HYDERABAD is a city in the heart of the Indian peninsula. Today, it is known as the country’s IT capital, covering an area of 250 square miles with a population of 11 million. In 2022, the city’s first women’s university, the Telangana Mahila Vishwavidyalayam, was established inside a building that was also a first of its kind: the erstwhile British Residency. This deserves to be much better known.
In its present form, the Residency was created under the terms of the Subsidiary Alliance Treaty signed in 1798 between the East India Company and the Nizam of Hyderabad, the ruler of the Deccan region. This treaty, a hugely important milestone in establishing the company’s control over various Indian princely states, formalized an existing arrangement whereby an envoy or Resident should be permanently attached to the Nizam’s court. Accordingly, the Nizam allocated a large house on a 63-acre site just north of the walled capital city of Hyderabad and across the River Musi for the purpose.
In the first decade of the 19th century, this building metamorphosed under the direction of the flamboyant James Achilles Kirkpatrick, who was the East India Company Resident from 1798–1805. Kirkpatrick was beguiled by India and not only had two children by Khair-un-Nissa, a granddaughter of the Nizam’s prime minister, but adopted local dress. He was responsible for the Nizam signing the Subsidiary Alliance Treaty and also convinced him to pay for the grandiose adaptation of his official residence.
Bu hikaye Country Life UK dergisinin November 22, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Country Life UK dergisinin November 22, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
