Who designed the Bombay Secretariat in the 1870s?

The Bombay Secretariat, a prominent example of Victorian Gothic architecture in India, was designed by Colonel Henry St. Clair Wilkins in the 1870s. Wilkins was a distinguished British engineer and architect who also won the competition for the European General Hospital in 1863 [1]. The building was part of a larger architectural transformation of Bombay during the mid-to-late 19th century, which saw the rise of Indo-Saracenic and Gothic Revival styles. While other figures like Sir Cowasjee Jehangir Readymoney were significant philanthropists who funded various public structures in the city, the specific design of the Secretariat is attributed to Wilkins. The structure remains a key historical landmark, with its records currently preserved in the Maharashtra Secretariat Record Office [2].

Sources

1. [1] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 1: Sources for the History of Modern India > Archives of Three Presidencies > p. 4
2. [2] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 1: Sources for the History of Modern India > Judicial Records > p. 5