Gorton Castle

It is a British time heritage building built in 1905. It served as Central Secretariat for some time during pre independence era. It now houses office of the Accountant General of Himachal Pradesh State, a subordinate office of Comptroller & Auditor General of India. Presently building is under major renovation work being done by the Central Public Works Department of Govt. of India. It is sad that major portion of this building got destroyed by fire in January, 2014.

Best architectural Building of 18th Century which was destroyed partly in a fire outbreak. Now new construction is going on..

Good place to visit . You will love to visit this historical site.

History of Gorton Castle in ShimlannGorton Castle was constructed in the year 1904. The building was designed by one of the best British architects of that time, Sir Swinton Jacob. The architecture of this castle was inspired by the Neo-Gothic style. Sir Swinton Jacob was working as a consulting engineer in Jaipur. This well known architect and engineer of the colonial India earned fame for his masterpiece architectures that had the blending of Islamic, Hindu and western traditions”. Many important buildings of colonial India such as Albert Hall (Jaipur), Lalgarh Palace (Bikaner), St. Stephen’s College (Delhi) etc. were designed by him. When there was need of a Government Secretariat in their summer capital, Shimla, Swinton Jacob was given the responsibility by Lord Curzon.nnThe design was liked a lot by Lord Curzon. The design of the castle complemented its high location and wonderful surroundings. The land on which the castle was built was originally the place donated for building a hospital. The castle was named as Gorton Castle after the name of the original owner of this site, Mr. Gorton, an ICS. The land changed hands thrice and was then purchased by Sir James Walker, a banker, on payment of Rs. 80,000. When the site was taken for building Government Secretariat, he was given another land for hospital construction. The land was acquired by the government for its officials after persuading Sir Walker a lot.nnArchitecture of Gorton CastlenSituated on the top of the hill, Gorton Castle is built over an area that has dimension of 400 ftx100 ft. The castle has three stories and houses 125 rooms of various sizes. The castle is surrounded by timber blocks mostly of Rosewood. The blocks were bought from Andaman under the supervision of Mr. B. Ribbertrop, Forest Department Head. For constructing the building, grey stones from Sanjauli, Himachal Pradesh, were used. The roofs of the castle were made with red tiles. Later on the red tiles got replaced with red iron sheets (galvanized). The main entrance of the castle resembled like a chalet and there was a large portico having a wonderful fresco. The side of the castle had bay windows. High towers surmounted the stone walls of the castle. The red iron roof of the castle gave it a look of fairy-tale castles.nnThe castle was mounted on a hilltop surrounded by huge Deodar Trees and it could be seen from very far off. The balconies of Gorton Castle were decorated with innovatively designed net (jari) work of Rajasthan which still grabs the eyes of the onlookers. Many departments of the British India e.g. Health, Education, Finance, Home etc., were run from here.nnLocation of Gorton CastlenGorton Castle can be easily reached because it is located at the center of the city, the Mall Road. From any part of the Shimla Town, this castle can be easily reached.nnHow to Reach Gorton CastlenFor reaching the Gorton Castle, travelers have to use the Cart Road from the Railway Station. They can walk down to the Mall through this road and on the way they will find Gorton Castle. One has to drive only 500 m to reach the castle. Travelers would enjoy walking down to this castle. Those who are coming to visit the castle from outside Shimla can actually get into private or public buses that run on frequent basis. Taxis/cabs can also be hired to reach here.

Very nice place