Northbrook Gate
| Northbrook Gate নৰ্থব্ৰুক গেট | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Architectural style | British architecture |
| Location |
Guwahati Assam India |
| Client | British India |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | Brick and white limestone |
The Northbrook Gate (Assamese: নৰ্থব্ৰুক গেট) was constructed to welcome British viceroy Lord Northbrook who visited Guwahati in 1874. The gate was built near Sukreswar Ghat where the viceroy anchored his ship. It is the only monument of its kind in this part of Assam and the lone surviving brick architecture from colonial times. For the last 130 years, it has remained a silent spectator of many developments of Guwahati.
British officials named the Northbrook Gate the 'Gateway of Assam'. Currently the Lord Northbrook Gate is battling for survival, as no competent authority stepping in to save the historic structure. [1]
History
The Northbrook Gate in Guwahati, located on the banks of the Brahmaputra, was built to mark the arrival of then Viceroy of India Thomas George Baring, better known as Lord Northbrook, in Guwahati on August 27, 1874. The gate was constructed near Sukreswar Ghat, where Northbrook got down from the ship, which brought him from Calcutta. The gate has since then become an important landmark of the city. The same gate welcomed Lord Curzon during his visit to the city later. [2]
In 1874, when the then Governor General, Lord Northbrook decided to visit Assam, the local administration focused its attention on a grand welcome for Northbrook. They decided to welcome the Governor General by building an arch at the point of his embarkation in Guwahati which would be named the 'Gate of Honour'. Later the place adjacent to the Sukreswar Devalaya, was selected as the spot where the Governor General's ship would anchor. And construction of the gate started at the location. [3]
The Governor General had arrived on a ship at the Sukreswar Ghat on August 27, 1874. After the gun salute, Lord Northbrook entered Guwahati, through the newly constructed Northbrook Gate. The gate became the landmark of Guwahati.
Design
British government had decided that the gate would be designed after the famous King's College Chapel arches of England. The rectangular structure has a total of 12 arches, five each in the two longer sides and one in each side of its breadth. The gate was built of brick and white limestone. The structure was enhanced by the simplicity of design and the unusual lack of decorative carving of the arches.