings on talc, of costumes of the Bengal, Madras and Indian armies.

The Annexe to the Portrait Gallery (VII) contains a number of paintings and engravings. Of special interest are those of Muhammad Ali, Nawab of Arcot, Tipu Sultan, Sir William Jones the famous Orientalist, founder and first President of the Asiatic Society of Bengal; David Hare, founder of the Hindu College; William Carey, D. D., founder of the Baptist Mission Society; Brigadier-General John Nicholson of Mutiny fame; Field-Marshal Sir Neville B. Chamberlain (1820-1902); Brigadier-General Sir Henry Lawrence; Field-Marshal Earl Roberts; Major-General Sir Henry Havelock, who relieved Lucknow during the Mutiny; Raja Ram Mohan Roy the great Hindu Reformer; and the Rev. J. Z. Kiernander, the first missionary of the Church of England in Bengal. In the centre of the room is a large show case, displaying a unique collection of ancient armour and weapons of the various States of India.

Finding ourselves once more in the Entrance Hall (I), we enter Queen's Hall (VIII). In the centre directly under the dome is a splendid and dignified statue of Queen Victoria by Sir Thomas Brock. On the walls of the Hall are marble panels inscribed with the Queen's Proclamations on the transference of India to the Crown in 1858, and on her assumption of the title of Empress of India in 1877. High up above the gallery which circles the Hall are 12 frescoes by Frank Salisbury, depicting the main incidents in the life of the great Queen. The bronze doors on the two sides of Queen's Hall, giving access to the Eastern and Western Quadrangles (IX and X), are fine specimens of intricate workmanship. In the centre of the Eastern Quadrangle is a marble statue of the Marquess of Cornwallis and, in the Western Quadrangle, one of Warren Hastings.

Staircases to the right and left of Queen's Hall lead to galleries XIX to XXXII, but it would be an advantage for visitors to explore the lower floor before going upstairs.

From Queen's Hall (VIII) we pass into Prince's Hall (XI), containing busts of Brigadier-General John Nicholson, Earl Canning, Lord Lawrence, Major-General Sir Henry Havelock, the Duke of Wellington, Major-General Claude Martin and the novelist William Makepeace Thackeray. The outstanding feature of this Hall is the fine marble statue of Lord Clive, a replica of the one outside the India Office in London. Two French guns, captured by Lord Clive at Plassey in 1757, are very appropriately placed here.

To the left of the Prince's Hall is the Durbar Hall (XII), with its handsome wrought-iron gates surmounted by the Royal Coat of Arms. Admission is by ticket (four annas), which covers entrance to this Hall as well as to the Galleries Nos. XIV, XV, XVI, XVII and XVIII. These galleries contain exhibits of historical and world-wide importance and interest and no one should miss visiting them.  The Durbar Hall, one of the most striking galleries in the building, displays a wide variety of interesting objects, including a valuable collection of Indian stamps; water colour sketches by Miss Eden, sister of Lord Auckland; Queen Victoria's Journal in the Highlands, and The Early Years of the Prince Consort; an autographed letter from the Duke of Wellington; a Bengali letter from Nund Coomar; Warren Hastings' snuff box; a number of Oriental paintings on screens; engravings and aquatints of views of Calcutta; show cases of swords formerly belonging to Lord Roberts, Tipu Sultan, Haidar Ali and others; uniforms worn by King Edward VII and Lord Curzon; silver trumpets used at the Coronation Durbar at Delhi, and the stone Throne or Musnad of the Nawabs Nazim of Bengal, hewn out of a single block, dating from 1641. It is said that the stone occasionally exhudes a rust coloured liquid due to the presence of iron ore.

Retracing our steps to Prince's Hall (XI), we enter the Vestibule to Daniell Room (XIV). In this vestibule are various uniforms worn by heralds and trumpeters at the Coronation Durbars of 1903 and 1911. The Daniell Room (XV) is adorned with a number of fine paintings of Indian scenes by Thomas Daniell, R. A., William Daniell, R.A., and John Zoffany, R.A., some of which have been exhibited at the Royal Academy, London. The chief among these are Lord Cornwallis receiving the son of Tipu Sultan, and Lord Clive receiving from Emperor Shah Alam the Grant to the East India Company of the Diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa, both paintings by John Zoffany; The Embassy of Haidar Begg to Calcutta, by J. Zoffany; Lord Cornwallis receiving the Hostage Princes, by Mather Brown; The Imambara of Asaf-ud-Daula at Lucknow by W. Daniell; part of Mausoleum of Nawab Assuph Khan, by Thomas Daniell.

Queen Mary's Room (XVI), contains many portraits and views of absorbing interest, mostly presented by Her Majesty. There are paintings of Sir Saiyed Ahmed Khan by Poresh Nath Sen; Raja Sir Tanjore Madhava Rao by Raja Ravi Varma of Travancore; Sir Henry Bartle Edward Frere by Malcolm Stewart; Major-General John Briggs by J. Smart; The Poet Rudyard Kipling by Sir Phillip Burne-Jones; Sir James Fitzjames Stephen by C. H. Thompson; Lord Macaulay by A. C. Dyer; Brigadier-General Sir Henry Lawrence by Miss M. Saunders; Rajandra Lal Mitra by Lai Fong; Major-General Sir Peter Lumsden by D. Ward; Sir Elijah Impey by Tilly Kettle; Nawab Asaf-ud'Dowlah by Ozias Humphry; Lieutenant-General Sir Richard Strachey by T. Blake Wirgman; The Old Fort and Holwell's Monument, Calcutta, by T. Daniell; John Zoffany, R.A., (1733-1810), by himself; The Daniells in India; The Jummah Musjid, Delhi; Sir Colin Campbell (first Baron Clyde); Lord Pigot of Patshull; Duke of Wellington; Major-General Sir David Ochterlony; Major-General Sir Robert Sale; also portraits of Governors-General of India from Warren Hastings down to Lord Curzon. An exhibit of great historical interest is the last page of a letter dated 7th July, 1686, bearing Job Charnock's signature.

Gallery (XVII), contains paintings of Tipu Sultan and his sons, Mahdaji Sindhia, a collection of arms and armour of various Indian States, flags of old time regiments, an Austrian machine gun, and other interesting exhibits. The exhibits in Gallery (XVIII) include engravings of the Preparation for Suttee, the Battle of Meeanee, and the Festival of the Mohurram, a painting of Keshub Chandra Sen, an aquatint of the Gate to Akbar's Mausoleum and show cases containing models of the old East Indiaman Allumghier and of the battlefield of Plassey (1757) in plaster of Paris, together with a cannon ball picked up on that field.

Back to Prince's Hall we pass out of the door to the southern vestibule. At the foot of the staircase to the right are two cannons, one an old Indian camel gun, the other bearing an inscription in Bengalee to the effect that it was cast by one Kisore Das Karmakar, blacksmith; the gun belonged to the Maharaja of Nadia, who played an important part in the Revolution of 1757. Ascending this staircase we enter the Vestibule leading to Hastings Room (XIX). Here are exhibited King Thebaw's Silver Carpet, a coloured oriental painting of the Dasara Procession of His Highness the Rao of Kutch, and a Panorama of Her Late Majesty Queen Victoria's Coronation Procession (about 80 feet long). Among the exhibits in Hastings Room (XX) are two busts of Hastings in glass cases, a number of portraits of Warren Hastings and Mrs. Hastings, Views of Daylesford House, Hastings' family home, his tomb in Daylesford churchyard, and an engraving of his trial; an ivory teapoy and chair, part of the famous suite of Warren Hastings; and a paper booklet containing Hastings' account of his duel with Philip Francis in 1780 ; several engravings of Tipu Sultan's last stand at Seringapatam, his death, the surrender of his sons and a model of the Fort of Seringapatam (No. 1376).

The Print Room (XXI) and the Calcutta Room (XXII) run parallel to Hastings Room (XX). In the former are mezzotint engravings of Sir William Peel, Lord Napier of Magdala, Viscount Gough, General John Jacob, several battle scenes; a portrait of Countess Mornington, the mother of the Duke of Wellington and the Marquess Wellesley; a lithograph of Sir Charles Napier and several paintings and portraits of Indian scenes.

The Calcutta Room (XXII) should be of particular interest to residents of this City. Some of the views represented are Old Court House Street, Calcutta in 1756, the River Hooghly, Calcutta from the Ochterlony Monument, Writers Buildings, Chowringhee, the Council House, Proclaiming the transfer of the administration to the Crown, Barrackpore, and a number of coloured lithographs of,Old Calcutta by Sir Charles D'Oyly. There are teakwood models of St. Anne's Church, Old Fort William and the South-East of Old Fort William showing East Gate Barracks and the Black Hole of Calcutta: the top of the last named can be removed to show interior details.

The Annexe to the Calcutta Room (XXIII) is on the right and offers many photographs, engravings and maps of Calcutta, showing the gradual growth of the city: this is illustrated by views entitled The Old Mission Church, St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Old Court House Street, Corner of Maidan (now the Curzon Gardens), Site of Sans Souci Theatre (now St. Xavier's College), Clive Street and Dalhousie Square, Chowringhee, Riverside, Old Bengal Club, Old Fort William, United Service Club, Shipping on the Hooghly, Howrah Bridge, Old Post Office, the former Royal Exchange, Roman Catholic Cathedral and the original Black Hole Monument and its present replica.

Adjoining the Calcutta Room is the Bombay and Madras Room (XXIV), containing a wide display of views of both these cities and south India. These include a collection of engravings of costumes of the western side of India, the palace of the late Nawab of Arcot and Fort St. George. On the right is the Document Gallery (XXV) where a number of ancient and original documents, sanads, parchments and letters may be inspected. Of special interest among these are a sanad by the Emperor Aurangzeb conferring a title on the Raja of Bansberia, two warrants of the Herald's College for the arms of the City of Calcutta in 1896, several documents relating to Sir Colin Campbell's appointments, letters in Persian to and from the Raja of Pudukotai, a page from the baptismal register showing the entry of baptism of Job Charnock's daughters, accounts of Queen Victoria's Coronation and Marriage as published in the Sun, an old English newspaper, a poem in honour of King George V's Coronation, documents in the hand-writing of Zaibunessa, daughter of Shah Jahan, three holograph letters of Maharaja Nund Coomar, and the original jewel bond for the alleged forgery of which Nund Coomar was tried, convicted and hanged. In a show case are a large number of minutes, treaties, despatches, letters and a sketch of the career of Keshub Chandra Sen, written by himself and presented to Lord Curzon. In another case is a Tibetan manuscript on durable thick paper made from beaten grass.

Emerging from Gallery (XXV), we turn left and ascend a short staircase leading to the circular gallery of Queen's Hall just below the frescoes.  The first door on the left leads to the North-West Balcony (XXVI), where are exhibited an engraving of the Mausoleum of Haider Ali and several fine views of Simla, Lucknow, and south India. A passage from Balcony (XXVI) leads to the North Porch Room (West) (XXVII), which contains steel engravings of the Himalayas; while a doorway on the left gives access to a gallery leading to the North Porch Room (East) (XXVIII), containing aquatints and engravings of Monghyr, Lucknow, Benares, Ceylon and Abyssinia.  From here we turn left and pass into the North-East Balcony (XXIX), on the walls of which are hung tinted lithographs of the Mutiny of 1857. In the North-East Gallery (XXX) are displayed an assorted collection of views of Calcutta, Delhi, Seringapatam, Lucknow and South Africa, as well as mezzotints of the installations of the Nawabs of Bengal and the Carnatic. Worthy of special attention is the picture of Mr. T. H. Kavanagh, V. C., disguised in order to make his way out of Lucknow, to guide the relieving force led by Sir Colin Campbell. A passage at the end of this gallery leads the way over an open terrace to Room (XXXI), in which are displayed the Coronation Durbar scenes. At the farther end of this room a doorway gives access to the North-East Corner Tower Room (XXXII), lined with some very fine paintings of military officers by Fred Swynnerton, several views of Calcutta, and a photograph of the laying of the Foundation Stone of the Queen Memorial Hall. This is the last room in the building.

A staircase from these galleries brings us down to Queen's Hall (VIII); from where we make our way to the southern vestibule to inspect two old guns, one of which is marked 'H. H. Maxwell, 1865, Cossipore,' and both inscribed with the motto "Horn Soit Qui Mal y Pense DCCCLXV."

In the grounds on the south is a life-size marble statue of Lord Curzon by Pomeroy, in the robes of a Grand Master of the Order of the Star of India. Farther on, in the centre of the roadway leading to the southern gate, is a memorial marble arch surmounted by an equestrian statue of King Edward VII, and a few yards farther south is a naval gun, captured by the Turks at Kut and recaptured from them during the Great War, mounted on a carriage which was used in the Boer War (1899-1901).

John Barry, journalist, Calcutta, 1939/40
(source pages 33-43 of John Barry: “Calcutta 1940” Calcutta: Central Press, 1940.)

(COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Reproduced under 'fair dealing' terms as part of a non commercial educational research project. The copyright remains with John Barry 1940)

 

 

 

          _____Memories of 1940s Calcutta_______________________

 

 

 

The VM was closed tightly

Now, about the Victoria Memorial. When I was in Calcutta the VM was closed tightly. Its exterior was clad with a spider web of bamboo scaffolding. Black paint had been splashed all over the memorial's white marble in an attempt to visually tone it down a bit. That work was done when the town fully expected heavy Japanese air raids. On a moonlight night, VM would have signaled, "Calcutta is HERE as powerfully as if the town had installed a bright light at which an enemy could aim. I once walked around the building and tried to peer into windows or doors, but nothing was visible. Many items inside had been covered with paper or cloth and tied with ropes.

Glenn Hensley, Photography Technician with US Army Airforce, Summer 1944

(source: a series of E-Mail interviews with Glenn Hensley between 12th June 2001 and 28th August 2001)

(COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Reproduced by permission of Glenn Hensley)

 

 

 

 

 

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Botanical Gardens

 

 

 

 

          _____Pictures of 1940s Calcutta________________________

 

I think this is in the Botanical Gardens

Glenn Hensley, Photography Technician with US Army Airforce, Summer 1944

 

 (source: Glenn S. Hensley: Botanical Gardens, Bg002, "I think this is in the Botanical Gardens, however I'm not all that certain. Calcutta area."  seen at University of Chicago Hensley Photo Library at http://dsal.uchicago.edu/images/hensley as well as a  series of E-Mail interviews with Glenn Hensley between 12th June 2001 and 28th August 2001)

 

 (COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Reproduced by permission of Glenn Hensley and under a Creative Commons license)

 

Botanical Garden, Calcutta

Glenn Hensley, Photography Technician with US Army Airforce, Summer 1944

 

 (source: Glenn S. Hensley: Botanical Gardens, Bg005, "This, I am certain, is in the Botanical Garden, Calcutta."  seen at University of Chicago Hensley Photo Library at http://dsal.uchicago.edu/images/hensley as well as a  series of E-Mail interviews with Glenn Hensley between 12th June 2001 and 28th August 2001)

 

 (COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Reproduced by permission of Glenn Hensley and under a Creative Commons license)

 

 

 

 

 

          _____Contemporary Records of or about 1940s Calcutta___

 

 

THE ROYAL BOTANICAL GARDENS

Admission :—Free. Open from sunrise to sunset.

Ferry Services to the Gardens :—Weekdays—6, 7, 9-5, 10-10, 11-40 a.m., 12-30, 2-30, 3-20 p.m.

Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, additional services at—11-25 a.m., 1-30, 3-30, 4-45 p.m.

Ferry Services from the Gardens:—Weekdays—7-55, 9, 10-57 a.m. 12-15,1-25, 2-35, 4-30, 5-20 p.m.

Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, additional service at 5-50 p.m.

Fare :—Return Ticket: 1st class, 12 annas, 2nd class, 4 annas.

Trams:—Howrah to Sibpore.

Buses :—From Howrah Station, No. 55.

The Royal Botanical Gardens, on the right bank of the river Hooghly, was the first of its kind in India. It was laid out in 1787, under the auspices of the Hon'ble East India Company by Colonel Robert Kyd of the Bengal Engineers, who became its first Superintendent.

The premier object in laying out these gardens was to promote the study of Indian trees and plants for economic and medicinal purposes. In addition, however, to serving the main purpose for which it was established, the Gardens with its shady avenues, picturesque scenery and delightfully cool river breeze, is today a great attraction to the citizens of Calcutta as a welcome retreat from the noise and bustle of the city.

Covering an area of 273 acres and with a river frontage of a mile, the Botanical Gardens has rightly been described as the "Pride of Calcutta".

Landing from the river ferry the visitor is greeted by beautiful avenues.  On the left lies the Herbarium, particularly interesting to Botanists; farther on are the Gardens' offices and the Superintendent's quarters, built in 1795 by Dr. Roxburgh on the site of the old fort of Muckwah Thanna, which was erected by the Moghuls to protect the villages upsteam from the depredations of the      » pirates from Arrakan. On the right along Collett Avenue, which leads to the Howrah Gate and the Sibpore College Gate, are the Royal Restaurant and the Wallich Memorial.

Directly facing the landing stage is Banyan Avenue, lined with trees of the species Bischofia Javanica, Calophyllum Spectabile, Bursera Serrata and the like, leading past Jaquemont Path and Hooker Avenue to the Great Banyan Tree ( Ficus Bengalensis ). This tree is about 140 years old, the circumference of its trunk, since decayed, was 51 feet, that of its crown is about 1140 feet and the maximum height attained by one of its branches, 90 feet. It has over 600 aerial roots, planted in the ground, and is by far the largest tree in the Gardens ; with regard to age. however, it does not stand alone, as there are many grand old veterans in the Gardens that knew the city across the water when it was in its infancy, and when sailing vessels, before the introduction of steam, made the dangerous passage up the Hooghly.

Turning into Kurz Avenue and proceeding, we come to the Roxburgh Monument, erected to commemorate Superintendent Roxburgh, the successor of Colonel Kyd. The epitaph on the pedestal, in Latin, is from the pen of Bishop Heber. Farther on is the Small Banyan Tree and the Lotus Bowl, and on the left the Carriage Stand and the Gentlemen's Cloak Room.

The end of Kurz Avenue brings us to Anderson Avenue: here, on the right, is the Small Palm House, where various species of plants flourish in ideal surroundings. Beyond, in Griffith Avenue, is the Palm Conservatory, and to the left of the Small Palm House, stands a memorial to William Griffith, Civil Assistant Surgeon of the East India Company, who bequeathed large collections of plants and manuscripts to the Court of Directors. Farther down lies Rottler Avenue, adorned with the Kurz Monument, and on the left are the Jack Monument, a beautiful miniature lake, the Orchid House, and the Ladies' Cloak Room.

We have now reached the memorial to Colonel Kyd, the founder and first Superintendent of the Gardens. It is a marble obelisk of Grecian design, crowned with an urn, and commands an uninterrupted vista to the river through Coredoxa Avenue, which is lined with white columnarstem Cuban palms.

The popularity of the Gardens with the general public, however, lies in its appeal to the eye. No words are better adapted to describe its beauties than those expressed by the poet Bishop Heber, when he saw it over a century ago.

"It is," he wrote, "not only a curious but picturesque and most beautiful scene, and most perfectly answers Milton's idea of Paradise, except that it is on a dead flat instead of on a hill, than anything I ever saw."

John Barry, journalist, Calcutta, 1939/40
(source pages 158-160 of John Barry: “Calcutta 1940” Calcutta: Central Press, 1940.)

(COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Reproduced under 'fair dealing' terms as part of a non commercial educational research project. The copyright remains with John Barry 1940)

 

 

 

 

 

          _____Memories of 1940s Calcutta_______________________

 

 

It was a great place to get away from the throngs of people

It was a great place to get away from the throngs of people that covered almost every square inch on the city's side of the river. The Bot. Gardens were serenely quiet. No motors, few visitors and much, highly interesting and strange, to me, plant and tree life. I especially enjoyed resting under the big Banyan tree, which, I understand was supposed to be maybe the world's largest. It didn't matter to me if it was or was not.

Several friends and I visited the gardens, maybe a dozen times while we were at Calcutta. We always seemed to want to go there when we were just plain tired of fighting the crowds -- on streets, on trams or elsewhere.

With its pools, quiet walkways, shade trees, it was a good point of refuge. Incidentally, now that I think about it, I think many of the negatives that I lost through them becoming struck together were scenes in the Bot. Gdn.

Glenn Hensley, Photography Technician with US Army Airforce, Summer 1944

(source: a series of E-Mail interviews with Glenn Hensley between 12th June 2001 and 28th August 2001)

(COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Reproduced by permission of Glenn Hensley)

 

 

 

 

 

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Agri-Horticultural Gardens

 

 

 

 

          _____Pictures of 1940s Calcutta________________________

 

 

 

 

 

          _____Contemporary Records of or about 1940s Calcutta___

 

THE ROYAL AGRI-HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF INDIA

Affiliated to The Royal Horticultural Society, The Royal Agricultural Society, The National Rose Society and The National Dahlia Society, London.

Admission :—Free to the public on weekdays from 6-30 a.m. to 11 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

On Sundays, from 6-30 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Reserved for members on Sunday afternoons.

Trams:—Alipore.

Buses :—No. 3.

The Agri-Horticultural Society's Gardens, covering about thirty acres, well planted and laid out, are the only one of their kind in the East and are situated at the junction of Belvedere and Alipore Roads, with gateways on both.

Just inside the gate on Alipore Road, is a miniature lake bordered with tall shady trees, and encircled by a cinder pathway. Wide roads swing past both sides of the lake in symmetrical curves and, criss-crossing the grounds, lead to various nurseries, hot-houses and ferneries.

In the centre of the gardens is the Society's office, housing the library and the meeting room, the walls of which are adorned with portraits of former Presidents and Secretaries, including three of the founder, William Carey, D.D., who is also commemorated by a marble bust mounted on a carved pedestal, in front of the office.

The Society offers its members, for a small annual subscription, very generous free gifts of plants and seed and many other privileges.

The Royal Agri-Horticultural Society traces its inception to that renowned Baptist Missionary, the Rev. William Carey, who in 1820, under adverse conditions and extreme sacrifice, founded the Society which has acquired its present usefulness through perseverance, and whose promoters have always kept in view its importance as a means of improving agriculture and horticulture in this country.

The Society's gardens, during the early years of its growth, had to be frequently moved from place to place; notwithstanding this handicap, its progress remained uninterrupted. It was not until 1879 that the present site at Alipore was acquired.

The Society imports plants and seed, both of vegetable and commercial categories, from the United States of America, Europe, Australia, Africa, Mauritius, China, Manila and other foreign countries and distributes them to cultivator members in India, and, with a view to arouse enthusiasm among the public, competitions and Flower Shows are held and awards made for the best productions. The Society has been successful in the formation of several branches in various parts of India, many of which are now functioning on their own.

In its early years, the Society did the work of the Agricultural Department of the Government and, in consideration, was allowed an annual grant. In 1900 however, on the transfer of all agricultural work to the Government, the annual grant that had been made since 1866 was discontinued: inspite of this, it was not long before the Society, stimulated by the patronage of Viceroys and Governors, became a self-supporting body, with an ever increasing membership.

Today the Society offers the people of India a free Enquiry Bureau, and a valuable library on all matters agricultural and horticultural, while its competitions and Annual Shows with their attractive awards, do much towards encouraging the promotion and improvement of plants in India.

The long list of plants which the Society has introduced from abroad or "made in India" by cross breeding, would occupy too much space here. Cannas, for instance, owe their improvements to the Society, and a large number of these beautiful flowers first saw light in these gardens.

John Barry, journalist, Calcutta, 1939/40
(source pages54-56  of John Barry: “Calcutta 1940” Calcutta: Central Press, 1940.)

(COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Reproduced under 'fair dealing' terms as part of a non commercial educational research project. The copyright remains with John Barry 1940)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Eden Gardens (Park)

 

 

 

 

          _____Pictures of 1940s Calcutta________________________

 

Pagoda in Eden Gardens. Calcutta

Glenn Hensley, Photography Technician with US Army Airforce, Summer 1944

 

 (source: Glenn S. Hensley: Pagoda in Botanical Garden,. Bg001, "Pagoda located in Calcutta's Botanical Garden. It was across the river and downstream from the central part of the city. This could be the one in Eden Gardens, though."  seen at University of Chicago Hensley Photo Library at http://dsal.uchicago.edu/images/hensley as well as a  series of E-Mail interviews with Glenn Hensley between 12th June 2001 and 28th August 2001)

 

 (COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Reproduced by permission of Glenn Hensley and under a Creative Commons license)

 

 

 

Eden Gardens. Calcutta

Glenn Hensley, Photography Technician with US Army Airforce, Summer 1944

 

 (source: Glenn S. Hensley: Botanical Gardens, Bg003, "I think this is a scene in Botanical Garden, but might be in Eden Gardens. Calcutta."  seen at University of Chicago Hensley Photo Library at http://dsal.uchicago.edu/images/hensley as well as a  series of E-Mail interviews with Glenn Hensley between 12th June 2001 and 28th August 2001)

 

 (COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Reproduced by permission of Glenn Hensley and under a Creative Commons license)

 

 

Eden Gardens

Glenn Hensley, Photography Technician with US Army Airforce, Summer 1944

 

 (source: Glenn S. Hensley: Eden Gardens, Bg004, "This, I think, is in Eden Gardens, but I have difficulty recalling the difference between some scenes in the Botanical Garden and Eden Gardens. Anyway, it is a beautiful spot in Calcutta."  seen at University of Chicago Hensley Photo Library at http://dsal.uchicago.edu/images/hensley as well as a  series of E-Mail interviews with Glenn Hensley between 12th June 2001 and 28th August 2001)

 

 (COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Reproduced by permission of Glenn Hensley and under a Creative Commons license)

 

 

 

 

Eden Gardens

Glenn Hensley, Photography Technician with US Army Airforce, Summer 1944

 

 (source: Glenn S. Hensley: Garden, Bg007, "Cannot positively identify, but it is either Botanical Garden or Eden Gardens."  seen at University of Chicago Hensley Photo Library at http://dsal.uchicago.edu/images/hensley as well as a  series of E-Mail interviews with Glenn Hensley between 12th June 2001 and 28th August 2001)

 

 (COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Reproduced by permission of Glenn Hensley and under a Creative Commons license)

 

 

 

 

 

          _____Contemporary Records of or about 1940s Calcutta___

 

THE EDEN GARDENS

The Eden Gardens are situated at the north-west extremity of the Maid an, bounded on the north by Auckland Road and on the west by Strand Road. They were laid out in about 1840, around an avenue of trees known as "Respondentia Walk", then the fashionableb promenade of Calcutta society, and named after Lord Auckland's sisters, the Misses Eden, who designed and directed their general lay-out.

There are several gates to the Gardens, but by whichever one the visitor enters, he is led to sylvan surroundings far removed from the noise and bustle of the city. Wide undulating lawns, in a blaze of colour, stretch away on every side, and streams of rippling water, canopied here and there by overhanging branches, seem to give life and buoyancy to the flowers as they nod to every passing ripple. Pathways wind past multi-coloured flower-beds, tropical palms and murmuring fountains, adorned with dolphins and cherubs that add to the beauty of the scene; while rustic benches in shady arbours by the water-side, welcome those who seek rest in this haven of loveliness.

Among these surroundings serenely stands the famous Burmese Pagoda, quaint in its carving and design. Brought en bloc from Prome in 1 854, it was erected on its present site two years later. Since then, however, it has suffered the ravages of the elements and many of its parts have had to be replaced or renovated; though still unaffected are the Burmese monsters that guard its four corners.

About a hundred yards to the south of the Pagoda is the white marble statue of Sir William Peel, Commander of the Naval Brigade during the Indian Munity of 1857; he died at Cawnpore on the 27th February 1858 at the age of 34.

In the lake alongside the Pagoda are two rowing boats, very appropriately named Adam and Eve. These can be hired at the rate of four annas per head per hour, and it is indeed a picturesque sight to see them take the water crowded with happy holiday-makers.

To the east of the Pagoda lies the cricket-ground, encircled by the riding-track. It has been described as the finest ground out East, and with the rise of India to International status in cricket, its importance has been greatly enhanced. It has been the scene of many provincial cricket matches, and of International matches between India and England and India and Australia. In addition, these grounds are used for the Bengal Lawn Tennis  Championships and the Annual Dog Shows of the Kennel Club of India. The Presidency Sports, now called the Bengal Olympic Athletic Sports, were formerly also held here.

John Barry, journalist, Calcutta, 1939/40
(source pages 85-86 of John Barry: “Calcutta 1940” Calcutta: Central Press, 1940.)

(COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Reproduced under 'fair dealing' terms as part of a non commercial educational research project. The copyright remains with John Barry 1940)

 

 

 

 

 

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The Zoo

 

 

 

 

          _____Pictures of 1940s Calcutta________________________

 

 

 

 

 

          _____Contemporary Records of or about 1940s Calcutta___

 

 

ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS

Admission :—Open daily from sunrise to sunset throughout the year.

Entrance fee one anna, children below the age of four admitted free,

Vehicles—One rupee plus the entrance feS for each person in the vehicle, except the driver.

Entrances :—The main one is at Alipore at the foot of the Zeerut Bridge, reached by way of Belvedere Road and Sterndale Road, the other at Kidderpore, reached by way of Orphanganj Road.

Feeding Time :—Carnivorous animals at 4-30 p.m. daily, others morning and evening.

Plantains, peanuts, gram, &c., for distribution to the animals are on sale at the Alipore entrance.

Motor Parking :—Opposite Alipore entrance.

Trams :—Kidderpore, Alipore, Behala.

Buses :—Nos. 3, 3A, 12, 12B.

The idea of establishing a Zoo in Calcutta appears to have originated with Dr. Fayrer, C. S. I., in 1867 ; the subject was again raised in 1873 by Mr. C. L. Schwendler, who strongly stressed the necessity of a Zoological garden. Sir Richard Temple, Lieutenant-Governor, (1874-1877), supported the scheme and on the representation of the Asiatic and Agri-Horticultural Societies, the Government granted a site, and in January 1876 the gardens were inaugurated by H.R.H. The Prince of Wales, afterwards King Edward VII, and opened to the public in May of the same year, with Mr. Schwendler as its first Superintendent.

The grounds, covering nearly 45 acres, are tastefully laid out with gorgeous flower-beds, rustic benches in shady bowers, and stretches of water abounding with swans.

The Zoo is a popular resort for picnickers, it has a great fascination for juveniles and until 1936 was the venue of an annual fancy fair.

In 1937-1938, nearly a million people visited the Zoo, yielding an income of about Rs. 60,000/-, comparing favourably with the season 1934-35, when there were over a million visitors with receipts amounting to Rs. 65,0551-. The number of visitors on ordinary days averages 2,000 and on festival days about 11,000.

The enclosures and houses are plainly labelled, but in order to obtain an accurate knowledge of the exhibits and the lay-out of the grounds, visitors are advised to purchase a plan of the gardens, on sale for only one anna at the Alipore Gate. The exhibits can be viewed by entering from either the Alipore or the Kidderpore Gates.

Assuming we enter by the former and strike left, we will then have on the right "Dumraon House," containing a wide variety of monkeys—Arabian Baboons, Dusky Langurs, Chacma Baboons, Hanumans, Bonnet Monkeys, Rhesus Monkeys, Macaque Monkeys, etc., and on an island nearby, other specimens of monkeys. Higher up, on the left, we see the Patagonian Cavy and Porcupines and on the right, varieties of Peafowl and Indian Hare; a few steps farther (left), are the Marsupials, Gazelles, Uryals and Barbary Sheep and in "Bolaram House" Nepal Kalij, Pheasants, Sand Grouse, Cavies and Javan Mouse Deer. In the enclosure behind, are Spotted Deer, Antelopes, Kangaroos, Bennett's Wallaby and the Great Walaroo and to the left, more Deer and Nilgai, while across the bridge in a separate enclosure, are Markhor.

Pursuing our way along the main road, we see Gayal Deer, Bison, Blue and Brindled Gnu on the left, and on the right, a variety of monkeys—Lion-tailed monkeys, Dusky Langurs, Sooty Mangabeys, Macaque Monkeys, Mandrills, Vervets, Green Monkeys, Mona Monkeys, Samangos and Weeper Capauchins. Farther (left) are New Zealand Deer and on the right, Brow Antlered Deer, Llamas, Land Tortoises and Fallow Deer, and immediately after on the left, Blesbok, Barking Deer, Bara Singha Deer, Camels, Sambhur Deer, Hog Deer, Alligator and Nilgai.

Passing the Hoolock Gibbons and the Elephants, we come to "Gubbay House," housing specimens of Monkeys, Baboons, African and Striped-face Mandrills, and crossing the roadway leading to the Wild Boars and the Andaman Pigs, we reach the enclosure of the Great One Horned Rhinoceros. Next, on the left, are the Red Jungle Fowl, Flamingo, Two-wattled Cassowary and Cranes; farther on is the Zoo Hospital and Dispensary.

Returning to the enclosure of the Great One Horned Rhinoceros and proceeding, we have on the left the Zoo Library and then the Balearic, Paradise Stanley and Crowned Cranes. We have now reached the centre of the gardens; here, in the middle of the road, stands an obelisk, erected by public subscription, to the memory of Carl Louis Schwendler, by whose indefatigable zeal and untiring energy the Zoological Gardens were established in 1876 : he died on the 6th January 1882. This monument was further adorned with a bronze medallion of Carl Louis Schwendler by his countrymen in Calcutta.

To the east of the obelisk is the enclosure of Egyptian Geese and varieties of Doves, Pigeons, Pheasants, Grey Lemurs, and adjoining it an enclosure containing Teals, Thrushes, Bulbuls, Parrots, Mynas and Cockatoos.

Turning westwards and proceeding, we pass "Mullick House," accommodating Otters, small animals and a variety of birds—Black Headed Sibia, Black Partridge, Bunting, Orange Headed Ground Thrush, Java Sparrows, Silver Pheasants, White Jungle Babblers, Koels and Black Throated Hill Partridges, and enter the "Reptile House," in the centre of which are two pools, one containing Crocodiles and Alligators and the other Otters, while round the hall in glass cases are exhibited specimens of snakes and other reptiles. Behind the "Reptile House" are the enclosures for Zebras and Antelopes, and farther down an enclosure for Tiger Cubs, while separated from it by a roadway, are the enclosures for Leopards, Wild Dogs, Indian Wolves, Striped Hyaenas, Pumas, Spotted Hyaenas, Jaguars, Shaded Leopards, etc. Passing the Pigmy Hippopotamus (right), Antelopes, Emus, Ostriches, Rheas and varieties of birds of prey, and the Refreshment Room (left), we reach the Kidderpore Gate.

Continuing our way along the main road, which flanks the lake on the right, we pass Hyaenas, a variety of Indian and American Bears, Hippopotami, Tapirs, specimens of Pheasants and come to the strong cages of the Lions and Tigers: here is the Maimensingh Arena, where the wild beasts are released for the purpose of exercise. To the east of the arena are the enclosures for Drills, Baboons, Squirrels and Hornbills.

Proceeding southwards, we pass more American Bears and a Civet Cat, then Uryal, Thomson's Gazelle and Giraffes. Crossing the bridge we see specimens of Coots, Pigeons, Thrushes, Flamingoes, Teals, Water Rails, Doves, Spotted Crakes, etc., and farther up, a collection of Duck and Water Fowl, Scarlet Ibis and Pochard. Passing the enclosure exhibiting varieties of Silver Pheasants, Teals, Woodpeckers, March Tern, Kingfishers, Sandpipers, Egrets, Plovers, Blue Herons, Black Bitterns, etc., and then the cage of the Orang-Outang, we cross the Green and reach the Restaurant and thus complete our round.

John Barry, journalist, Calcutta, 1939/40
(source pages 51-54 of John Barry: “Calcutta 1940” Calcutta: Central Press, 1940.)

(COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Reproduced under 'fair dealing' terms as part of a non commercial educational research project. The copyright remains with John Barry 1940)

 

 

 

 

 

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A visit to the Calcutta Zoo

Another day there was a visit to the Calcutta zoo.  As far as zoos go it cannot be compared with others in cooler climes. Tiger, leopards and other tropical animals thrived. The monkeys amused the twins but the white polar bears aroused compassion when watching them sitting around listlessly, languishing in the heat.

Eugenie Fraser, wife of a jute mill manager, Calcutta, early 1940

 (source:page 91 of Eugenie Fraser: “A home by the Hooghly. A jute Wallahs Wife” .Edinburgh: Mainstream Publishing  1989)

(COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Reproduced under 'fair dealing' terms as part of a non commercial educational research project. The copyright remains with Eugenie Fraser)

 

cheap but depressing

I found my way to the Calcutta Zoo which was cheap but depressing — a beautiful park where polar bears panted and sweated (if a bear can sweat) under a hot sun; tigers endlessly patrolled their small cages and eagles looked longingly at the sky. Finding this zoo distasteful, I returned disheartened through shady streets where the burrasahibs lived in their comfortable air-conditioned bungalows. Now, having lived myself in the wilderness, I hate all zoos. Passions run high over hunted foxes, animals whose numbers, after all, have to be controlled. Few people ever spare a thought for those unfortunate animals that have lost both freedom and dignity by being condemned to live unhappy and unnatural lives in cages.

John Rowntree, Officer Indian Forestry Service. Calcutta, early 1940s

 (source pages 10  of John Rowntree: “A Chota Sahib. Memoirs of a Forest Officer.” Padstow: Tabb House, 1981.)

(COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Reproduced under 'fair dealing' terms as part of a non commercial educational research project. The copyright remains with the Estate of John Rowntree)

 

The Charming Elephant

In 1945, most of the wild animals at Tokyo's Ueno Zoo were killed by their keepers who feared they might escape during air raids. Since then, visitors who daily flock to the zoo have had to content themselves with housecats, hogs, a Jersey cow, stuffed lions & tigers. The government has been deluged with children's pleas that real live wild animals, especially elephants, be restored to the Ueno Zoo, but exchange difficulties have made it practically impossible.

Recently, Tokyo moppets made friends with personable young Himansu Neogy, a Calcutta exporter who had taken time off during a business trip to visit the city's schools. They gave him bouquets of flowers, posed with him for group pictures. When Neogy was about to go back to India, they begged him to intercede on their behalf with Prime Minister Nehru to send them an Indian elephant.

Last week, Neogy dropped in at Nehru's office in New Delhi, plumped on the prime minister's desk a pouch containing 815 letters. In English, Sumiko Kanatsu, a girl pupil in Negishi primary school, wrote: "At Tokyo zoo we can only see pigs and birds which give us no interest. It is a long cherished dream for Japanese children to see a large, charming elephant.. Can you imagine how we want to see the animal?" Said Masanori Yamato of Seisi grade school: "The elephant still lives with us in our dreams."

Pandit Nehru ordered the External Affairs Ministry to consult with the provinces and princely states forthwith, set about procuring funds and transportation to get a beast to the Ueno Zoo.

(source: TIME Magazine, New York,  Jul. 4, 1949)

(COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Reproduced under 'fair dealing' terms as part of a non commercial educational research project. The copyright remains with Time Magazine)

 

 

 

 

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The Dhakuria Lakes

 

 

 

 

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Aerial View of Dhakuria Lakes and Huts of the 142nd US Military Hospital

 

Richard Beard, US Army Lieutenant Psychologist with 142 US military hospital. Calcutta,

(Source: Elaine Pinkerton / Reproduced by courtesy of Elaine Pinkerton)

 

Mosque Island, Dhakuria Lakes. Calcutta

Glenn Hensley, Photography Technician with US Army Airforce, Summer 1944

 

 (source: Glenn S. Hensley: Garden, Bg006, "Again, I am not certain -- Eden Gardens or Botanical Garden. Calcutta."  seen at University of Chicago Hensley Photo Library at http://dsal.uchicago.edu/images/hensley as well as a  series of E-Mail interviews with Glenn Hensley between 12th June 2001 and 28th August 2001)

 

 (COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Reproduced by permission of Glenn Hensley and under a Creative Commons license)

 

 

 

 

 

          _____Contemporary Records of or about 1940s Calcutta___

 

 

THE DHAKURIA LAKES

Location :—Southern Avenue.

Trams :—Ballygunge.

Buses :—8A, 16, and those of 2 and 2A marked "To the Lakes".

The Dhakuria Lakes in southern Calcutta, reached conveniently by way of Lansdowne Road and Southern Avenue (Russa Road), is one of the most popular resorts of the citizens of Calcutta. In the dusk of the evening, the widening roads bordering the lakes and curving over the parkland, are thronged with people, glad to be away from the bustle and noise of the city.

The original lake covered 76 acres: to this was recently connected the extension lake, which was excavated to a depth of 25 feet below the surface of the original one. The lakes now completed, have a frontage of a mile and are in idyllic settings. Tall swaying palm trees border the curving shores and cast magnified shadows across the transparent waters, while little whirls and eddies indicate the presence of fish. The surrounding parkland, covering several acres, is well laid out, and at night is transformed into an enchanted realm gleaming with fairy lights.

The lakes have gained wide popularity among wielders of the oar; rowing clubs dot their shores and regattas and rowing championships are held on their waters at frequent intervals.

In the southern half of the original lake, a tiny island, joined by a suspension bridge to the mainland, looks for all the world like that intriguing design we see on willow-pattern ware; while another island, planked in the middle of the extension lake, adds greatly to its beauty.

Only a few years ago the lakes and the country around were swampy marshland, shrouded with miasmatic mists, while today, due to the perseverance and whole-hearted efforts of the Improvement Trust, the lakes and the park have developed into a sphere of importance.

Both lakes and park are maintained, and are still being embellished, by the Improvement Trust at considerable expense.

John Barry, journalist, Calcutta, 1939/40
(source page 167 of John Barry: “Calcutta 1940” Calcutta: Central Press, 1940.)

(COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Reproduced under 'fair dealing' terms as part of a non commercial educational research project. The copyright remains with John Barry 1940)

 

Fishing in the Dhakuria Lakes

We did take some time out at noon to watch the Indians who were fishing, using nets and bamboo traps, in the pond adjacent to our headquarters. The water is low enough that they can wade through all of it, and word got around that one had caught a fish 15 inches long. In a few moments, 56 (by actual count) Indians, little and big, were there.

Richard Beard, US Army Lieutenant Psychologist with 142 US military hospital. Calcutta, January 1, 1945.

(Source: p.115  of Elaine Pinkerton (ed.): “From Calcutta With Love: The World War II Letters of Richard and Reva Beard” Lubbock: Texas Tech University Press, 2002 / Reproduced by courtesy of Texas Tech University Press)

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Greer Park (Reserved for ladies)

 

 

 

 

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          _____Contemporary Records of or about 1940s Calcutta___

 

Reserved for ladies

Pursuing our way along the main thoroughfare [Upper Circular Road], we pass on the right, in succession, Greer Park (Reserved for ladies), […]

John Barry, journalist, Calcutta, 1939/40
(source pages 180 of John Barry: “Calcutta 1940” Calcutta: Central Press, 1940.)

(COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Reproduced under 'fair dealing' terms as part of a non commercial educational research project. The copyright remains with John Barry 1940)

 

 

 

 

 

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Park Street Cemeteries

 

 

 

 

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          _____Contemporary Records of or about 1940s Calcutta___

 

PARK STREET CEMETERIES

At the southern end of Park Street, at its junction with Lower Circular Road, are the old Calcutta Park Street Cemeteries where, under massive brick and plaster memorials, lie the remains of many great personages associated with the early history of Calcutta. Names famous in verse and legend adorn the crumbling graves and vividly resuscitate for us the glories of Old Calcutta, of Warren Hastings, of French Privateers and of gay mid-Victorian Cavaliers. These cemeteries are four in number :

Tiretta or French Cemetery—Opened in 1786 for the reburial of the young wife of Edward Tiretta, an Italian who rose to the position of Superintendent of Streets and Buildings. In this cemetery are also buried Mark Mutty, the Venetian, the renowned Vicomtesse Adeline de Facieu and Roman Catholics of those early days.

Mission Cemetery—Opened in 1773. Among those buried here are Richard Burney, and the Rev. J. Z. Kiernander, the first Protestant Missionary to Bengal, who built in 1770, at his own expense, the Beth Tophilla (House of Prayer), now the Old Mission Church.

North Park Street Cemetery—Opened in 1791. Here lie the remains of Thomas Henry Graham, killed in action in an affray between the East India Company's ship "Kent" and a French privateer in 1800 ; Richard Thackeray, the novelist's father; and William Jones, founder of Bishop's College, now Sibpur Engineering College.

South Park Street Cemetery—Opened in 1767. Here a mammoth obelisk marks the grave of Sir William Jones, founder and first President of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. A fluted column, inset with a black marble slab, marks the last resting place of Rose Aylmer, immortalised in verse by that strange genius, Walter Savage Landor (P. 88). Here are also buried Captain Mackay, whose narrative of shipwreck inspired that of Byron's in "Don Juan"; General Clavering; Major-General Stuart; Colonel and Lady Monson; Colonel Kyd, founder and first President of the Botanical Gardens; Sir Elijah Impey; Henry Vansittart, Governor of Bengal, 1760-64; Edward Wheler, and Captain Edward Cook, son of the famous navigator. As Commandant of H.M.Ship "La Sybille", Captain Cook engaged the heavily armed French frigate "La Porte", and captured it on the 1st March 1799; he was wounded in action and died on the 23rd May 1799, at the age of 26: a memorial tablet in Westminster Abbey records his great services to the Empire.

John Barry, journalist, Calcutta, 1939/40
(source pages 98-99 of John Barry: “Calcutta 1940” Calcutta: Central Press, 1940.)

(COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Reproduced under 'fair dealing' terms as part of a non commercial educational research project. The copyright remains with John Barry 1940)

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Other Parks

 

 

 

 

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Northwest corner of Dalhousie Square at intersection of today's Lal Bazaar St. and East Old Courthouse Street 

Glenn Hensley, Photography Technician with US Army Airforce, Summer 1944

 

 (source: Glenn S. Hensley: Dalhousie Square, C004, Northwest corner of Dalhousie Square at intersection of today's Lal Bazaar St. and East Old Courthouse Street  seen at University of Chicago Hensley Photo Library at http://dsal.uchicago.edu/images/hensley as well as a  series of E-Mail interviews with Glenn Hensley between 12th June 2001 and 28th August 2001)

 

 (COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Reproduced by permission of Glenn Hensley and under a Creative Commons license)

 

 

 

 

 

 

          _____Contemporary Records of or about 1940s Calcutta___

 

 

Dalhousie Square Park

From the western corner of Writers' Building we cross the road and enter Dalhousie Square Park by the gate at the north-west corner. The Square has many historical associations: in the very early days it was the principal place for promenading, and was first known
as the "Green", later the "Park", then "Tank Square", and now Dalhousie Square after the Marquess of Dalhousie, Governor-General, 1845-I856. In the centre of the Park is a miniature lake of clear, sweet water, bordered by a broad walk. The lake was dug in about 1770 to provide the inhabitants of Calcutta with drinking wafer.

Along the broad walk on the northern side of the Park is a statue of Sir Ashley Eden, Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal, 1877-1882 ; another, an equestrian, by Geo. Frampton of Sir John Woodburn, Lieutenant-Governor, 1898-1902; and a third, by Hamo Thornicroft of Sir Stewart Colvin Bayley, Lieutenant-Governor, 1887-1890. The statue onthe east side is' that of Sir Andrew Fraser. Lieutenant-Governor, 1903-1908. and that on the west side of Sir R. N. Mukerjee, a well-known philanthropise. On the south side of the square stands Dalhousie Institute, and at the south-west comer a seated marble statue with the only word "Darbhanga" inscribed un the pedestal. Four marble fountains installed by Lord Curzon, one at each corner, add to the beauty of the Square.

John Barry, journalist, Calcutta, 1939/40
(source page 22-23 of John Barry: “Calcutta 1940” Calcutta: Central Press, 1940.)

(COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Reproduced under 'fair dealing' terms as part of a non commercial educational research project. The copyright remains with John Barry 1940)

 

Curzon Gardens

To the right of the thoroughfare lies Curzon Gardens, pleasingly laid out in the shape of a Union Jack. At the western side of the garden stands the statue of Raj Bahadur Sir Hariram Goenka, business man and philanthropist, while bounding the garden on the east is the Calcutta Tramways Co's Main Junction, with a large pavilion for waiting passengers.

John Barry, journalist, Calcutta, 1939/40
(source page 25 of John Barry: “Calcutta 1940” Calcutta: Central Press, 1940.)

(COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Reproduced under 'fair dealing' terms as part of a non commercial educational research project. The copyright remains with John Barry 1940)

 

Deshbandhu Park

On the opposite side we note Nilamber Mukerjee Street running eastwards and joining Raja Dinendra Street in front of the main entrance of Deshbandhu Park.

This Park, named after the late Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Dass, is one of the largest in northern Calcutta; it is well laid out with wide gravelled paths, smooth lawns and a large variety of plants and shrubs, and is adorned with the bust of Dr. Suresh Chandra Bhattacharya. The Park contains a swimming pool, a physical culture enclosure, cement and grass tennis courts, and recreation grounds where football and cricket are played in season. The northern half of the Park, containing a picturesque pavilion, swings and basket-ball grounds, is reserved for ladies. The Park is occasionally used for civic and political gatherings.

John Barry, journalist, Calcutta, 1939/40
(source pages 180 of John Barry: “Calcutta 1940” Calcutta: Central Press, 1940.)

(COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Reproduced under 'fair dealing' terms as part of a non commercial educational research project. The copyright remains with John Barry 1940)

 

 

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