Koti Residency or British Residency or "Hyderabad Residency" is an opulent mansion built by

James Achilles Kirkpatrick Lieutenant-Colonel James Achilles Kirkpatrick (1764 – 15 October 1805) was an East India Company officer and diplomat who served as the Resident at Hyderabad Deccan from 1798 until 1805. Kirkpatrick also ordered the construction of the Koti Resi ...

in the princely state of

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India ...

. Kirkpatrick was

British Resident A resident minister, or resident for short, is a government official required to take up permanent residence in another country. A representative of his government, he officially has diplomatic functions which are often seen as a form of indi ...

of Hyderabad between 1798 and 1805. It is a minor tourist attraction located in the suburb of Koti,

. The building with its classical portico is in the style of a Palladian villa and is similar in design to its near-contemporary in the United States, the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...

. It features in the 2002 William Dalrymple book ''

White Mughals ''White Mughals'' is a 2002 history book by William Dalrymple. It is Dalrymple's fifth major book, and tells the true story of a love affair that took place in early nineteenth century Hyderabad between James Achilles Kirkpatrick and Khair-un ...

''. The house was designed by

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

Samuel Russell of the Madras Engineers and construction began in 1803.

History

The_arched_gateway_of_the_then_British_Residency,_partially_in_water_during_the_Great_Musi_Flood_of_1908

Kirkpatrick built the mansion for himself and his Indian wife Khair un Nissa, who bore him two surviving children who were sent to England by the age of five and never saw them again due to the early deaths of their parents. The building was at once the embassy of the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and South ...

to the court of the Nizam of Hyderabad, and the residence of James Kirkpatrick, the British Resident, as well as his successors. Within its compound there were several quarters, including a ''

zenana Zenana ( fa, زنانه, ur, , bn, জেনানা, hi, ज़नाना) literally meaning "of the women" or "pertaining to women", in Persian language contextually refers to the part of a house belonging to a Muslim, Sikh, or Hindu f ...

'' (women's quarters) where Khair un Nissa lived. Within the compound is a miniature model of the building- legend has it that this was so Kirkpatrick's wife, who remained in

purdah Pardah or purdah (from Hindi-Urdu , , meaning "curtain") is a religious and social practice of female seclusion prevalent among some Muslim and Hindu communities. It takes two forms: physical segregation of the sexes and the requirement that wom ...

, could see the entire mansion, including the front. This scaled model has recently been beautifully restored. During the Indian Rebellion of 1857, a group of rebels, led by Maulvi Allauddin and Turrebaz Khan, attacked the residency. After the events of 1857, the British erected

martello towers Martello towers, sometimes known simply as Martellos, are small defensive forts that were built across the British Empire during the 19th century, from the time of the French Revolutionary Wars onwards. Most were coastal forts. They stand up ...

at the residency, which were demolished in 1954. After independence in 1947, the building became vacant. In 1949 it was converted into a women's college, Osmania University College for Women. After a court directive to the

Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexand ...

, it is now a protected monument. However, the building has suffered much damage and part of the ceiling has collapsed.

List of British Residents

*Major-General William Kirkpatrick (1795–1797) (before the residency was built) *Major

(1797–1805) *Captain Thomas Sydenham (1806–1810) *Sir Henry Russell (1811–1820) *Sir Charles Metcalfe (1820–1825) *Colonel Cuthbert Davidson (1857–1862) *Sir Richard Temple (1867–1868) *C. B. Saunders (1868–1872) *Sir

Richard Meade Richard John Hannay Meade (4 December 1938 – 8 January 2015) was Britain's most successful male equestrian at the Olympics. He was a triple Olympic gold medalist and the first British rider to win an individual Olympic title. He also won ...

(1875–1881) *John Graham Cordery (1883–1888) *Sir Trevor Chichele PlowdenDavid Smith, "letters Reveal Heartbreak of Young Winston, The Guardian 9 November 2003, https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2003/nov/09/booksnews.redbox; see also Ramachandra Guha, "Churchill in Bangalore," The Hindu Magazine, December 21, 2003 http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/mag/2003/12/21/stories/2003122100040300.htm *

Michael O'Dwyer Michael Francis O'Dwyer (28 April 1864 – 13 March 1940) was an Irish Indian Civil Service (ICS) officer and later the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab, British India, between 1913 and 1919. During O'Dwyer's tenure as Punjab's Lieutenant Gove ...

(1908–1909) *Colonel Alexander Pinhey (1911–1916) *Sir Stuart Fraser (1916–1919) *Sir Lennox Russell (1919–1925) *Sir Duncan Mackenzie (1935–1938) * Sir Arthur Lothian (1942–1946)

Architecture

The building is in the

Palladian Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and ...

style, with a classical portico. Six

Corinthian columns The Corinthian order (Greek: Κορινθιακός ρυθμός, Latin: ''Ordo Corinthius'') is the last developed of the three principal classical orders of Ancient Greek architecture and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric order ...

support the roof. Within its compound there were several quarters, including a ''

'' quarter.

References

Heritage structures in Hyderabad, India Hyderabad State Tourist attractions in Hyderabad, India Royal residences in India Residencies of British India 1805 establishments in British India Palaces in Hyderabad, India Neoclassical architecture in India {{Hyderabad topics