Among the so many stunningly beautiful colonial buildings of Mumbai constructed in European style, the Royal Alfred Sailor's Home is worthy of mention. This building came up to commemorate the visit of HRH Prince Alfred, the then Duke of Edinburgh, to Bombay in 1870.
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| Royal Alfred Sailors' Home - Bombay 1876, (Police HQ,M.H) Flickr.com |
Above image: The building was named after the "sailor prince," Queen Victoria and Prince Albert's second son and therefore Duke of Edinburgh, who had visited Bombay in 1870, and its original purpose was to provide accommodation for up to 350 men, both officers and seamen (see "Proposed design"). It was architect Frederick William Steven's first major project. He also designed The Victoria Terminus (Now Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus) an important building in Bombay, while he was still with the Public Works Department. In 1870, the foundation stone was laid by Prince Alfred and HH Khanderao, the Gaekwad of Baroda. It took seven years to complete the building........
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| Facade of Royal Sailor's Home (Police Headquarters ,Mumbai) image:Elroy Serrao en.wikipedia.org |
The historic Royal Alfred Sailors’ Home in Mumbai (formerly Bombay) is one of the prominent colonial-era buildings constructed during the British rule in India. Built in 1876, the structure commemorated the visit of Prince Alfred, the second son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, who visited Bombay in 1870. The foundation stone of the building was laid during his visit along with Khande Rao Gaekwad, the ruler of Baroda. The building was designed by the noted British architect Frederick William Stevens, who later became famous for designing several landmark buildings in Mumbai.
The Royal Alfred Sailors’ Home was established to provide safe and comfortable accommodation for sailors and officers visiting the busy port of Bombay. During the nineteenth century, the city was a major maritime centre of the British Empire in Asia. The hostel could accommodate nearly 350 seamen, offering them dormitories, dining facilities, a reading library, bathrooms and safe-deposit vaults. It also served as a refuge for distressed or shipwrecked sailors who arrived at the port.
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| Facade of Royal Sailor's Home (Police Headquarters ,Mumbai) image:R.Lalwani en.wikipedia.org |
Above images: The building was named after the "sailor prince," Queen Victoria and Prince Albert's second son and therefore Duke of Edinburgh, who had visited Bombay in 1870, and its original purpose was to provide accommodation for up to 350 men, both officers and seamen (see "Proposed design"). It was architect Frederick William Steven's first major project. He also designed The Victoria Terminus (Now Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus) an important building in Bombay, while he was still with the Public Works Department..........
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| Royal Sailor's Home (Police Headquarters ,Mumbai) image:A. Savin en.wikipedia.org |
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| Police HQ, Mumbai (Royal Alfred Sailors' Home) Top pediment victorianweb.org |
Above image: Above the building. The well decorated central pediment, with its maritime motifs: a wavy-bearded Neptune with nymphs, seahorses etc., flanked at either side of the pediment by sea-lions with curled tails each holding a pennant. The crocheting is designed to look like waves just about to turn and break.The pediment sculptures depicting Neptune and nymphs were done by Richard Lockwood Boulton & Sons of Cheltenham. Blue basalt Porbandar, Kurla and Hemnagar Stone were used for the construction work. Christopher W London, an expert on Bombay's architecture, calls it as 'masculine' feel to the building based on the use of rough stones. Capitals and cornices by Lockwood Kipling, then director of the Sir Jamsetjee Jeejebhoy School of Art in Bombay; and ironwork by Burjojie Nowroji also of the JJ School. At front, the elaborate ironwork gates are by Macfarlane & Co. of Scotland (see Davies, Splendours, 173; information about Nowrojee added by Ramachandran Venkatesh).........
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| Police HQ building Mumbai upload.wikimedia.org |
Above image: Mumbai Police HQ(Formerly Royal Alfred Sailors’ Home).The polychromatic exterior inspired by the Venetian Gothic style.imageEmmanuelDyan (Paris)........
Architecturally, the building is an impressive example of Victorian Gothic style adapted to Indian climatic conditions. Constructed mainly of blue basalt stone with decorative elements made from Porbandar, Kurla and Hemnagar stones, the structure has a rugged yet elegant appearance. The façade is richly ornamented with maritime motifs that reflect the building’s connection with seafaring life. The central pediment contains a remarkable sculptural relief of Neptune, the Roman god of the sea, surrounded by nymphs and sea-horses. This decorative work was created by the sculptor Richard Lockwood Boulton.
The building’s design also incorporates functional elements suited to the humid coastal climate. A broad corridor about ten feet deep runs around the structure, allowing air circulation and shade. The interior features spacious rooms and a grand central staircase supported by rounded basalt arches that lead to the upper floors. The use of rough-hewn stone and solid structural elements gives the building a distinctive and powerful character, which architectural historian Christopher W London, an expert on Bombay's architecture, described as having a “masculine” quality. The stairway supported by round arches of blue basalt is centrally placed and it provides access to upper levels. Yet another feature is a corridor of about 10 feet depth that nicely encircles the entire building, providing convenience as well as fresh air.
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| Police HQ building Mumbai(Formerly Royal Alfred Sailors' Home upload.wikimedia.org |
Today, the Royal Alfred Sailors’ Home houses the headquarters of the Maharashtra State Police. The building remains one of the important heritage structures of Mumbai and is protected as part of the city’s colonial architectural legacy. Periodic conservation and maintenance by government authorities help preserve its stone façade, sculptures and structural integrity, ensuring that this remarkable nineteenth-century maritime hostel continues to stand as a symbol of Mumbai’s historic port culture.
for viewing old pictures - 1870 go to
K. N. Jayaraman .
, Mumbai: History, Architecture and Conservation){kind=link}