Karachi: F-K
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==Karachi: Frere Hall== | ==Karachi: Frere Hall== | ||
Revision as of 20:08, 14 December 2013
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Karachi: Frere Hall
Frere Hall: Standing Tall
By Maryam Murtaza Sadriwala
There are a few landmarks, which epitomise Karachi and reflect this phenomenal city’s grandeur. Frere Hall is one of them. Standing as a lofty reminder of the British Raj and leaving its mark of Venetian Gothic architecture, the building has withstood the ravages of time for the last 140 years.
The Hall whose construction was completed in 1865, today stands majestically between Abdullah Haroon Road (formerly Victoria Road) and Fatima Jinnah Road (formerly Bonus Road) in the vicinity of a famous five Star Hotel, the closed building of the US Consulate and Consul General’s house, the Japanese Consulate and the Sind Club.
It was built in the honour of Sir Henry Bartle Edward Frere (1815-1884), who was known for promoting economic development in Karachi.
This edifice of yellowish limestone, red and grey Jungshahi sandstones was designed by Colonel Clair Wilkins whose proposal was selected from 12 entries, in which the first was perhaps recorded architectural design competition for a public building in Sindh. The structure cost Rs1,80,000 out of which Rs22,500 was raised for the memorial through public donations and was officially inaugurated by Commissioner Mansfield on October 10, 1865.
Frere Hall served as a Town Hall and was the hub of Karachi’s socio cultural activities at the time of the British Raj. During the same period it housed a number of busts including King Edward VII’s which was a gift from Seth Edulji Dinshaw. It also housed oil paintings of former Commissioners in Sindh including Sir Charles Pritchard and Sir Evan James.
The ground floor houses, a fine public library named Liaquat National Library (after Liaquat Ali Khan, first Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan). It is one of the largest libraries of Karachi, which contains over 70,000 books, including rare and handwritten manuscripts, newspapers, dictionaries, atlases and technical books. The upper floor serves as an art gallery containing masterpieces of Pakistan’s famous calligrapher and painter Sadequain.
Around the Hall are two lawns originally known as ‘Queen’s Lawn’ and ‘King’s Lawn’, which were added in 1887-88 by Mr Benjamin Flinch. Originally the statues of Queen Victoria and King Edward (both of which have now been removed) adorned the garden. These lawns were renamed as Bagh-e-Jinnah (Jinnah Garden) after independence. These lawns have played host to a lot of evening entertainment as families would lounge and picnic in its greens, and flowers shows would be organised.
It is a pity that due to security concerns, as well as the insistence of the US Consulate, which faces Frere Hall, the park today has largely been declared off-limits to the public. Yet, Frere Hall and its sprawling lawns are one of the few pieces of imposing architecture which we Karachiites are proud to view in a city otherwise dominated by pollution and unimpressive buildings.
So next time you pass by Abdullah Haroon Road, ignore the police cars and barricades and do spend a minute or two in appreciating the splendour of this fine building.
