The capital city of Himachal Pradesh State Shimla has the rare distinction of being home to countless colonial buildings for the simple reason it served as the summer capital of the Raj till the British had left India in August 1947. Yet another reason is its cool and English weather on the hills around it. Apart, there were many wooded areas in that area that could be explored by the adventurous European population living in that part of India. Many colonial buildings in Shimla are declared as heritage sites by the government, attracting travelers from all over Himachal Pradesh and far off places. There is no denying of the fact that such colonial structures built in different European styles with elements of native style bear testimony to the creativity, ingenuity and organizational ability of the British. A large number of such buildings were built in the Neo-Gothic architecture. As part of its century celebration (it was built in 1904), Gorton Castle was declared a heritage site by the government and in the same year the postal department released a postal cover on the building. The castle was named as Gorton Castle after the name of the original owner of this site, Mr. Gorton, an ICS.
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| Gorton Castle, Shimla, HP. victorianweb.org |
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| Gorton Castle, Shimla, HP. victorianweb.org |
Built more than 116 years old it is still a popular tourist site of Shimla, HP which is home to innumerable colonial building built in Neo-Gothic style as it served as the summer capital till 1947. Among them Gorton Castle is grandeur building with 5 floors and this 3- story structure that had served as the office of the Account general after India's freedom.It moved in in 1954. A big fire accident in January 2014 damaged 65 rooms out of 125 rooms particularly on top floors, including the rooftop. The accident was caused by a short-circuit. The top two floors were very much affected and the loss ran into crores in terms of structural damages, office equipment, etc
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| Fire mishap 2014 Gordon Castle, Shimla himachalwatcher.com |
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| Fire mishap 2014 Gordon Castle, Shimla himachalwatcher.com |
Above image: Gordon castle building, Shimla, Himachal pradesh. Devastating fire accident in 2014. As many heritage parts of the building are lost, only a bold radical restoration will put the structure back to past glory. Architect jacob Swinerton. ..................
Though nearly 9 years have gone by since the accident and as of today only a part of the restoration was completed acceding to media report (2019). A sum of Rs. 56 crore was granted several years ago by the government to save the English-styled building and restore it back to old glory by 2018.The work is dragging on due to redtpism and lack of cooperation may the departments concerned. .
Because of official delay or apathy in the last several years, the iconic building is continues to remain uncared far and is subject to varies of har winter weather, apart it is also prone to the famous winter fire accidents and many heritage buildings were affected by nature's fury. This inordinate delay has infuriated lots of heritage enthusiasts' and historians who are crying hoarse because of government's utter negligence many European structures have been lost for good. In this case the delay is due to for two reasons: paucity of funds and AG office' slow move to vacate site to other building facilitating restoration work. owing to time lapse the revised cost has become prohibitive due to high inflation, ever increasing labor cost.
The architect of the building was the famous Sir Swinton Jacob.who left his mark in such buildings such as the Albert Hall in Jaipur and St. Stephen's college near Kashmere gate, Delhi. He designed it with chalet-like appearance, a large well designed portico and a decorative frieze, well planned bay windows on the sides, the solid grey stone walls hemmed-in by square as well as high-pitched pointed mini-towers all these make it look like a structure set in a quiet English village, imparting a relaxing ambiance. The top roof once had red tiles that were later replaced with galvanized red iron sheets to retain the original look. The castle was named as Gorton Castle after the name of the original owner of this site, Mr. Gorton, an ICS officer.
The Gordon castle need immediate restoration, if not soon it will enter into the pages of history.
https://victorianweb.org/history/empire/india/9.html
https://www.pressreader.com/india/hindustan-times-bathinda/20190113/281797105154525.
https://sunpost.in/gorton-castle-watchmen-did-not-see-fire-repor
https://www.navrangindia.in/2021/08/why-is-gorton-castle-heritage-colonial.html
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