Surésh Dhargalkar (c. 1934 – 9 April 2020) was a British

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

. He spent all his career at the service of the

British monarchy The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the form of government used by the United Kingdom by which a hereditary monarch reigns as the head of state, with their powers Constitutional monarchy, regula ...

: first to maintain the royal castles, then to help manage the

Royal Philatelic Collection The Royal Philatelic Collection is the postage stamp collection of the British royal family. It is the most comprehensive collection of items related to the philately of the United Kingdom and the British Commonwealth, with many unique pieces. Of ...

after 1996. He has 1 grandson called Leo Hans Dhargalkar.

Biography

Dhargalkar was the superintending architect to the Royal Household from the 1970s to the 1990s.Courtney, Nicholas (2004). ''The Queen's Stamps'', page 308. In 1975, he fitted up as an adapted "stamp room" the space inside

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...

that was devoted to the collection since Keeper John Wilson in the late 1930s. In 1992, he worked on the first repair after the fire in Windsor Castle. In April 1996, he was the first person hired to assist the Keeper of the Royal Philatelic Collection. Not a

philatelist Philately (; ) is the study of postage stamps and postal history. It also refers to the collection and appreciation of stamps and other philatelic products. While closely associated with stamp collecting and the study of postage, it is possible ...

himself, he helped Keeper Charles Goodwyn and his adjoint Michael Sefi for simple tasks, such as keeping an eye on visitors consulting the collection and helping the Keeper throughout the Royal court and British government administrative lobbies. But he was consulted on conservation problems too. He revealed himself as a philatelic exhibition organizer. In 2002, he travelled to the

British Virgin Islands The British Virgin Islands (BVI), officially the Virgin Islands, are a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean, to the east of Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands, US Virgin Islands and north-west ...

with the 1867 "Missing Virgin"

error An error (from the Latin , meaning 'to wander'Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “error (n.), Etymology,” September 2023, .) is an inaccurate or incorrect action, thought, or judgement. In statistics, "error" refers to the difference between t ...

stamp of this British territory."The Missing Virgin returns Home in triumph"
, ''The Island Sun'', 2002, retrieved 23 December 2007.Courtney, Nicholas (2004). ''The Queen's Stamps'', pages 309-310. The same year, he created for

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

's Golden Jubilee an exhibition which travelled in the United Kingdom. In January 2003, when Sefi became Keeper of the Royal Collection, Surésh Dhargalkar was promoted to adjoint of the Keeper.Courtney, Nicholas (2004). ''The Queen's Stamps'', page 309. He ended his public service career at the Royal Library, in Windsor.Margaret Vousden, "Obituary", ''

Gibbons Stamp Monthly ''Gibbons Stamp Monthly'' (''GSM'') is a British philatelic magazine which can trace its roots back to 1890. GSM is published by the famous stamps and collectables firm of Stanley Gibbons and each issue includes updates to their various catalogues ...

'', July 2020, p.12. Member of the

Egypt Exploration Society The Egypt Exploration Society (EES) is a British non-profit organization founded in 1882 for the purpose of financing and facilitating the exploration of significant archeological sites in Egypt and Sudan, founded by writer Amelia Edwards and coin ...

, he helped on The

Amarna Amarna (; ) is an extensive ancient Egyptian archaeological site containing the ruins of Akhetaten, the capital city during the late Eighteenth Dynasty. The city was established in 1346 BC, built at the direction of the Pharaoh Akhenaten, and a ...

Project directed by Barry Kemp. He died on 9 April 2020 at the age of 85.

Honours and awards

* Lieutenant in the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the m ...

in 1992. * Fellow of the

Royal Philatelic Society London The Royal Philatelic Society London (RPSL) is the oldest philately, philatelic society in the world. It was founded on 10 April 1869 as ''The Philatelic Society, London''. The society runs a postal museum, the Spear Museum of Philatelic History ...

in 2002.

References and sources

;References ;Sources * Courtney, Nicholas (2004). ''The Queen's Stamps. The Authorised History of the

'', éd. Methuen, 2004, . {{DEFAULTSORT:Dhargalkar, Suresh 1934 births 2020 deaths British architects British philatelists Fellows of the Royal Philatelic Society London