The rising and shining of a great symbol
Not many people are aware that the Writers’ Building was the first 3 storey building that Kolkata saw. It followed the neo-classical style with magnificent Corinthian columns. It was constructed by a self-styled builder named Thomas Lyon on behalf of Richard Barwell. Legends say that the structure was initially a boarding place for the junior-level servants called ‘Writers’. This is why the building was also known as the Writers’ Building. However later, Warren Hastings changed it to an administrative office.
A long time ago, the land on which the Writers’ Building stands belonged to St. Anne’s Church. The church was eventually demolished and the land was donated to Thomas Lyon along with a small additional plot beside the Writers’ Building plot. After the building was instated, the East Indian Company which was operating under the Mughal Empire in Bengal began using this place as their headquarters.
As time went by the need to train the writers in other languages like Persian and Hindi grew. It was then that the Fort William College was set up inside the premises. Many other renovations were also made within the building to accommodate a hostel, a lecture hall, four libraries, and an examination room for the students. A 128-foot-long veranda was also built on the first and the second floors with majestic columns so that the extended structure could be supported well.
A few years later as India was colonized and the Britishers took over the administrative seat, it became the office of the secretariat of Bengal. More blocks were built and slowly the humble-looking structure became a mansion.
The place was then decorated with Greek Gods and Goddesses as a symbol of Justice, Commerce, Science, and Agriculture along with statues of a European and Indian practitioner of their respective subjects.
