Once of Raj-era Calcutta’s foremost squares, BBD Bagh is centred on a palm-lined central reservoir-lake (‘tank’) that once supplied the young city’s water. Although concrete intrusions detract from the overall spectacle, many a splendid colonial-era edifice remains including the grand cupola-topped 1860s GPO and the 1780 Writers’ Building , whose glorious south facade looks something like a French provincial city hall. It was originally built for clerks (‘writers’) of the East India Company. St Andrews Church has a fine Wren-style spire and the former Chartered Bank Building has a vaguely Moorish feel.
