HYDERABAD : Generally referred to as the White House building in Hyderabad, due to its Palladian-style architecture, the British Residency was designed by Lt Samuel Russell and funded by the Nizam. The ornate pillars support a massive pediment, all crafted by local artisans using locally sourced materials like lime, mud plaster, brick, stone, and teak wood beams. Originally spread across 63 acres north of the Musi River, it remains a testament to the fusion of European architecture with indigenous craftsmanship, akin to a few other buildings in the city.
What is unique to this building is the paper-mâché ceiling in the magnificent Durbar Hall. Designed on compressed paper and adorned with intricate floral and geometric designs, it is an exemplar of the 19th-century European art technique and probably the only building in the city which has a ceiling like this. It is also supported by dazzling chandeliers. Upon entering the Durbar Hall, one is introduced to wooden floors and four wall-sized mirrors, cherubs flanking the top panels. The durbar hall is flanked by two oval rooms, adding to its splendour.
Visitors can ascend a grand staircase to reach the first floor, once home to bedrooms and guest rooms but now transformed into an interpretation centre and audio-visual room. The room contains documentation showcasing the Residency’s meticulous restoration, while the interpretation centre features photos, maps, diagrams, and a detailed history of the Residency and its association with Hyderabad.
The building is also associated with James Achilles Kirkpatrick, whose love story with Khair-un-Nissa, the grandniece of the Nizam became the central theme of William Dalrymple’s ‘White Mughals’. Kirkpatrick was a British soldier who made his way up the ranks and became a British Resident in Hyderabad, later adopting Indian customs, Mughal-style clothing and enjoying hookah smoking.
The remnants of the British Residency can be found across the campus, like old cannons. Positioned on the east and west sides of the main building are the Roberts Gate and Lansdowne Gate, respectively, while the grand Empress Gate stands to the south. The building has been functioning as a women’s college in the post-Independence era.
Many old buildings have been repurposed into classrooms and laboratories.
While only the northern facade of the building containing the Durbar Hall has been restored, the complex also has many other components that need restoration, like the Physics and Chemistry blocks, a stepwell and a gate that opens up in Sultan Bazar and has an insignia of East India Company.