Presidency College, Calcutta (as it was then), designed by William Henry White, F.R.I.B.A. Photographs by Taritwan Pal, from Wikimedia, and both adjusted for perspective. On the left is a view from the playing field of the adjacent Hare School; on the right is the entrance portico.
According to his obituary in the RIBA, as well as the Court of Small Causes at Kolkata, White was given charge of two other works: the Monument to Chief Justice Norman — and this, the Presidency College (now Presidency University). Philip Davies also notes that White "[d]esigned ... Presidency College" (257). But as the Times of India pointed out several years ago, on the opening of the University's new museum, few people seem to recognise the fact: "The 200-year-old Presidency University's museum is a treasure trove of pieces from its rich history. Presidency University is a landmark institution in Kolkata, but few people know the architect of the building was William White, and the foundation stone was laid by Lord Northbrook" (Javed and Mitra). The establishment of a museum there must have helped to bring it to people's attention.
The frontage is seen again, but more recently and in colour, from the school playing field (photograph by the present author, from 2013). On the right, the college is just glimpsed above the many book stalls lining College Street. The entrance gate is towards the left; it has since been changed to a more modern one (photograph by Biswarup Ganguly in 2010, from Wikimedia, adjusted for perspective).
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Bibliography
Davies, Philip. Splendours of the Raj: British Architecture in India 1660-1947. London: Penguin, 1987.
Javed, Zeeshan, and Bishwabijoy Mitra. "How Presidency and Calcutta University got a face lift"Times of India. 27 October 2021. Web. 10 July 2025. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/how-presidency-and-calcutta-university-got-a-face-lift/articleshow/87302886.cms
Created 9 July 2025