Flagstaff House Barrackpore

I had made three previous futile attempts to visit Flagstaff House Barrackpore. But somehow things were not coming in place. Finally last year in November I got a special invitation from West Bengal Heritage Commission to attend a special visit arranged by the West Bengal Police Training Academy (Swami Vivekananda Police Training Academy).

Now here is the tricky part as while some of the British-era heritage sites are present inside the training academy but even though Flagstaff House is located right next to it but it comes under the jurisdiction of Governor House in Kolkata. So one would need separate permission to visit the two sites.

A short history of Barrackpore Lat Bagan

In the year 1775, a cantonment was established by the British at Barrackpore. Then of course the name was not Barrackpore and the village where this was established was known as Chanak.

Chanak was a trading post for the local zamindars of Bengal as it was situated right on the banks of the Hooghly River. Chanak along with Nona Chandan Pukur was already a trading post since the 15^th century.

The name Barrackpore was derived after the establishment of the “Barrack” and it was Indianized as “Barrackpore”.

The main building in Barrackpore is not the Flagstaff House but the Governor General’s House located at Lat Bagan. The building is now located inside West Bengal Police Training Academy. This building was however not built for Governor-General but was the residence of the Commander in Chief.

On the 1^st of February 1801 Marquis Wellesly who was then the Governor-General fell in love with the property and took over this property as his official residence and the Commander in Chief was provided an additional house allowance to vacate this property.

He was however not contempt in living on this building and had great plans of constructing a grand building. So, he proceeded to demolish the original building. He even had a great plan to construct a straight highway from the Government House in Calcutta.

During the construction of the new grand house at Barrackpore, he had constructed a temporary residence for himself. The new building was never completed as was constructed till the ground floor. Wellesly resigned left for England in 1805 thus his dream house remained incomplete was later demolished.

The temporary house that was built is what was later developed by Sir George Barlow, Lord Hasting, Lord Auckland, Lord Lytton, and Lord Minto by adding different wings and sections to what we now see as the Governor’s residence of Barrackpore.

Each governor added a new element to this estate like the zoo, bridge, fountain, lake, etc.

History of Flagstaff House

While the Governor General’s residence was an opulent building that stood out in Barrackpore there were other smaller buildings scattered across Barrackpore. One such small but the significant structure was the bungalow which was located near the Flagstaff. The Flagstaff is a long mast on which flags are hoisted.

If you see old paintings of Barrackpore then you can see a huge flag pole located right next to the Semaphore Tower. Due to the presence of this flagstaff, the bungalow located right behind it was also referred to as the Flagstaff Bungalow.

This was a small structure with a single floor and was the official residence of the Private Secretary to the Governor-General.

Post-independence the first Governor of Bengal refused to stay at the more opulent Government House citing excessive expenditure and instead decided to use the Flagstaff House as the summer residence of the Governor.

The Government House got converted to a hospital and functioned as it is. In 2012 much restoration work was carried out and the hospital shifted to another building.

How to visit Flagstaff House

This building and its compound come under the direct administration of the Governor’s House of West Bengal and prior permission is required from Raj Bhavan. You can send in your applications there and after necessary paperwork, you will be permitted to visit and photograph.

Location of Flagstaff House

This small plot of land lies sandwiched between the Barrackpore Cantonment area which is administered by the Barrackpore Cantonment Board under the Ministry of Defence and West Bengal Police Training Academy (Swami Vivekananda Police Training Academy).

To reach this building just follow the road towards Mangal Pandey Park.

Photography Restrictions

As a rule of thumb, it’s best to not photograph without permission around Cantonment are unless it’s a park or common public area. Remember that this is a defence property and restrictions apply. With permission, you are free to photograph.

What to see at Flagstaff House

The Flagstaff house now is the official summer residence of the governor but in reality, this is just a fancy title given to this building and in the recent past very few times did the governor of West Bengal did visit this place.

The main building is very simple with a couple of rooms and elegant wooden furniture. The biggest room is the main drawing room as you enter and has a beautiful collection of paintings. On the back, there is the massive verandah that faces the gardens and the open ground.

Cenotaph

Apart from the main building, there is the Cenotaph which classically resembles a Greek temple. This was constructed by Lord Minto (1807 – 1813). At the front of the Cenotaph is the statue of King George V.

This was constructed as a memorial to commemorate the 24 fallen officers. They died during the war of Java and Isle de France which we now know as Mauritius in 1810 – 1811.

An additional tablet was installed here by Lord Ellenborough in the year 1844. This was to commemorate the fallen soldiers at Maharajpur and Punniar in Gwalior.

It is to be noted that he also constructed another monument at Calcutta (Kolkata) near Fort William facing the Hooghly River which we now know as the Gwalior Monument.

On the Northside of the building, one can see a marble statue. Notably, this is the only marble statue that one can see at Flagstaff House. This is the statue of Peel (Captain Sir William Peel VC KCB 1824 – 1858).

He was the son of Sir Robert Peel the Prime Minister of Britain. He was initially the captain of the Royal Navy serving during the Crimean War. After that, he came to India and was at Lucknow during the infamous Indian Mutiny. He survived the day and was knighted for his heroic effort. He died shortly after suffering from smallpox.

Statues of Flagstaff House (North Side)

There are many statues of Imperial rulers and prominent people from the British Raj. Once these statues were located all around Calcutta (Kolkata) but post-independence due to ongoing public sentiments regarding the colonial oppressors these were forced to be removed from the streets and were for long stored in a government warehouse.

These were later installed here at Flagstaff house as a matter of historic reference and importance. It is to be noted that the statue of Lord Auckland was shifted to Auckland in New Zealand.

Edwin Samuel Montagu 6^th February 1879 – 15^th November 1924 was the Secretary of State (1917 – 1922).

Earl of Ronaldshay (Lawrence John Lumley Dundas) 11^th June 1876 – 6^th February 1961 was the Governor of Bengal (1917 – 1922).

Northbrook (Thomas George Baring) 22^nd January 1826 – 15^th November 1904 was the Viceroy of India (1872–1876).

Curzon (George Nathaniel Curzon) 11^th January 1859 – 20^th March 1925 was the Viceroy of India from (1899 – 1905).

John Lawrence (John Laird Mair Lawrence) 4^th March 1811 – 27^th June 1879 was the Viceroy and Governor-General (1864 – 1869).

Statues of Flagstaff House (South Side)

Sir John Woodburn 7^th April 1898 – 23^rd November 1902 was the Lieutenant Governor of Bengal (1898 – 902).

The Marquis of Lansdowne (Henry Charles Keith Petty-Fitzmaurice) 14^th January 1845 – 3^rd June 1927 was the Viceroy and Governor-General of India (1888 – 1894).

Richard Southwell (Richard Southwell Bourke) 21^st February 1822 – 8^th February 1872 was the Viceroy of India (1869–72).

Napier of Magdala (Robert Cornelis Napier) 6^th December 1810 – 14^th January 1890 was the Commander-in-Chief, India (1870 – 1876).

Earl of Minto (Gilbert John Elliot Murray Kynynmound) 9^th July 1845 – 1^st March 1914 was the Viceroy and Governor-General of India (1905 – 1910).

Other Structures

Located right next to the Flagstaff House within its compound is the Semaphore Tower. These were used before the advent of the Telegraph and were used for signaling with the flag and poles. Messages in form of signals were often relayed from one tower to the other.

Only a single cannon could be seen placed near the Cenotaph. By its size, it could have probably been used for signaling or gun salutes.

Sources

Hindustan Times
The Hindu
Raj Bhavan Kolkata
Times of India
The Story Of Government House by N. V. H. Symons
West Bengal Heritage Commission
The Wire

Other Posts on Barrackpore

Tomb of Lady Canning in Barrackpore
Barrackpore Park Latbagan
St. Bartholomew’s Cathedral Barrackpore
Places To Visit Around Barrackpore
Barrackpore Cemetery Commonwealth War Graves