Architect Swington Jacob and his fascinating colonial buildings in India


Architect Jacob. Colonial India. Indianetzone

Winton Jacob, KCIE, CVO (14 January 1841 – 4 December 1917), a British Army officer and colonial engineer, architect and writer during the British rule, was considered a pioneer in Architecture and design. He specialized in Indo-Saracenic style of designs and almost all his buildings reflect  a blend of traditional architectural elements of Hindu, Muslim and Western attributes. 

Educated at Cheam School and then at the East India Company Military College at Addiscombe, as a qualifying engineer, he joined the Bombay Artillery in 1858. Over a period of time, he became an expert architect based in jaipur. He designed many building  and his famous work is Gorten Castle in Simla, HM built in 1904 at the request of Governor General lord Curzon who was an admirer of jacob's architectural excellence. For his fine contribution, he was knighted in 1902. He died in Waybridge , England in December 1917. 

The following are some of the buildins in India designed by Sir Swinton Jacob:

Jaipur Gate, Jaipur:

Jaipur gate,Jaipur, en.wikipedia.org

 Originally commissioned for the Colonial and Indian Exhibition held at South Kensington in 1886, the exhibition was opened by Queen Victoria on 4 May 1886. The cost of construction was borne by the
Maharajah of Jaipur. The gate marked the entry to the Rajputana (now Rajasthan) section of the exhibition.  It was designed by two Englishmen: Colonel Samuel Swinton Jacob and Surgeon-Major Thomas Holbein Hendley. The gate was donated to Hove Museum in 1926 and erected in the garden. There is an  inscription on the front, in English, Sanskrit and Latin, which  is the motto of the Maharajahs of Jaipur: ‘where virtue is, there is victory’. The gate underwent major repair work in 2004 under the direction of specialists. Installation of a new copper dome and lead roof  was done  to provide protection against rain.


http://brightonmuseums.org.uk/hove/exhibitions-displays/jaipur-gate/


Lalgarh Palace, Bikaner:

Lalgarh palace. Bikaner en.wikipedia.org

Lalgarh Palace, Bikaner in the Indian state of Rajasthan was built for Sir Ganga Singh, Maharajah of Bikaner, between 1902 and 1926. Built in the
Indo-Saracenic style it was commissioned by the British-controlled regency for Maharajah Ganga Singh (1881–1942)  when he was a minor.  Further,  existing Junagarh Palace was unsuitable for a modern monarch. It was named after Ganga Singh's father  Maharaja Lall Singh. Part of it  is converted into two independent heritage hotels.
Princess Rajyashree Kumari (daughter of Karni Singh), the Maharajah of Bikaner)  owns and runs  t them through a trust formed by her father. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lalgarh_Palace


Daly College, Indore:


Daly collge. Indore. en.wikipedia.org

The Daly College, Indore, Madhya Pradesh is a well-known co-educational residential and day boarding school Founded by Sir Henry Daly of the British Indian Army during India's colonial British Raj, It is one  of the oldest co-educational boarding schools in the world.  The school began  in 1870 as the Residency School. It was established by the Resident Governor  to impart education  to  the children of the royalty, nobility and aristocracy of Central Indian Princely States of the 'Marathas', 'Rajputs', 'Mohameddans' and 'Bundelas. Currently, the school has more than 2000 students. The indian  Postal dept. released a commemorative stamp
on the college in the recent past.


 Laxmi Niwas Palace:

Laxmi Niwas Palace former residential palace of the king of the former Bikaner state, Maharajah Ganga Singh,is a fine building built  between 1898 and 1902 in  Indo-Saracenic style by the British architect, Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob.The popular architect intricately used the red sandstone for the building to match the semi-desert  environment With provisions well planned ahead by Jacob,  the palace was extended in size  between 1902 and 1926 and now it looks larger in size.

Laxinivas  palace, Bikaner

The palace was so aesthetically built to be in harmony with the natural surrounding, the touring  Prince and Princess of Wales (later King George V and Queen Mary of Great Britain) noted that "The Laxmi Niwas Palace is the most perfect modern building in the Indo-Saracenic style in India",  according to Stanley Reed, the official reporter of the 1905-06 India tour by the royal family.  Now, it has turned into a nice  luxury hotel managed by Golden Triangle Fort & Palace P. Ltd.  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laxmi_Niwas_Palace


The Albert Hall Museum, Jaipur:

The Albert Hall Museum, Jaipur located 
in Ram Niwas Garden outside the city wall opposite New gate and is a fine example of Indo-Saracenic architecture developed by Swinton Jacob along with Mir Tujumool Hoosein, his assistant.  Considered as the oldest museum in the state of Rajasthan, it was opened as public museum in 1887. Then Maharajah  Ram Singh initially wanted this building to be a town Hall, however his successor Madho Singh II,  preferred opening  a museum in that building for the art of Jaipur and included as part of the new Ram Nivas Garden. The museum has an excellent collection of artifacts including paintings, carpets, ivory, stone, metal sculptures, and works in crystal.

Albert  Hall museum Jaipur.
The foundation stone was laid  on 6 February 1876 by the Prince of Wales - Albert Edward (later King Edward VII) on his visit to the city. Appropriately it is named after King Edward VII (Albert Edward).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Hall_Museum

Umaid Bhawan Palace, Jodhpur:
 
Believe it or not, Umaid Bhawan Palace, located at Jodhpur in the state of  Rajasthan, India, is one of the world's largest private residences. It has
347 rooms and once servesd as the principal residence of the erstwhile Jodhpur royal family. The palace is named after Maharaja Umaid Singh, grandfather of the present owner Gaj Singh of the palace, A part of the palace is managed by Taj Hotels and the other part  houses a museum.

Umaid Bhavan palaceodhpur, Rajasthan

The work on the massive palace began on 18 November 1929 by Maharajah Umaid Singh with a religious ceremony. The work was completed in 1943. It is also known bythe name of Chittar Palace because stones mined from the Chittar hill  were extensively used in the construction. The palace gave job to people in thousands when this region was reeling under famine and drought condition. 

 Yet another masterpiece by Jacob is the eye-catching building in Simla, HM called Gorton Castle. It is not included here.

http://navrangindia.blogspot.in/2017/08/col-sir-s-swinton-jacob-outstanding.html