A few majestic mango trees still remain in the compound of the garden house of Warren Hastings, the first Governor General of Bengal Presidency from 1772 to 1785. It’s located in the heart of Barasat, about 30 km from Kolkata. With an imposing arched portico in the front and dozens of columns on the first floor, the impressive double storey house represents a fine specimen of colonial architecture prevalent in the 18th and 19th centuries. The front wall of the building has a stone tablet with the words: “In this house lived Lord Warren Hastings”.
“The Warren Hastings House was declared a Monument of National Importance by the ASI (Archaeological Survey of India) in June 2005. This is a very fine specimen of colonial architecture and we took it from the West Bengal Government, which was using it for administrative purposes,” said Subha Majumder, Superintending Archaeologist, ASI Kolkata Circle.
Dr. Majumder said that while most British colonial structures are situated in Kolkata, the Warren Hastings House is among the few seen outside the State capital. “If you look at the house, you find large open windows, several door porticos and a lot of open space, which was meant for air circulation. Therefore, this house was not built to be used for administrative purposes but for leisure,” he said.
