The Ballard Estate business district is situated in the financial district of

Fort A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

. Located between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and Fort in South Mumbai, it hosts the offices of shipping companies and the headquarters of the

Mumbai Port Trust Mumbai Port Trust (also known as the Bombay Port Trust) is a port which lies midway on the West coast of India, on the natural deep-water harbour of Mumbai (Bombay) in Maharashtra.The harbour spread over is protected by the mainland of Konkan t ...

at the Port House. It has the Reliance Centre, many mid-priced hotels and a noted

Irani cafe Irani may refer to the following: * Anything related to Iran * Irani (India), an ethno-religious group of Zoroastrian Iranian ancestry in the Indian subcontinent * Irani, Santa Catarina * Irani café People with the surname * Adi Irani (born 194 ...

,'' Britannia''.

Overview

The

Bombay Port Trust Mumbai Port Trust (also known as the Bombay Port Trust) is a port which lies midway on the West coast of India, on the natural deep-water harbour of Mumbai (Bombay) in Maharashtra.The harbour spread over is protected by the mainland of Konka ...

reclaimed of land at Ballard Estate between 1914 and 1918, using material excavated from the Alexandra Docks for filling. Ballard Estate was named for Colonel J. A. Ballard, a founder of Mumbai Port Trust, which constructed the port and Ballard Pier. George Wittet designed the buildings for the business district, imposing a uniformity of style and design through the use of European Renaissance facades. As it is built in the Edwardian

neoclassical architecture Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing style ...

, it has a "

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

feel" to it and is often referred to as "London-like" by the locals. A plan to relieve congestion, conserve the structures and enliven the historic area under the auspices of the Heritage Conservation Committee has been proposed. "A Ballard for a heritage precinct"
''Indian Express'', 4 June 1999.

Images

File:Ballard estate bombay 2.jpg, Ballard Estate building detail File:Britannia irani cafe.jpg, Britannia cafe, an

at Ballard Estate File:PortTrustMemorial.JPG, Port Trust World War I memorial

References

External links

Neighbourhoods in Mumbai Edwardian architecture {{Mumbai-geo-stub