VICTORIA MEMORIAL CASE STUDY

case study on victoria memorial, kolkata

1. SUBMITTED BY : JASHANJIT KAUR 17071978110 SECTION:A B,ARCH, SEM 4TH KOLKATA,WEST BENGAL, INDIA VICTORIA MEMORIAL CASE STUDY OF 1

2. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I JASHANJIT KAUR(17071978110) STUDENT OF GURU NANAK DEV UNIVERSITY IS VERY THANKFUL TO MY TEACHERS AR.HARPREET SINGH, AR.SHAHEEN SOBTI WHO ENCOURAGED ME TO DO A DETAILED STUDY OF A BUILDING SO THAT I CAN UNDERSTAND THE IDEOLOGY OF THE BUILDING WHICH ARE NOT UNDER MY REACH AT THIS TIME OF CORONA PANDEMIC. THIS WOULD REALLY HELP ME A LOT TO GAIN . EXPOUSRE WHAT IS GOING ON IN TERMS OF ARCHITECTURE IN A CAPITAL CITY LIKE KOLKATA (INDIA). 2

3. CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 SPECIALITY OF STRUCTURE 1.2 HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE 1.3 ABOUT THE STRUCTURE 1.4 VICTORIA MEMORIAL : TODAY 1.5 TYPOLOGY OF STRUCTURE 1.6 VICTORIA MEMORIAL : ARCHITECTURE 1.7 VICTORIA MEMORIAL : GARDENS 1.8 VICTORIA MEMORIAL : LIBRARY 2.SITE LEVEL 2.2SITE PLAN 2.3ENTRANCE OF THE BUILDING 2.4ZONING 3

4. CONTENTS 3. BUILDING LEVEL 3.1 PARKINGFLOOR PLANFRONT ELEVATION 3.2 PLAN SHAPE AND FORM 3.3 ARCHITECTURAL EXPRESSION 3.4 UNDERSTANDING FUNCTIONS AT BUILDING LEVEL 3.5 CIRCULATION HORIZONTAL VERTICAL 3.6 LIGHT AND VENTILLATION 4. PICTURE GALLERYINSIDE THE MUSEUM 5. CONCLUSION 4

5. The Victoria Memorial is a large marble building in  Kolkata , which was built between 1906 and 1921. It is dedicated to the memory of  Empress Victoria , and is now a museum under the auspices of the  Ministry of Culture . The memorial lies on the  Maidan  and is one of the famous monuments of  Kolkata . INTRODUCTION 5

6. INTRODUCTION Architect : William Emerson , Vincent Esch Conceptualised by George Curzon, Viceroy of India Location : Jawaharlal nehru road, Kolkata, West Bengal, India Why was it built :   To commemorate Queen Victoria  Architectural Style :  Indo-Saracenic revivalist style Visiting Hours :  10am-5pm (Monday-Sunday) How to Reach :  Located in the metro city of Kolkata which is well-connected with several national and international cities. Nearest Metro Station : Maidan Dimensions: 103 meters (length) x 69 meters (width) x 56 meters (height) Material Used : Makrana marble 6

7. This monument is special for multiple reason... 1.This is made of while marble, so elegant in construction. 2. This monument depicts the british -era architecture. 3. You can see many historical paintings, sculpture, articles. 4. A wide greenery (trees, fountains) around the main building. 5. and, special activities around . Speciality of structure? 7

8. Historical significance The Victoria Memorial is a heritage building that resonates the colonial influence in the city's architecture. Empress Victoria The Victoria Memorial, one of the top  historical places in Kolkata , is the brainchild of Lord Curzon, a Viceroy of India. When Queen Victoria, who was the Empress of British India, died in January 1901, Curzon suggested building a grand memorial to honor her. He proposed the memorial to be a stately edifice with a museum where visitors get a glimpse of the marvels of the past. The foundation for the memorial was laid on 4 January 1906 by the Prince of Wales, who later became King George V. The building was formally inaugurated and opened for public visits in 1921.  Later, additions were made to the memorial after India gained independence. 8

9. 4.Though the monument was erected during the colonial era, the  donations were collected from the Indians  as the British had only partly funded the construction. As a result of the rapid decolonisation that took over the country after 1947, many statues built by the British (scattered all over India) were relocated to the  garden of the Victoria Memorial. 5. The wonderful portrayal and the apt personification of abstract ideas were immensely popular through the creation of allegorical sculptures that was clearly evident in the ancient, Indian temple architecture. These unique sculptures were later adapted into Western architecture too, after the 15th century. The Victoria Memorial is dotted with such sculptures that depict art, motherhood, charity, justice, prudence and learning.  About the structure 9

10. It is perceived by many that the  Victoria Memorial bears a striking resemblance to the majestic Taj Mahal  and we have reasons to believe so. Just like the Taj, this monument is also built using the  exquisite Makrana marble . Echoing the aesthetic appeal of the Taj Mahal, the monument also bears a few structural similarities such as the  iconic dome, octagonal-domed chattris , domed corner towers and the high portals .   About the structure 10

11. Today, this historical building is one of the top  museums in Kolkata . There are 25 galleries inside the memorial, including the: Calcutta Gallery, Portrait Gallery, Royal Gallery, Sculpture Gallery, and the National Leaders Gallery, to mention a few. The Victoria Memorial Museum is home to over 28,000 artifacts, including arms and armor, sculptures, and antiquarian books, paintings, etc. Apart from the magnificent edifice, the sprawling green lawns surrounding the memorial are an ideal place to hang out and go for morning walks in Kolkata. The gardens cover an area of about 57 acres and feature statues of Queen Victoria, Charles Cornwallis, Arthur Wellesley, and Rajendra Nath Mookherjee , among others. The property is now under the control of the Ministry of Culture. Victoria Memorial: Today Major Exhibits:  Indian landscape paintings by Thomas Daniell and William Daniell , rare books like  Rubaiyat  by Omar Khayyam and illustrated works of William Shakespeare, the hand-written Quran of Emperor Aurangzeb, Kalighat paintings, the personal war diary of Tipu Sultan, etc. 11

12. Typology of structure : museum under ministry of culture A large number of artefact’s from the invaluable collections of the Memorial are on display. They are suitably placed in various galleries. The galleries include : The Royal Gallery (currently closed for renovation) Entrance Hall Portrait Gallery The Queen’s Hall The Prince Hall National Leaders’ Gallery (currently closed for renovation) Indian Schools of Art (currently closed for renovation) Calcutta Gallery Durbar Hall The Victoria Memorial has the largest single collection of the works of  Thomas Daniell  (1749–1840) and his nephew, William Daniell (1769–1837).  It also has a collection of rare and   antiquarian  books such as the illustrated works of  William Shakespeare , the  Arabian Nights  and the  Rubaiyat  by  Omar Khayyam  as well as books about  kathak  dance and  thumri  music by  Nawab Wajid Ali Shah . However, the galleries and their exhibitions, the programmatic elements of the memorial do not compete with the purely architectural spaces or voids. 12

13. Design The design is in the Indo-Saracenic revivalist style which uses a mixture of British and Mughal elements with Venetian, Egyptian, Deccani and Islamic architectural influences . The building is 338 feet (103 m) by 228 feet (69 m) and rises to a height of 184 feet (56 m). It is constructed of white Makrana marble. The gardens of the Victoria Memorial were designed by Lord Redesdale and David Prain . Emerson's assistant, Vincent Jerome Esch , designed the bridge of the north aspect and the garden gates. Victoria memorial : architecture External decorative features The memorial stands at a height of 200 feet including 16 feet height of the ‘Angel of Victory’ placed on top of the central dome. Surrounding the dome are allegorical sculptures including  Art ,  Architecture ,  Justice , and  Charity  and above the North Porch are  Motherhood ,  Prudence  and  Learning . All the allegorical sculptures were sculpted in and shipped from Italy. The ‘Angel of Victory’ is mounted on huge ball bearings on top of the central dome which rotate with the wind. 13

14. Construction The construction of the Victoria Memorial was delayed by Curzon's departure from India in 1905 with a subsequent loss of local enthusiasm for the project, and by the need for testing of the foundations. The Victoria Memorial's foundation stone was set in 1906 and the building opened in 1921. The work of construction was entrusted to Messrs. Martin & Co. of Calcutta. Work on the superstructure began in 1910. After 1947, when India gained independence, additions were made. Use of white Makrana Marble Like the Taj Mahal, the Victoria Memorial is built of white Makrana marble and is a memorial to an empress. In design, it echos the Taj Mahal with its dome, four subsidiaries, octagonal-domed chattris , high portals, terrace, and domed corner towers . Victoria memorial : architecture The building is a good example of the colonial style of architecture. The colonial style of architecture is a combination of the British/European style and the Indo-Islamic style, which was in itself a unique combination of the Hindu and Islamic styles. 14

15. Victoria memorial : architecture The entrance arches towering two storey’s high, with its rectangle shape at the base with dome having three tons of bronzed and victorious angels. The entrance dome is deeply engraven with the text of Queen Victoria's imperial proclamation speech. Floors and Floor treatment The checkered design with a combination of white marble and black granite is used at the majority of the area of Victoria memorial. The flooring had geometrical patterns. Under the dome the flooring had circular pattern with black and white marble stone. The marble stones used were mirror polished thus had glossy finish. In some part of the monuments plane white marble flooring. 15

16. Victoria memorial : architecture Ceiling and Ceiling treatment: The monument has geometrical ceiling patterns with creative cornices designs. They were all white in color. Distemper paint was used over the ceiling. The designs on the ceilings were matching with the room size and shape having square and rectangular patterns. Wall and Wall treatment: Walls of the monuments were painted in white and off white color. The walls were having smooth finish. Inside the dome the side area on the wall had stones fixed on them. The stone were Makrana marble fixed like brick design on the walls. Stones were in white color, smooth in finish, and rectangular in shape. The stone wall was deeply engraved with the text of imperial declaration speech given by the Queen Victoria. 16

17. Furniture: The furniture in the monument included storage cabinets, open shelf, tables, chairs and side table. Some of the furniture’s were made up of Mahogany wood with polish applied on them. They were having smooth finish, dark brown in color. They were heavy, strong and sturdy. Some of the furniture were made up of oak wood. The tables were made up of Sheraton style with straight legs and sharp corners. The chairs had legs designed like ball and claw types. The back of the chair had curved design due to which it is called ribbon back chair. The Cabinets had clear transparent glass framed on them to view the displays in them. The doors and windows were made up of wood and some of them were framed with glass. The doors and windows were of dark brown color. They were quite heavy and high. The wood used in doors and windows were polished,. Victoria memorial : architecture 17

18. Lighting: There were not any specific colonial lighting fixtures and lights found in the monument. The modern lights like the fluorescent tubes and incandescent bulbs were used in the monuments. The spot lights were installed above the paintings displayed on the walls of the central hall of the monument. Accessories: All the accessories were different from each other. The monument displayed many accessories which mainly included pictures and statues. The statues were life sized. All statues were white in color reflecting the craftsmanship of the sculptor. The pictures were of all sizes with golden frames. The pictures were in color and in black and white too. The frames were straight as well as ornamental in design and were quite heavy in weight. 18

19. Garden [57acres] Apart from the priceless collection displayed in the galleries, the Memorial has a well-maintained and picturesque garden with water-bodies, lawns, gravelled pathways, historical busts and statues, and a rich collection of around 2378 trees. The original scheme of the garden of Victoria Memorial was drawn in 1915 in consultation with Lord Redesdale (acknowledged as the greatest amateur authority on the subject of landscape gardening), Mr. E. White of Messrs. Milner & Co., Landscape Gardeners and Architects and Sir David Prain , Superintendent, Botanical Gardens, Calcutta and Director of Botanical Survey of India. Currently, the garden is a major tourist attraction by itself and attracts nearly 3.5 million visitors annually. It not only offers a visual treat, but is also a place that has over the years become a favourite with the city’s young and old alike because of its abundant greenery and open space. 19

20. Library The Library of the Memorial is a special reference library for Indo-British history, history of Calcutta, history of art and conservation , museum studies and the management of cultural institutions. It has 15,006 volumes in its collection and adds to the collection every year . In addition, it subscribes to several periodicals and newspapers. The library has a sizeable collection of rare books, which includes important private collections, including those of George Lyell, B.C. Law, and D.C. Ganguly . It also subscribes to several daily newspapers and periodicals. A large number of users from outside VMH used the reference library this year. In the Reference Section, 1900 books were used by researchers . 20

21. 1.Site level Site location : Queens Way, Maidan, Kolkata, West Bengal  Site orientation : north facing 21

22. Site plan Site orientation : north facing walkways N orth South West east 22

23. Entrance of the building main entrance gate from queen’s bay The building has two entrance gates the main entrance gate { north side} & the back gate { south side} back gate 23

24. Entrance of the building 24

25. zoning 25

26. V iew from outside of the entrance TICKET PRICE: Rs.20  per person for Indians rs.200  per person for Foreign Tourists Rs. 0  Free entry for school children up to Class XII in uniform and Army personnel in uniform 2 .BUILDING LEVEL entrance PARKING: Outside, parking available. There is no structured parking in Victoria Memorial but free parking is available around Maidan Area & also depending on crowd this may not be available! 26

27. View from the entrance of Victoria memorial   George Curzon Viceroy of India monument at the Victoria Memorial in Kolkata. 27

28. Ground floor plan 2 .BUILDING LEVEL 28

29. The ground plan of Victoria memorial consisted of a high entrance followed by a portico, which is topped by terraces. The portico is connected with a passageway towards the central queen hall and at the both side have sculpture gallery at the left and picture gallery at the right. The Queen’s hall is topped by a huge dome as Tajmahal . This dome is directly taken as the influence of Islamic architecture of India. The farthest side of the hall decorated with rows of colonnade. The main hall is succeeded by the rectangular prince hall. At the left side of the prince hall, Calcutta gallery is situated, which was generally used for meeting or discussion. 29

30. Sketch of Front elevation of Victoria memorial 30

31. Plan shape and form The ‘I’ shaped memorial consists of numerous hybrid features; It has Indian style statues over its entrances In design, it echo's the Taj Mahal with 1.DOME 3.DOMED CORNER TOWERS 2. FOUR SUBSIDIARIES 4.HIGH PORTALS 4. OCTAGONAL DOMED CHATTRIS 6.TERRACE 31

32. The roofs may have been inspired by the timber roofs in Kerala . Its pillars are of corinthian order and has square flat topped towers The roofs in the buildings are varied. there is the flat roof and the gable roof with dormer windows. the gabled ventilators on the roof besides a chimney and some of the fenestrations reflect a victorian "country-colonial" . It was designed and completed in 1884 by robert fellows chisholm . T he arches, columns, and all other details are cut in stone. the arches which occupy the longer faces of the building have on them intricate jali work carved in stone. • T he projecting eaves are supported by stone brackets and this seems to be a hindu influence • The arches in the veranda and the exterior are pure saracen . Its pillars are of corinthian order ARCHITECTURAL EXPRESSION 32

33. ARCHITECTURAL EXPRESSION Much might be said about the external sculptures, one of which on the north side depicts a lion's head with water flowing out of it and passing into four troughs representing the four great Indian rivers - the Ganges, the Krishna, the Indus and the Jumuna - thus symbolizing the life-giving work of Britain in India. 33

34. Understanding function at building level Area requirements and programming The memorial is situated on 64 acres of lawns, ponds, shrubbery and herbaceous borders The building, covering an area of 103.02m by 69.49m, is 56.08m high up to the base of the figure of Victory, which is another 4.88m high. The mercantile class and some of the princely states of India entirely and voluntarily subscribed the total cost of its construction amounting to Rs 1, 05,00,000. It is said that a goods train about 27 km long would have been required to bring the entire building materials needed for the memorial. The total weight of the building has been calculated to be around 80,300 ton and the quantity of marble for it measured 450.24 cubic meters. The marble for the memorial was acquired from the same quarries of Makrana in Rajasthan, from where SHAHJAHAN had obtained marble for the Taj. The cost of marble , including freight charges, was initially estimated to be around Rs 2.5 million. 34

35. Horizontal circulation circulation 35

36. Vertical circulation Spiral staircase MARKED WITH YELLOW COLOR 36

37. Light and ventillation Lighting: There were not any specific colonial lighting fixtures and lights found in the monument. The modern lights like the fluorescent tubes and incandescent bulbs were used in the monuments. The spot lights were installed above the paintings displayed on the walls of the central hall of the monument. The magical lighting effect in the evening and a fairy tale 'Fountain of Joy' facing the memorial building create an atmosphere of unforgettable charm Evening view of memorial 37

38. Grand entrance Picture gallery northern entrance of the building . 38

39. southern entrance of the building. They have provided ramp at the southern entrance of the building. Also, they have provided the elevator in the building. 39

40. Entrance from the eastern quadrangle to the building . 40

41. frontal view [north facing] side view 41

42. INSIDE THE MUSEUM A statue of Queen Victoria is placed inside the memorial.in queen’s hall View of queen’s hall from upstairs 42

43. INSIDE THE MUSEUM Built in marble, the building features dome shaped designs, tall pillars and corner towers. Interior of monument shows symmetry, balance and principles of Design ceiling of church architecture rounded and symmetry of indoors interior through light, stone, rhythm, heirarchy 43

44. Besides being a great example of gothic architecture of Kolkata infused with various Indian architectural features, Victoria Memorial regarded as a treasure to Kolkata and a famous tourist spot also. The memorial today treasures many paintings, attires and other items used by the British duringtheir rule in India. This building, which housed around 3500 items, can also be termed as the British museum. Today it is the main attraction for the tourist in Calcutta. The Fountain of Joy in the premises of the memorial presents an atmosphere of memorable charm. conclusion 44