Recollections of Calcutta for over Half a CenturyMassey, Montague
History
Recollections of Calcutta for over Half a Century
Massey, Montague
Calcutta (India) -- Description and travel; Massey, Montague -- Travel -- India -- Calcutta
The Mansions contain twenty-four flats. This, as can be perceived, has
entirely changed the whole aspect of this particular section of the
city, which has been further enhanced by the erection of Thacker,
Spink & Co's new premises on the site of 1, Chowringhee, or old
Mountains Family Hotel, which had been running for many years prior to
it being acquired by the late Mr. Matthewson on a long lease of 30 or
40 years at an exceptionally low rental. All the buildings in this
row, with the exception of that at the corner of Bentinck Street, have
been built in my day, and many people will doubtless recollect that
Peliti once occupied the house now in possession of the Trocadero.
Turning into Chowringhee we are faced by the Bristol Hotel, formerly
known as the Hotel D'Europe, the proprietress of which latter was the
late Mrs. Scott of the Park Hotel, Darjeeling, formerly known as
Madame Fienberg, and who was highly respected and greatly esteemed by
the older generation of Calcuttaites, of whom she had quite a large
clientele. She afterwards removed to the Hotel de Paris, and finally
to 1, Chowringhee, and there established the Palace Hotel. She
represented one of the old land-marks of Calcutta which, I am sorry to
say, are now so rapidly disappearing. Opposite to the hotel there used
to be a very dirty and unsightly tank, quite different from all the
other tanks in Chowringhee, which was eventually filled up, and the
greater part of the ground thus reclaimed has been occupied by the
Calcutta Tramways Co. for their Esplanade junction, and a small
portion to the extreme west forms part of Lady Curzon's Garden. Before
we proceed further on our travels I may as well state that
Chowringhee, Esplanade Row, East, and Park Street were devoid of
European shops, with the exception of the Belatee Bungalow, and, I
think, T.E. Thomson & Co. The next street to arrest our attention is
CORPORATION STREET
Formerly known as Jaun Bazaar Street, a place of ill repute and the
resort of some of the worst characters and budmashes in Calcutta. It
was a dirty, filthy, narrow sort of lane having no side-paths and the
houses being built most irregularly and without any attempt at
symmetry or alignment. In fact it had altogether a most disreputable
and evil appearance. The street as all can see has undergone quite a
transformation, more particularly in that section near the Chowringhee
end, and has now become an ornament and acquisition to the city.
CHOWRINGHEE PLACE.
Here, as it says in the "Directory," is Chowringhee Place, formerly
known as Chowringhee, but so utterly changed as to make it difficult
to recognise it as the old street of the past.
[Illustration: _Photo. by Bourne & Shepherd_ The Sir Stuart Hogg
Market]
[Illustration: Chowringhee, showing tanks opposite Lindsay Street and
Bengal Club.]
[Illustration: _Photo by Bourne & Shepherd_ Modern view of Esplanade,
East, showing Tramway Junction and shelter]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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