Standing tall in the BBD Bagh area and covering the entire stretch of the water body, the Lal Dighi, a stately structure serves as the secretariat building of the State Government of West Bengal, one structure in particular, right in the middle of the city, has stood witness to the growth of Kolkata since 1780: the Writers’ Building.
The prominent red brick is what makes the building noticeable even from a distance.
The very first three storey building in erstwhile Calcutta was the Writer’s building, built in neo-classical style with magnificent Corinthian columns. Designed by Thomas Lyon, a self- styled builder, the Writer’s building was constructed in 1777 on behalf of Richard Barwell. The beautiful building with its Greco-Roman architecture, contained a portico in the central bay and had several marvelous statues sculpted by William Fredric Woodington, lining the terrace. The simplistic structure had 19 residential quarters, each with three sets of windows.
The Writers’ Building has a deep connection with all three ruling entities the city has had. Early in its life, it housed clerks of the East India Company (EIC), which seeded the city with a trading post and later grew to rule large parts of India. The Writers’ Building in Kolkata attracts thousands of tourists from across the world, drawn to its stunning architecture and design. However, the colonial-era building has a history that’s just as interesting.
When the British Raj took over, a French Renaissance-styled makeover was given to the building, to make it more ornate and almost palatial in terms of its architecture. Eventually, 15 new interconnected blocks were added, along with an iron staircase.
A witness to everything from flourishing trade to revolutions, murders to merrymaking, slavery to freedom, the Writers occupies a special importance in every Kolkattans heart!
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