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Metcalfe House |
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| Located to the left of the main Dr. K B Hegdewar
Marg Road, and below the Ridge, Metcalfe House was constructed
around 1835 by Sir Thomas Metcalfe. He was the Governor-General's
agent at the Imperial court of the Mughal Emperor and then Commissioner
of Delhi from 1835 to 1853. Built in a typical early Indo-European
style, the house and its grounds are spread over an area of
thousand acres. During Metcalfe's lifetime, the house was the
center of all European social life as one can find the house
mentioned in many contemporary writings as a venue of several
parties and social gatherings. |
| Apart from being popular for its large well-designed
beautiful rooms, the unique attraction of the house was its
special room, which was entirely devoted to Napoleon and contained
his memorabilia. Sir Thomas Metcalfe died in mysterious circumstances
in 1853. He was probably poisoned on the orders of Zeenat Mahal,
the young wife of the last Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah. Sir
Theophilus Metcalfe, the son and successor of senior Metcalfe
then occupied the house and maintained its glory, till the house
was destroyed to a great extent during the war of 1857. |
| He sold the house at a later date and after being
the prized possession of several owners, the house finally became
the property of the Government of India. At present the house
is the Center of Defence Services Documentation and is closed
to the public. However the house can be viewed from the main
road and is still an impressive sight. |
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