“Every beautiful street is a port of happiness!”
Mehmet Murat Ildan
Ballard Estate – the London of Mumbai
Why go to London when the ethos of the global capital is in our own Mumbai? Tucked away in the southern precinct, Ballard Estate evokes a sense of nostalgia for erstwhile Bombay. Built in Edwardian design, it developed as an extension to the Alexandra Dock.
The first planned business district in India has a distinct character that puts luxury at the forefront. Lined with trees and wide pavements, it offered a serene workplace for the traders in the shipping business. Home to the iconic Prince of Wales Seamen’s Club, Hamilton Studios, Darabshaw House, Marshall building, Grand Hotel and Britannia Restaurant, its lanes are now quiet and lonely as offices moved out some decades ago.
Development of Ballard Estate
As the metropolis changed hands from the East India Company to the British Crown, most of the European imports were coming in through the existing Princess Dock and Victoria Dock. But shipping grew multifold, making the older docks inadequate.
In 1873, the Bombay Port Trust came into existence for monitoring port activities. In 1905, the Prince of Wales laid the foundation of the Alexandra Dock to further the Crown’s commercial interests. Little had they perceived that it would be a great asset during the First World War. It could accommodate the largest battleships!
What developed along the reclaimed land for the port is even more surprising! The Trust extended the rail lines of the Great Indian Peninsula Railway from Wadala to the Docks, a length of 14 miles, in 1913. In 1920, they realigned the harbour to form Ballard Estate and the Ballard Bunder (Pier) gatehouse came up to commemorate this event.
The Architecture and its Architect
Colonel J.A. Ballard, the man who co-founded Bombay Port Trust, envisioned the creation of this centre of business activity not just for Bombay, but for the entire India. He appointed George Wittet, a Scottish architect assisting the Consultant Architect of Bombay, to design the district. The credit of strengthening the Indo-Saracenic architectural style goes to Wittet.
His contribution to the skyline of Bombay is immense. Bombay’s best-noted landmark, Gateway of India, is his work, so is Prince of Wales Museum. Between 1914 and 1918, Wittet devoted his time to create the Edwardian Neoclassical facade of Ballard Estate. He brought in the uniformity of design European Renaissance architecture is famous for.
A walk around Ballard Pier
Between Alexandra Dock and the Victoria Terminus there are a few buildings of note, and monuments of importance. The first construct of the neighborhood are the offices of Mackinnon, Mackenzie & Co. (1920), a leading shipping firm of the British Raj.
A regal statue of Neptune at its entrance looks out to the sea in a commanding pose. In the foyer, two large bells from 1911 once used to mark time stand forlorn and out of use.
On the same road, opposite the Ballard Pier Gatehouse is a memorial dedicated to the fallen soldiers of World War I. The sandstone Doric column bears brass plaques on its sides bearing the insignia of BPT and spelling out its contributions to WWI.
Around this memorial is the Bombay Port Trust building and Darabshaw House, the building that housed the Regent Hotel. Together with Grand Hotel, these were the most elite lodgings of the genteel business crowd which the district attracted.
The Estate
At the end of this road is another remarkable structure with statues of Britannia holding a trident flanked by a lion. The 1905 Baroque style Marshall building is a domed structure with the entrance panel showcasing exquisite carvings.
Few other structures of importance with interesting ornamentation include Construction House, Neville House, Thackersey House, Kamani Chambers, and Dubash House.
The quarantine may not allow you to go to London, but you could experience it right here, in Mumbai with some authentic Hindu and Parsi food thrown in.
Commendable efforts, by going through this blog, you feel like you are actually in the area and exploring the buildings.
Good way of expressing and writing, the flow of thoughts and pictures really takes you in the area. good information for Architecture students. keep it up, Looking forward to go to different areas with you.
Thanks
Thanks a lot Aparna…Coming from an architect, this is very welcome.