Vincent Jerome Esch, (20 July 1876 – 9 December 1950) was a British architect who worked in India. He is regarded as a pioneer of the

Indo-Sarcenic Indo-Saracenic architecture (also known as Indo-Gothic, Mughal-Gothic, Neo-Mughal, or Hindoo style) was a revivalist architectural style mostly used by British architects in India in the later 19th century, especially in public and government ...

architectural style, which developed during the British rule in the Indian subcontinent. Born in London, he moved to India in 1898, and was appointed assistant engineer on the

Bengal Nagpur Railway The Bengal Nagpur Railway was one of the companies which pioneered development of the railways in eastern and central India. It was succeeded first by Eastern Railway and subsequently by South Eastern Railway. History The opening of the ...

before setting himself up as an architect in

Calcutta 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, commerc ...

. He was later appointed as the assistant to William Emerson, who had been chosen to design the monumental

Victoria Memorial Hall The Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall is a performing arts centre in the Central Area of Singapore, situated along Empress Place. It is a complex of two buildings and a clock tower joined together by a common corridor; the oldest part of the ...

in Calcutta. Esch was given the role of Superintending Architect and made major contributions to the design of the building. In 1914, he was invited to

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. ...

by the Nizam, to design some major public buildings. He designed the

Kacheguda railway station Kacheguda railway station (station code: KCG) is one of the three Central Stations in Hyderabad City of Telangana in India. It is currently operated by the South Central Railway zone of Indian Railways. The station was first built during the p ...

, the High Court, the City College, and the

Osmania General Hospital Osmania General Hospital (OGH) is one of the oldest hospitals in India located at Afzal Gunj, Hyderabad and is named after its founder – Mir Osman Ali Khan, the last Nizam of Hyderabad. It is run by the Government of Telangana, and is one o ...

in Hyderabad. He was in Hyderabad until 1921, then returned to Calcutta. He later returned to England, and died in 1950.

Early life and background

He was born the son of C.A. Bernard Esch, a merchant banker of Blackheath, London and educated at

Mount St Mary's College Mount St Mary's College is an independent, co-educational, day and boarding school situated at Spinkhill, Derbyshire, England. It was founded in 1842 by the Society of Jesus (better known as the Jesuits), and has buildings designed by notable a ...

. He then trained as an architect in London.

Career

Early career

He moved out to India in 1898 and was appointed assistant engineer on the

before setting himself up as a architect in Calcutta (now Kolkata). After designing the temporary exhibition building for the Delhi Durbar of 1903, he was employed as an assistant by Sir William Emerson, who had been chosen to design the monumental

in Calcutta. Esch was given the role of Superintending Architect and made major contributions to the design of the building. He had also won a competition to design the Bengal Club building at Chowringhee and the Bengal-Nagpur Railway head office building at Garden Reach.

Career in Hyderabad

In 1914 Esch was retained by

Osman Ali Khan Mir Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII (5 or 6 April 1886 — 24 February 1967), was the last Nizam (ruler) of the Princely State of Hyderabad, the largest princely state in British India. He ascended the throne on 29 August 1911, at the age o ...

, the

Nizam of Hyderabad The Nizams were the rulers of Hyderabad from the 18th through the 20th century. Nizam of Hyderabad (Niẓām ul-Mulk, also known as Asaf Jah) was the title of the monarch of the Hyderabad State ( divided between the state of Telangana, Mar ...

to help redevelop the city after serious flood damage. He designed numerous public buildings including the

Kachiguda railway station Kacheguda railway station (station code: KCG) is one of the three Central Stations in Hyderabad City of Telangana in India. It is currently operated by the South Central Railway zone of Indian Railways. The station was first built during the pe ...

(1914), the High Court (1916), the City College (1917–20), and the large

(1918–21). The latter is now threatened with demolition.

Later career

Esch enjoyed 25 years of success as an architect in Calcutta, where he became a proponent of the Indo-Saracenic style, a fusion of classical and Islamic styles. In 1922 he was made CVO.

Return to England and death

He later returned to England and died in Surrey in late 1950.

Personal life

He had married Olive Edward in 1923 and had one son and one daughter.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Esch, Vincent 1876 births 1950 deaths Esch Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order British expatriates in India People educated at Mount St Mary's College