Imagine a London version of the Taj Mahal. Not a copy of the splendid 17th-century Mughal tomb built by Shah Jahan for Mumtaz Mahal, his cherished wife, but a place constructed in the same spirit of remembrance for a lost loved one. And a place with strong ties — for good and for bad — with India. This is Severndroog Castle.
The castle sits on Shooters Hill, the highest point in south London, where it is possible on a good day to see the hazy outline of each of London’s seven surrounding counties. Built in 1784, Severndroog is a pretty gothic tower, three storeys tall and triangular in plan, with hexagonal turrets on each of its corners. At first glance, it is difficult to make any connections between the pocket-sized castle’s red brick facades and India’s white marble masterpiece, separated as they are by over 4,000 miles and 150 years. But connections are there.
