Gorton Castle, side view
Sir S. Swinton Jacob, modified by Major H. F. Chesney
1901-4
Stone set in lime; red galvanized iron roofing
Note the Rajasthani-style balconies and pointed tower
The Mall, Shimla
Other Views
Photograph, caption, and commentary by Jacqueline Banerjee
Col. Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob, who drew up the original plan for this building, was a well-known engineer and architect working in India. He was not a Simla man; he was the consulting engineer to Jaipur, where he had developed an irrigation system and also produced some fine work "in the Indo-Sarcanic style, which combined Hindu, Muslim and Western traditions" (Ellinwood 187), including the Lalghar Palace in Bikanir (1881) and the Albert Hall in Jaipur itself (opened as a museum in 1887). He was also responsible for the original red sandstone buildings of St Stephen's College at Kashmere Gate in Delhi (1891), and had the reputation of being "the best professional architect in India" (Lord Curzon's words, qtd. in Kanwar 308). So it was to him that Lord Curzon turned for a design for a new Government Secretariat in Simla. Swinton Jacob's plan was just to Curzon's liking, and ideally suited to the commanding, airy hilltop plot which had originally been donated to the government for a hospital. Although the plan had to be modified later by the Resident Engineer, Major Chesney, the prominent four-storey structure still looked much as both Swinton Jacob and Curzon had intended. Pamela Kanwar describes it well as "a picturesque, multi-faceted building." As she says, "The entrance has a chalet-like appearance with a large portico with a decorative frieze. Its sides have prominent bay windows. Its solid grey stone walls are surmounted by square as well as high-pitched pointed towers" (308, 309). Like many other buildings in Shimla, Gorton Castle has red galvanized iron roofing, which in this case contributes to a fairytale feel; seen from a distance, its red towers stand out brightly amid the surrounding deodar trees. The building, which was faithfully restored in 2001-3, is now used as the office of the Accountant General of Himachal Pradesh.
Sources
Ellinwood, Dewitt C. Between Two Worlds: A Rajput Officer in the Indian Army, 1905-21. Lanham, MD.: University Press of America, 2005.
Heritage Board outside the Castle.
Kanwar, Pamela. Imperial Simla: The Political Culture of the Raj. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2nd ed. 2003.
St Stephen's College, Delhi, India." Viewed 20 March 2008.
Last modified 20 March 2008