Elgin Fairlawn, Kolkata (formerly known as Fairlawn Hotel) was built around 1783. It is located on

Sudder Street Sudder Street is a street in Central Kolkata and famous for cheap hotels. Foreign tourists often prefer the living places in this street during their stay in Kolkata. Localities There are a number of cheap eateries, foreign currency exchange ...

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

. Initially built as a house, it was later turned into a hotel in 1936.

Background

The colonial bungalow was built in 1783 by an Englishman William Ford, when

Warren Hastings Warren Hastings (6 December 1732 – 22 August 1818) was a British colonial administrator, who served as the first Governor of the Presidency of Fort William (Bengal), the head of the Supreme Council of Bengal, and so the first Governor-Genera ...

was the Governor General. The house on Sudder Street became a hotel in 1936 after passing into the hands of Mrs. Rose Smith (née Sarkies) of Armenian roots. In 2018, the hotel was bought by Elgin Hotels & Resorts.

History

Indian film actor

Shashi Kapoor Shashi Kapoor (pronounced �əʃi kəpuːɾ (born Balbir Raj Kapoor; 18 March 1938 – 4 December 2017) was an Indian actor and film producer who is best known for his work in Hindi films. A recipient of several accolades, including four Nation ...

met his wife

Jennifer Kendal Jennifer Kendal (28 February 1934 – 7 September 1984) was an English actress and the founder of the Prithvi Theatre. She was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for the film '' 36 Chowringhee Lane'' (1981). Her oth ...

in the hotel. The couple returned to the hotel after they got married in 1958 for their honeymoon. Shashi Kapoor liked spending time in the hotel, specially in the Room No. 17 — which later on became known as the Shashi Kapoor Room.

Felicity Kendal Felicity Ann Kendal (born 25 September 1946) is an English actress, working principally in television and theatre. She has appeared in numerous stage and screen roles over a more than 70-year career, but the role that brought attention to her ...

, the British actress and also the sister of

has spent some time with her family in the hotel. She wrote in 2012 - "I loved it here, and it is from this hotel that I left, aged 17, to try my luck in England, my father’s disapproval ringing in my ears." The hotel has been a host to

Eric Newby George Eric Newby (6 December 1919 – 20 October 2006) was an English travel writer. His works include '' A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush'', '' The Last Grain Race'' and ''A Small Place in Italy''. Early life Newby was born in Barnes, London, ...

, a travel writer. Another notable guest was the French Writer

Dominique Lapierre Dominique Lapierre (30 July 1931 – 2 December 2022) was a French author. Life Dominique Lapierre was born in Châtelaillon-Plage, Charente-Maritime, France. At the age of thirteen, he travelled to the U.S. with his father who was a diplomat ...

who stayed here while writing the story about Calcutta titled

City of Joy ''City of Joy'' (french: La Cité de la joie) is a 1985 novel by Dominique Lapierre. It was adapted as a film by Roland Joffé in 1992. Calcutta is nicknamed "the City of Joy" after this novel, although the slum was based on an area in its twin ...

published in 1985. This was made into a film in 1992 and the cast and crew of the film, including

Patrick Swayze Patrick Wayne Swayze (; August 18, 1952 – September 14, 2009) was an American actor, dancer, and singer known for playing distinctive lead roles, particularly romantic, tough, and comedic characters. He was also known for his media image and ...

has also stayed here.

Ismail Merchant Ismail Merchant (born Ismail Noor Muhammad Abdul Rahman (25 December 1936 – 25 May 2005)) was an Indian film producer, director and screenwriter. He worked for many years in collaboration with Merchant Ivory Productions which included Directo ...

and

James Ivory James Francis Ivory (born June 7, 1928) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. For many years, he worked extensively with Indian-born film producer Ismail Merchant, his domestic as well as professional partner, and with screen ...

, whose 1965 film

Shakespeare Wallah ''Shakespeare Wallah'' is a 1965 Merchant Ivory Productions film. The story and screenplay are by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, about a travelling family theatre troupe of English actors in India, who perform Shakespeare plays in towns across India, amid ...

was loosely based on and starred the Kendals also has been the guests at this hotel.

References

External links

* https://www.fairlawnhotel.com * https://www.elginhotels.com {{Coord missing, West Bengal Hotels in Kolkata Heritage hotels in India