Many Bricks of Ludlow Castle
Anukriti Gupta
Every brick in the Capital has history written over it; histories with multiple layers; often over-lapping. One such profound example is Ludlow Castle situated in Civil Lines, Delhi. No, not a castle, it’s a school since 1960s.
Dr. Samuel George Ludlow, a surgeon with the Bengal establishment of the East India Company was based in the Delhi residency from 1813-1831. He built his house called Ludlow Castle in the civil lines of Delhi; located to the north of the walled city. The architectural design of Ludlow Castle was an imitation of a large castellated house in Dr Ludlow’s village in England.
Dr. Ludlow was transferred out of Delhi in 1831 and the house could be procured on rent for the office and residence of the Agent, and from 1832 -1857, Ludlow Castle became the Delhi Residency. Civil Lines served as the focal point of the European community in Delhi and thus became the scene of severe fighting during the Uprising of 1857. Though Civil Lines had been a British neighbourhood since the early 1800s, allowing colonialists to live close to the cantonment at the northern Ridge, it became the center of local British residential life after 1857.
Ludlow Castle was damaged severely in 1857; it was refurbished after the siege and continued to be the office and residence of the Commissioner of Delhi till 1886. During the late 19th century and much of the first half of the 20th, the building housed the Delhi Club.
As the residence of the Commissioner of Delhi, Ludlow Castle hosted Prince Alfred (then Duke of Edinburgh), the second son of Queen Victoria in 1870. Joseph Fayrer, the accompanying surgeon gives a detailed account of Prince Alfred’s visit to Delhi and his stay in Ludlow Castle in “Notes of the Visits to India of Their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales”. He writes,
"The Duke was in the howdah with Colonel McNeile. The road to the Lahore Gate was beautifully illuminated with coloured lamps hanging from the trees; the effect was excellent, and free from the formality of continuous lines of light. There were triumphal arches in the Chandney Chowk and Dureeba, and up to the front of the steps of the Jumma Musjid was one continuous blaze of Bengal lights and other forms of illumination. The streets, and every house-top, window and balcony were crowded; numbers preceding the elephants, joining the European soldiers in loud hurrahs, made a most exciting scene. Dismounting at the foot of the Jumma Musjid, the Duke, with many ladies and gentlemen, witnessed a grand display of fireworks from the platform of the mosque. They then returned to Ludlow Castle."
Ludlow Castle as the Delhi Club since the late 19th century was an exclusive “sahib’s” club and admitted very few Indian businessmen, educationists and royalty. It was famous for its Easter, Christmas and New Year’s festivities. R V Smith provides detailed insights about the Delhi Club in Ludlow Castle. He writes about the New Year’s Eve at Ludlow Castle,
"New Year’s Eve at Ludlow Castle was a grand affair with a forenoon picnic at the Ridge, a lip-smacking lunch (of rabbit pie and vindaloo) and a sumptuous dinner which followed drinks and a ballroom dance at which many couples tied the bond of love."
After Independence, the building and premises of Ludlow Castle were turned into a government high school. It was demolished in the 1960s to make room for the expansion of the Government Model Senior Secondary School. The school is among the earliest government schools to be started in Delhi. At present, Rajkiya Pratibha Vikas Vidyalaya, Ludlow Castle, Raj Niwas Marg, is operating from the original building.
The neighbourhood and the nearby transit continue to be known as “Ludlow Castle”; the bricks which saw the days of British residency, the uprising of 1857 and the siege which followed; served as the elite Delhi Club and finally turned into a government school.
From the military drills of the British soldiers, to the sounds of dance and music in the ballroom and finally to the laughter of school children, one can hear multiple sounds in this piece of history called Ludlow Castle. A symbol of British colonialism turned into a government school of a newly independent nation. Well, if you listen carefully, you can also hear the murmurs of the departure of the Raj and the arrival of Independence at this location.
