Private Kolkata Heritage Walk Tour (2 Hrs)

Inspired by the St. Martin-in-the-Fields in Trafalgar Square, St. Andrew’s Church was originally built to serve the Scottish Presbyterian community of Calcutta, and hence also goes by the name of ‘e Scotch Kirk’. Another name, ‘Lat Sahib Ka Girja’ was probably acquired from the fact that the foundation stone was laid by the Countess of Loudon and Moira, wife of the then Governor General, e Marquess of Hastings. Besides, its impressive Doric columns and imported marbles, St. Andrew’s Church is also a historian’s delight for ‘the audacious bird’ – a cock which sits on top crowing over St. John’s Church to serve as a reminder of the rivalry between it’s founder Rev. Dr. James Bryce, Chaplain of the Bengal Ecclesiastical Establishment and the rst Bishop of the Indian Episcopate, Bishop Fanshawe Middleton, who headed the Anglican St. John’s Church.

Designed by omas Lyon in 1777 to serve as the principal administrative oce for writers (junior clerks) of the British East India Company, the Writers’ Building later served as the Secretariat Building of the State Government of West Bengal

The introduction of the postal system in Kolkata by Warren Hastings in 1774 necessitated the need for a post office. But it was not until 1864 that the General Post Office designed by Walter B Grenville came into being. We majestic high domed roof, the towering Ionic-Corinthian pillars, and the imposing clock lend to its unique beauty. The place where the GPO stands today is actually, the site of the First Fort William was damaged by Siraj-ud-Daulah during the Seige of Calcutta in 1756. The GPO is the central post office of the city and the chief post office of West Bengal.

The insurance sector in India, in the days of the British Raj was initially completely dominated by British firms. Indians infact, were prohibited from buying insurance. Among the earliest companies to offer insurance to British subjects in India were Standard Life Assurance and The Oriental Assurance Company.

Old Telegraph Office, also known as the Dead Letter Office, is now virtually impossible to miss. Located at the corner of Dalhousie Square East and Dalhousie Square South, with a 120 feet tall bell tower, the remarkably beautiful and ornate building was constructed between 1873 and 1876

Built-in accordance with the design of St. Martin’s Church, London in 1787 by architect James Agg, the land for the property originally belonged to Maharaja Nabakrishna Deb before Warren Hastings persuaded him to ‘gift’ it. Also known as the ‘Pathure Girja’ or Stone Church because of its imposing brick and stone masonry, the third oldest church in the city, next to the Armenian and the Old Mission Church boasts of the famous recreation of the Last Supper of Leonardo Da Vinci did by painter Johan Zowho added an Indian touch to the Biblical event in his version.

Before 1799, the Governor-General resided in a rented house, called Bukimham House, situated in the same location. The land belonged to Mohammad Reza Khan, a Nawab of Chitpur. It was in 1799 that the then Governor-General of India, the 1st Marquess Wellesley took the initiative of building a palace, which would serve as a statement of imperial authority. Thee colossal expense that was incurred cost Lord Wellesley his job, but he sure contributed to creating one of the landmarks that would help Kolkata earn the sobriquet of St Petersburg of the East. e erstwhile home of the Viceroy of India and the Lieutenant Governor of Bengal, today serves as the official residence of the Governor of West Bengal and came to be known as the Raj Bhavan, a name it shares with the official residences of other states’ governors. Kolkata’s Raj Bhavan has a First to its credit. In 1892, it was here that the Otis Elevator The company installed the first elevator in India.