Clive House:Among Top 10 Best Oldest Diamond Heritage Building Of Kolkata

91, RastraGuru Aveneue Ramgarh, South Dumdum, West Bengal 700028, this is now the address of the one of the oldest existing buildings in Bengal. Clive house or DumDum house or borokuthi is a very important witness of Indian History. The significant architectural feature of this house is built on a raised mound and surrounded by a moat. According to the British civil servant Lewis O’Malley, “DumDum” is an altered form of “Dumduma” which means a raised mound or sequence. This is the house which witnessed a vile English robber ‘Robert Clive’ robbed our freedom. He defeated Nawab siraj ud daulah through conspiracy. This story of “treachery” has cleared the doubt how India did became a British colony .Presently it is considered the heritage building & British colonial building India.

History of the incredible edifice

The controversial history of the original owner and the era of this heritage Building

There are different views about the first owner and period of construction of Kolkata’s oldest existing auburn heritage building, Clive House. Precisely, I can say some darkness still exists at the origin of this oldest building. A study conducted by “The Archaeological Survey of India” has discovered that the bricks indicate the period between the late 17th and the early 18th centuries. This historic Auburn heritage building (Clive House) could have been a Portuguese or Dutch factory or warehouse of cotton or salt. Later, it is likely that Nawab Alibardi Khan first built this house, after which his grandson Siraj inherited it. Another controversy optioned by some historians is that the historical treaty of Alinagar (also known as the Treaty of Calcutta) was signed in this house on February 9, 1757, between the Nawab of Bengal, Mirza Muhammad Siraj ud-Daulah, and the East India Company. After the battle of Plassi, it passed into the hands of Lord Robert Clive, who wielded it as his place of power (1757–60). After Siraj was defeated in the battle of Plassi, this house was given by Meer Zafar (the man who deceived the Nawab Siraj) as a gift to Robert Clive. During the East India Company’s prime period in the 18th century, Clive House became a common focal point for Europeans.

Alteration & renovation of Clive house after battle of Plassey

First governor of bengal Robert Clive introduced some changes in his country house(Clive House) after the battle of Plassey. He added an upper floor and renovated the building. He constructed this house to secure a side fire along each face with underground vault. It yet had an underground tunnel stretched up to another house in present Mall Road area. Prior to seized by Robert Clive this house was single storey building surrounded by a moat. The depth of the walls was from 4 to 8 feet thick. He set up the extensive gardens and the stroll. He also included a portico to the new southern entrance… A gloomy plaque at the entrance of the outback structure Indicates that Lord Clive did stay here. It has been noticed that after the renovation done by Robert Clive this house had lost its defense position to protect from artillery. There is a myth circulating among locals that the mound where Clive House situated was erected in a single night and the houses including the grounds are haunted. The British civil servant Lewis O’Malley mentioned this narrative in Gazetteer of 24 Pagans (1911CE)

Quotes “It appears to have been originally a one-storied blockhouse, so constructed as to secure a flank fire along each side, in underground chambers or cellars. The walls were of great thickness… further strengthened by huge buttresses, between which the walls were loop-holed for musketry. No authentic account of the origin of this building can be found… The native tradition is that the mound on which it stands was thrown up by a spirit in a single night and to this day the house and the grounds have the reputation of being haunted.”

This information is available from some documents that the original plan of “Dumdum Road” was drawn by Lady Clive but there are differences of opinion on this matter. We got another reference about DumDum Road in Robert Orme’s ‘History of the War inBengal’, 1798.There he mentioned that Robert Clive crossed the Nawab’s Sealdah camp and marched forward towards Dum Dum Road “The road leads to Dum Dum, an old building stationed on a mound”. It indicates that there was already “DumDum road” existed. We can count this house as the initial axis point of one of the first British colony was in Asian continent.

Why did Mr.  & Mrs. Robert Clive chooses to live in outskirts of Calcutta (now Kolkata)?

Robert Clive and his wife Margaret Clive chosen to live 4 miles remote from Calcutta which was a pretty drab area of countryside. A few reasons are known from different data. We came to know from one source that the Bengal Artillery used this abandoned place as a firing range; and would sooner or later choose it as their main depository in India. On the other hand Clive’s biographer, Mark Bence-Jones, mentioned that due to unhealthy and unpleasant weather conditions the couple decided to stay 4 miles outside Calcutta. Robert & Margaret Clive lost their daughter Jenny in the autumn of 1757, as she couldn’t accustom to the weather and passed away. Margaret stayed here two and a half years (1757 – 1760) after her daughter’s sad demise in this country house at Dum Dum near by the north of the settlement. Later Clive returned alone to India to serve his last spell (1765- 1767).Clive used to visit this house accompanied by Edmund Maskelyne and Clive’s physician Samuel Ingham to spent most of the time during this period. Clive house is a yard stick of modern history spectrum.

The House after Robert Clive

After Clive, the Clive House has been sold many times. The house was auctioned off by East India Company after few years of Clive’s exit from India. An advertisement was in published in the year 1774 and the two-storied residence along with garden was sold off.We got very interesting proof from different records that The Dum Dum House once owned by Mutty Lal Seal from Colootola ,Calcutta. Mutty Lal Seal was a wealthy businessman (1792- 1854) was known for his philanthropic movements. He had founded many schools, colleges, bathing ghat, almshouse; etc.DumDum house has been purchased by his cloth merchant father in the auction. Some records advocate that Dum Dum house became residence of the Cantonment Magistrate in 1880.It was also owned as a private residence of notable Englishmen and lastly in 1890s, it served as a center of operations of Presidency Volunteer Reserve Battalion. In early 20^th century, the British sovereigns once more referred the Dum Dum House as “Clive House” for the purpose of promotion of their glorious past in Indian regime. From The Reverend W. K. Firminger’s writings in 1906 we learn that the place gained importance as a popular and fashionable country-retreat to visit on the outskirts .of Calcutta due to the introduction of electric tram service to DumDum. Later, a travel guide ‘ Banglar rail bhraman’  published (probably it was published in 1930s)by the Eastern Railway mentioned ‘DumDum’ as a weekend destination to visit near Calcutta. I read the book while doing my Master’s. It was kept in Visva- Bharati University central Library.

Clive House after India wins freedom

“Clive house” was also utilized as the local ration office but this building was badly damaged when refugees started using this building. They illegally occupied entire two storied building. The occupancy of the house by refugees had an undesirable outcome with no restitution or refurbished work being done for decades. Eventually the top floor except and most of the rooms on the ground floor was damaged. The broken feeble front structure of the house is the evidence of upper floor. I can notice the ground floor ballroom area though it is in dilapidated condition but thick round pillars and broken wood planks confirm the majesty of the architecture of this abode. define heritage building A few portion of the Clive House have been restored by the Archeological Survey of India – Kolkata Circle but complete restoration work is yet to be completed. In spite of that we can define the Clive house as heritage building .I found a local office of ASI just besides this site but the office is closed most of the time. There are illegal residents around Clive House; they are also another major cause of massive annihilation of this heritage building. The establishment is trying to negotiate for some rehabilitation to protect this house from further damage. During 1970s, an Air Training Institute had established in the first floor at one phase, it’s not there now. Clive house is now included in the English heritage building listings.

Evidence of habitations from the first century CE in The Clive House periphery

In 2001, a decorated slice of pottery found from the mound, made concerned the ASI authority. A widespread excavation conducted by Archaeological Survey of India just north side (local people called “Unchu Math”) of the Clive house. This excavation revealed 4 human skeletons, pottery remains, swords and coins. These collected remains indicate the existence of civilization even before Christ. May be this excavation will open another new wing of the history of South Bengal. Archaeologists are assuming the existence of civilization over 2,000 years old. The excavation done at the mound discovered almost twelve diverse layers of civilizations including artifacts, pottery and charcoal.ASI claimed that they got the evidence of floods in this area. The mound is having the multiple layers of soil deposits which prove that there was some continuous settlement .The ASI authority also added that there is an  evidence of a palaeochannel that connected the site to the Ganga,” . The ASI spokes person stated that they have sent all found objects for scientific dating which can enlighten us about the exact date of this settlement. Archaeologists predict that the habitations of Dum Dum area is also contemporary to Chandraketugarh .As this place is  near to Chandraketugarh in North 24 Parganas district where the excavations  happened in 1950s and the 1960s had discovered a uninterrupted succession of habitations, alienated into six periods from the pre-Mauryan to the Pala period. In 2006, Bimal Bandopadhyay, the then superintending archaeologist of ASI, Calcutta Circle, had declared in a press conference that  they were very positive about to complete the task of restoration of the house in two years. They had planned to set up a museum in the building and it would have been opened for public. Alas the restoration work has been stopped for infinite period there has been no indication of any further progress for several years till date. Clive house, this diamond heritage building of Kolkata is yet to be restored.

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Another excavation found a missing link of Robert Clive

An excavation which was conducted in March, 2023, resulted in the discovery of 2 cast iron cannons at Dumdum central jail bus stop. Central bus stop is very close to Clive House. I am living in DumDum since 27 years. While waiting at the ‘central jail’ bus stop, I used to see things like 2 iron pillars and never thought of it. The two most neglected objects were used when Nawab Siraj ud daulah attacked ‘Fort William’. Both cannons were made between 1750 – 1756 CE. These are much larger in size than contemporary cannons. Maximum portion of cannons were buried under the terrain. Only the barrels of the cannons were sticking out. A very important lost chapter in the history of Kolkata and India has been found. Very little information is known so far, I am eager to know more historical information. Let the unknown history being extracted from this missing link project. But it is assured that ‘Clive House’ has some connection with these cannons.

Conclusion

At present like some western countries India is also getting a fat amount of earnings through heritage tourism. If this house converted one portion as a museum and another part as a heritage retreat same as before then the government will generate lot of revenue from heritage tourism (even possibility of foreign revenue generation cannot be ignored). On the other hand govt. could have introduced ‘son-et-lumiere’ show in this place even. It could be recreated as a scene “the script should start from the defeat of Siraj in battle of Plassey and this house has been grabbed by Clive ….. Robert Clive & Mrs. Clive is spending their leisure family time with their little daughter here. Lady Clive playing a musical instrument and Robert Clive is going through some documents between the puffs of bejewelled hookah….” These are some suggestions I would like to bring to the notice of our Government authority. This heritage building in Kolkata will generate the cost of preservation of this historic house. At the same time our country will also benefit commercially. Clive house located in an advantageous location near to International airport (established in 1930CE) and well connected to multifarious transport services like metro rail, railway service as well as roadways. So if we develop this place as a heritage tourist destination it will get immense response and another new door would have been opened for tourism perception.

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