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Town Hall or Lahore Metropolitan Corporation Hall is
located on the west at junction of Upper and Lower
Mall Roads. Originally built as Victoria Jubilee
Town Hall "dedicated to the joyful memory of the
fiftieth year of the reign" of Queen Victoria, the
building was begun in February 1887.
Its
foundation stone was laid by Charles Aitchison,
Lieut. Governor of the Punjab, and the opening took
place with great fanfare and ceremony attended by
Prince Albert Victor on February 3, 1890.
This structure, although not very large, has an
impressive presence. Consisting of two storeys, it
has a large hall 80' x 40' wide on the first floor,
while the ground floor is dedicated to offices. As
was usual with town halls of the British period, the
beautifully decorated hall, with its excellent teak
floor, was used for exclusive functions such as
dances, concerts and meetings, although the prince
in his opening speech said that he hoped that it
would also be utilized for "wise and quiet debates."
As a result of a competition, the winning design,
with a prize of Rs. 500, was chosen from several
competitive entries. The design was prepared by
Pogson, a Madras architect. Having been designed "on
an oriental principle," as noted in contemporary
accounts, the building incorporates elements derived
from Muslim architectural traditions. The square
corner towers are the dominating element of the
ensemble, and incorporate arch forms from varied
sources Mughal and Sultanate Period lancet-arches
along with Spanish horse-shoe arches, reflect the
influence of Robert Fellows Chisholm of Madras
rather than that of Swinton Jacob of Jaipur. The
choice of Pogson demonstrates the partiality felt
for Madras by the Lahore Administration, they having
earlier chosen the design of another Madras
architect, J.W. Brassington, for the impressive
Chief Court (High Court) building.
The two-storey middle section of the building
carrying an enormous lancet arch alcove is flanked
by the massive three-storey corner towers, the roof
line terminating with castle-like merlons. The
corner towers are capped by a central dome and four
onion shaped corner cupolas. In spite of its
'oriental' imagery, and use of moldings, the
detailing is comparatively simple and the flourish
of molded brick or terra-cotta fretwork, found in
the earlier Chief Court or the nearby Mayo School,
is not in evidence.
The building which was completed at a cost of Rs.
60,000, has been restored and cleaned in recent
years, and once again proudly presents its original
brick facing. The landscaped forecourt is dominated
by an attractive fountain, said to be a gift of Raja
Harbans Singh.
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