Daily Archives: 31/03/2019

Sunday 31st March 2019 It is easy to forget that, following Viceroy of India John Lawrence’s decision to move the capital of the British Raj from New Delhi to the hill station of Shimla in 1863, for six months of the year this was the headquarters of the government of India. In our guide book, the address of the Viceregal Lodge is given as The Mall and although this road spans four miles, as this has been a more sedentary holiday than we usually have we thought we would try walking. A more accurate address, which is given elsewhere, would be near Observatory Hill. There are no tuk-tuks or cows on the streets of Shimla and the traffic is therefore calmer than in other towns and cities. There are many hairpin bends on the roads to cope with the steep gradients but there are plenty of traffic police wearing curious shiny white hats shaped like those worn by Canadian Mounties, to direct and control the flow of vehicles. Our route took us back past the Post Office [below right] and the Railway Board Building [below left], which was built between 1896 and 1897 using cast iron and steel to ensire it […]