Contents Acknowledgementsxi Introduction 1 CHAPTER 1: MORPHOLOGY OF THE NATIVE QUARTER 1.1 LOCATION & PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS 8 o Location of North Calcutta o The linkages o The parts that made the 'place' o The urban level issues o Building materials and construction methods o The durability issues 1.2 FORMATION PATTERNS 18 o The 'para' or neighbourhood o Traditional 'para' formation o Redefinition of the'para' o The 'para' as a mosaic of communities o Significance of the 'para' 1.3 THE 'PARA'- STREET - HOUSE RELATIONSHIP24 o Physical characteristics of the 'para' o The street and its implications o The built-form in relation to the street o Neighbourhood analysis o Role of the individual house in the 'para' CHAPTER 2: PEOPLE OF THE NATIVE QUARTER 2.1 ORIGIN& BACKGROUND 40 o The rural to urban shift o Ownership in land o Altered preferences 2.2 SOCIO-CULTURAL SCENARIO & ITS EFFECTS 48 o Society in 19th century Calcutta o 'Bobu-culture': emergence of a new class in the social structure o Position of the house within new framework o Change through the decline of 'bafau-culture' 2.3 THE HOUSE vs SOCIAL CONSTRUCT56 o The dwelling as a representative of the social issues o The facade vs social constuct o Spatial organisation vs social construct o The public domain vs social construct o The private domain vs social construct o Articulation of elements vs social construct CHAPTER 3: INFLUENCES ON THE TYPOLOGY 3.1 ARCHITECTURE OF THE EUROPEAN QUARTER 70 o British concerns for an appropriate architecture o Public architecture of the'white town' o Design elements- a reference bank for the native elite 3.2 EUROPEAN DOMESTIC ARCHITECTURE-mansions & palazzos 78 o Possible influencing factors o Influences at organisational level o Influences at volumetric level o Influences at element design level 3.3 COLONIAL DOMESTIC ARCHITECTURE-the bungalow in Calcutta 86 o Possible influencing factors o In search of an appropriate house-form o The design alterations o Influences at organisational level 3.4 VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE- the village setting of Bengal 92 o Primary aspects of village formation o The residential-religious link in rural life o Translation of the thakurdalan in the urban context o Vernacular domestic architecture- the pavilion house o Transformation of the house in the urban context CHAPTER 4: CASE-STUDIES- the'elite' residences 4.1 HOUSE OF RAMDULAL DEY, 67A&EBeadon Street 112 4.2 HOUSE OF KHELAT CHANDRAGHOSH, 47Pathuriaghata Street 132 4.3 HOUSE OF NANDALAL & PASHUPATINATH BOSE, 65 Bag bazaar Street154 Conclusion 175 Postscript 181 Annexures- Measure Drawing Dataxii Glossaryxviii Bibliography xx Chapterwise Referencesxxii Illustration Credits xxv