Re-examining the relationship between colonial building practices and native craftsmen: the case of Bulandshahr Town Hall

Binita Bose (Apeejay School of Architecture)




This research re-examines the relationship between colonial building practices and native craftsmen in late nineteenth-century North India through the case of the Bulandshahr Town Hall, constructed under the supervision of F. S. Growse during his tenure as Collector of Bulandshahr in the North-Western Provinces. At a time when public and civic architecture was predominantly shaped by Western building practices institutionalised through the colonial Public Works Department (PWD), Growse pursued an alternative architectural approach grounded in traditional Indian construction methods and sustained engagement with local craftsmen.

Using the method of building biography, the research examines the design and construction of the Town Hall to uncover Growse’s distinctive architectural strategies and their implications for colonial building production. Drawing on primary and secondary archival material, including architectural drawings, administrative records, books, and historical and contemporary photographs, the study analyses the building as a whole, with particular attention to ornamentation and craftwork as integral components of architectural production. By situating the Bulandshahr Town Hall within the wider landscape of colonial civic buildings, the research foregrounds Growse’s interaction with indigenous craftsmen and positions his professional practice as a lesser-explored yet significant mode of building production in late nineteenth-century colonial India.


Tracing the Footprints of Entangled Narratives of South Asian Migrants to Uganda between 1900 and 1972

Anthony Wako (Uganda Martyrs University)








My research explores the socio-cultural encounters that were the foundation of Jinja, Uganda. Founded as a key port along the transport corridor that included water and railway networks, Jinja’s built heritage stands as a visible legacy of generations of immigrants from South Asia, initially arriving as labourers to construct the famed Uganda Railway between 1895 and 1901. Today, Jinja is one of the few cities in Uganda with an ‘intact’ collection of buildings that showcase the efforts of these migrants. During the 20th century, their entrepreneurial efforts spread across the building typologies in other cities like Mbale and Fort Portal augmented by their administrative and commercial responsibilities to the British colonial system. Meager evidence of these buildings in Mbale and Fort Portal exists today. Ironically the buildings’ continued existence was a consequence of an economic vacuum caused by the exodus of foreigners of Asian heritage following their expulsion from Uganda in 1972. The research explores the contribution to the architecture and urbanism of Jinja by the South Asian community through a combination of archival, field research and documentation. The research builds on a current study in which I explore the hidden narratives, embedded deeply in ‘the walls’ of Jinja’s historic buildings, revealing their socio-cultural meaning within the realm of architecture. The beneficiaries of this research are architecture students, built environment professionals, social scientists, and the Asian ‘voiceless’ descendants whose grandparents were exiled from Uganda.