Garden Reach, Calcutta

‘The Hooghly narrowed as we entered the Garden Reach and the first view of India’s capital burst upon our eyes. Filled with shipping of all sizes and from all nations, it was truly splendid and reminiscent of a Claude Lorraine painting.’ This is a quote from The Claudians: gardens, landscapes, reason and faith: John Claudius Loudon and Claudius Buchanan, Tom Turner (Kindle, 2024). [[[or Because I planned to follow my dear Mary to England next year, I let my house at Garden Reach to the Collector of Customs. He is Sir John D'Oyly. All my furniture and all my horses were sold before setting off for South India and Malabar. Then I fell sick. Now that I am recovered, I will set off. Though young in years I am now a desolate old man. The Lord will, I doubt not, make my path as clear as the noonday. Nobody but Mr Brown knows that I plan to write a Memoir of my visit to South India.’

More about Calcutta’s Garden Reach

In the late eighteenth century, Garden Reach was a picturesque and relatively tranquil riverside area characterised by its rural landscape, riverfront setting, and emerging shipbuilding industries. It was a relatively undeveloped area with a mix of marshlands, gardens, and rural settlements along the banks of the Hooghly River. The fertile soil along the banks of the Hooghly River made it suitable for cultivation, and local farmers grew a variety of crops, including rice, vegetables, and fruits.

The Honourable East India Company had established a significant presence in Calcutta, including administrative offices, trading posts, and warehouses. This extended to nearby areas such as Fort William and the European quarter of Kolkata.

The name "Garden Reach" originated from the presence of gardens and estates belonging to British and Indian landowners along the riverfront. The term "Reach" refers to a stretch of river or a straight segment of a river, and "Garden" refers to the lush gardens and landscaped estates that characterised the area. The British named the area to reflect its idyllic and scenic nature. Much as Claude Lorrain represented the Embarkation of the Queen of Sheba for Jerusalem, the British left England for India, and created a Claudian landscape for themselves. 

The architecture of Calcutta during this time was a mix of European and Indian styles. British colonial buildings were neoclassical and Georgian. There were also traditional Bengali structures like temples and mansions. The city's waterfront along the Hooghly River was busy with maritime activities, including shipping, trade, and shipbuilding. Warehouses, docks, and quays were established along the riverbanks to facilitate commerce and navigation. 

At the time Claudius Buchanan reached Calcutta it was set fair to become a new British capital city, as Constantinople had been in the Roman Empire. Calcutta developed  a central role in what was to become the British Empire. It attracted many artists and their paintings have a distinctly Claudian character. Along the waterfront, one could mistake them for paintings of English landscape gardens. They have rolling grassland and Palladian buildings, as befits a 'palace city'.