Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai

My previous (and first) visit to Mumbai was in 2009, and I didn't see much of the city then because I was there for a work visit. This time I was staying in the area of ​​the old fort, within walking distance of the city's main attractions.

The street in front of the hotel has been dug up, and that applies to several parts of this area: a metro is being built. The more luxurious buildings, dating from the late 19th and early 20th century when Mumbai was flourishing, already can be found here. They belong to the university, banks or trading offices. The style with turrets and arches is known as Victorian Gothic.

This style continues in the official buildings around the Oval Maidan - a large field where cricket is now mainly played. Here lie the Supreme Court and several university buildings. You can only admire them from the street side, everywhere there is a guard who prevents you from entering. At the government buildings, these are also heavily armed. 

If you walk further towards the coastal promenade (Marine Drive), another style from the beginning of the 20th century takes over: Art Deco. I think that about 80% of the buildings in this area are Art Deco-ish, although it usually is limited to curved balconies and some other round shapes. Here too, the rule is: don't go inside anywhere! These are mostly apartment buildings.

One can walk quietly in this area, the sidewalks seem …

If you're in South Mumbai, it's very easy to walk around the Oval Maidan and have a look at the sorrounding buildings. On the West side of the park, most of the buildings are Art Deco style, hotels and cinema. On the East side the buildings are Victorian Gothic style, the highlights are the high court and the university buildings. At nighttime the park is closed but you can still walk around the fence, the victorian buildings are dramatically lighted. There are some signs on the gates of the park, also on the ground, specifying the buildings included in the UNESCO nomination. Even there is a Unesco sign quite far, in the marine drive at Nariman Point, to indicate the direction to Oval Maidan

Reaching Mumbai via the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) was indeed special, and I waited for 3 years before I could apty claim to have ticked off a rare feat: that I was able to visit a WHS by arriving at another separate one. My friend who picked me up at the terminus and I spent some few hours in the inscribed property of Mumbai before heading out to Elephanta Island. Contrary to the image of Mumbai in mainstream media being so busy, dirty, and crowded, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that that part was not as bad as I thought! Our wandering from the Fort precinct to the Oval area was a wonderful experience and that face of Mumbai really looked like it was taken out of London, with an Indian flare to it. Just a few metres away and you get into another world altogether, the Art Deco ensemble, which I wished I also spent more time on. Overall, it is not hard to understand and see why Mumbai is a true world-class city not only for its economic and trading role in history, but, more importantly, for its architectural gems.

In 2017, Mumbai also bagged several recognitions in the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation, all of which are under its Victorian Gothic component. The St. Thomas Cathedral was awarded too in 2014, and I enjoyed very much checking it out. Dining at the historic Leopold Cafe in Colaba area was memorable as well. 

I visited this WHS in November 2016. The aerial view of the Oval Maidan from the plane in a way reminded me of Central Park in New York City - a lovely green area surrounded by urban buildings and heavy traffic.

My initial impression was confirmed later on when we caught a taxi a drove through Marina Drive and close to Oval Maidan. The traffic in these areas is incredible not to mention the several high rise buildings everywhere. I remember clearly though that there were several Art Deco buildings along Marina Drive that stood out among the rest of the concrete jungle even though most of them could use a lick of paint. The most central and striking of the lot was the Soona Mahal with its round turret (top right photo - towards the centre). This building was chosen as the most iconic Art Deco building in Mumbai's WHS nomination posters. The Marina Drive (bottom left photo), nicknamed Mumbai's Corniche, offers a pleasant walk and a good opportunity to take in the Art Deco buildings in this WHS. The nomination maps on UNESCO's official website list all the inscribed buildings.

My favourite part of this WHS though is definitely the Victorian Gothic ensemble around the Oval Maidan. If truth be told it is more of a continuation of the same style as Mumbai's Victoria Terminus and Municipal Corporation Building. The only worthwhile difference is that you can enjoy some fine cricket along the way. It is …

Focused on the southern tip of the city centre around the Fort area and the waterfront along Marine Drive near Chowpatty Beach there is a surprisingly dense cluster of Art Deco buildings in the city, but without having my eyes peeled for the details, this mostly passed me by on my visit in 2010. However the Victorian Gothic aspects sat very prominently in my memory.

Sitting on the Oval Maidan, which forms the core of the nominated area, watching innumerable cricket matches the main impression I had was of English influenced metropolitan architecture, particularly the large brick Neo-Gothic buildings which felt like the logical continuation after my arrival at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus which is built in a similar style.

The heat drew me away from the cricket and led me to engage more firmly with one of the city's Art Deco treats. As I was in Mumbai it would have been rude not to go to a cinema (though the draw of a cool dark air conditioned interior was almost as strong as my cultural desires) but with visiting time short and unsure of the subtitle situation I decided to forgo a traditional Bollywood movie, instead watching any English language film there was being shown (Hello to Jason Isaacs in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pt1). So I headed off to the lovely Regal Cinema, which I certainly recognised as Art Deco. I was really happy to have engaged in the cinema going experience in …