interiors
Can dilapidated old government housing be restored and relished? This 1923 apartment in Kolkata’s iconic Godfrey Mansion not only pays homage to the past but also infuses it with the new resident’s passion for design.
PAST PERFECTED
An apartment in Kolkata's historic Godfrey Mansion gets a new lease of life using cost-effective and simple ideas
Some things sure have a way of coming full circle. As a young newlywed back in 1990, I had come to Kolkata with my husband who had just joined South Eastern Railway, and was visiting Garden Reach, the zonal headquarters, on work. While walking around the colony, we stopped dead in our tracks on spotting a stunning old colonial building—Godfrey Mansion, circa 1923. Built back in the day for officials of the Bengal Nagpur Railway as it was called then, the beautifully proportioned structure was actually one of Kolkata’s first few “modern apartments” at that time. People were lucky enough to be still living in this edifice, I thought to myself, as I craned my neck to see more. But all I could spot from the pavement down below were its large, circular verandahs screened by lush potted plants. My husband had to virtually drag me away saying it was bad manners to peep into other people’s houses. Would we ever get to live here, I wistfully wondered?
But then, time passed, life happened and the fascinating red building all but faded from memory. We stayed in various government accommodation across Delhi and Kolkata, and somehow, never had the opportunity to visit Garden Reach again.
Cut to the summer of 2018. We were back in the city after decades, and guess which accommodation were we allotted? A flat in that very same grand old building! As I stood on the pavement again, more than a quarter century later, the mansion was still as awe inspiring, but signs of age were apparent. For one, it wasn’t as well-maintained as it was when I last gawked at it, and a lot of its open verandahs had been covered up with makeshift window shutters.
Another big change was that this time, I proceeded beyond the pavement, and climbed up the rather scruffy stairs. As I reached turned the key into the old brass lock and threw open the imposing front door—I was in love all over again. The sweeping curve of the entrance verandah with its vistas of swaying palm trees and lush, communal garden below, simply drew me in. Unlike the second verandah beyond that was all boxed in, this one had been left free and unfettered.
To the right was the drawing room, a vast space with original wooden floorboards and a lovely arch that framed the dining area beyond. I was also happy to find all the huge doors and windows intact, complete with the old latches and bolts. But that was about it. The rest had been allowed to slip into disrepair, as nobody had been living here for a while. The kitchen was a mess and so were the bathrooms, with tiles broken in many places. In every room, wall paint was peeling off, and in many places, the plaster as well.
But then, these are solid, old houses and there was nothing a little TLC couldn’t fix. This being government accommodation, we had to work within severe budgetary limitations, therefore, basic inexpensive tiles were laid down and plywood cupboards were put up. The ramshackle windows from the second verandah were ripped out, making it open and airy all over again. A fresh lick of paint rounded things off and the capacious 3,000 sq ft house was habitable once more.
One big thing that we didn’t have to worry about, though, was matching the decor to the period of the home. We already had age-appropriate furniture (a lot of it inherited and some of it bought from kabari shops). In our quest for affordable art, we made a trip to Kolkata’s framing street, Jaan Bazaar, where we picked up watercolours sold for a song by students of the Fine Arts College here.
As I roam from room to room, I cannot help but marvel at the beauty of this house, and my own good fortune of calling it home, if only for a few years. All I can hope for is that future residents, too, will relish it as much as I do, and keep its sheen in place.