When Simla (now Shimla) was designated the official summer capital of the British Raj in 1864, the colonial administration actively encouraged wealthy Indian elites—including Maharajahs, princes, and zamindars—to acquire land across the hill town. This initiative aimed to foster trust and political alliances between the British rulers and native nobility.
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| revamped Bantony Castle, Shimla, HP tribuneindia.com |
Site Acquisition & Early Ownership Mid-19th Century
The estate originally belonged to General A. Gordon and featured an early wooden cottage known as "Gordon Castle."Acquisition by Sirmur State Late 1800s
The Maharajah of Sirmur (Nahan) acquired the estate to serve as his family's official summer residence during peak heat in the plains.
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| Location Shimla city HP touristplacesinindia.com |
Construction of Present Structure 1880
Designed by architect T.E.G. Cooper, the grand Tudor-style castle was constructed to showcase royal stature along Mall Road.
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| Bantony Castle, Shimla instagram.com |
Above image: Located on Kali Bari Road, near the buzzing Scandal Point, this unique tudor style more than 140-year-old colonial estate in Shimla is now converted into Himachal Pradesh's very first digital museum. A visit to the museum will help you understand the local stories to life with slick tech, interactive screens, rare vintage photos, and artifacts. You might feel as if you were in an English country side.Named after the former Governor-General of India, Lord William Bentinck, the two-storey castle was designed by TEG Cooper during the First World War.It fell into much disrepair,on account of official apathy. Only in 2023 it was renovated at the cost of INR 26 crore with damaging the heritage elements and retaining the structural features...........
Post-Independence Deterioration Mid-to-Late 20th Century
After Independence, the building housed various government offices, including the Himachal Pradesh Police headquarters, before falling into disuse, legal disputes, and severe structural neglect.
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| Bantony castle in disrepair, Shimla outlooktraveller.com |
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| Damaged Bantony Castle, Shimla trip.com |
Architectural Details
Bantony Castle is a prime example of late 19th-century hill station architecture, blending Mock-Tudor and Swiss Chalet revivals:
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| Bantony castle incewdibleindia.com |
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| Revamped Light &sound show Bantony Castle outlooktraveller.com |
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| Bantony Castle outlooktraveller.com |
Timber-Framed Framing: Built using heavy timber framework filled with stonework and plaster, designed to handle high altitude and seismic shifts.
Roofing & Towers: The structure is capped with steep slanting metal roofs, decorative gables, and prominent mini-towers that define its skyline silhouette
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| Entrance gate Bantony castle backpackersunited.in |
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| Bantony castle mindtripai.com |
Royal Emblems: The outer boundaries along Mall Road feature heavy cast-iron railings embedded with the official coat-of-arms of the Sirmur royal family.
Sprawling Estate: The main building and its annexes span a 20,000-square-meter forested parcel located strategically between Mall Road and Circular Road.
Present Status and Conservation Efforts
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| Bantony Castle (now astate Museum) Shimla outlooktraveller.com |
By the early 2000s, Bantony Castle had suffered decades of decay—the mini-towers were on the verge of collapsing, timber framing was rotting, and the estate faced urban encroaching pressures. Recognizing its immense historical significance, the Himachal Pradesh State Government
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| Bantony Castle etvbharat.com |
intervened.Under the administration of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, the state officially acquired the entire Bantony Estate for ₹27.84 crore to prevent private commercial liquidation and restore its heritage fabric.
https://backpackersunited.in/destinations/shimla/attraction/bantony-castle
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-newdelhi/Govt.-buys-heritage-Bantony
K. N. Jayaraman (Author: navrangindia.blogspot.com)
