The Imperial, New Delhi
Encyclopedia
The Imperial, New Delhi, built in 1931, is a luxury hotel in India, located at Queensway, now called Janpath
, close to Connaught Place
in New Delhi
. It was New Delhi’s first luxurious grand hotel .
Today it has the largest collection of colonial and post-colonial art and artefeacts anywhere in Delhi, and has a museum and an art gallery .
and colonial architecture with a hint of Art Deco
style by architect, D.J. Bromfield, an associate of Edwin Lutyens
, who in turn designed the new capital of British Raj
, New Delhi
, also inaugurated in the same year, and contained in Lutyens' Delhi
. The Imperial was built by S.B.S. Ranjit Singh, son of R.B.S. Narain Singh, honoured by the British Raj
, at the Coronation Durbar of 1911, wherein New Delhi was declared the new Capital of India from Calcutta .
The hotel was restored by its General Manager and Vice President, Mr Harvinder Sekhon, between 1996 and 2001. During his tenure, the Imperial hosted the Queen of the Netherlands, Hollywood actors and actresses, adventurers, and tycoons. He also opened the six restaurants and bars which are called "Spice Route", "Patiala Peg Bar", "1911 Restaurant and Bar", "Daniells Tavern" and "San Gimignano". Please also refer to the "New Delhi Hotel Opens Door to Art, Los Angeles Times, December 7, 1997, Associated Press" and "India: Fishlock's empire by Mr. Trevor Fishlock, Daily Telegraph, London, November 27, 2000.
, Mahatama Gandhi, Mohd. Ali Jinnah and Lord Mountbatten met to discuss the Partition of India
and the birth of Pakistan.
Janpath
Janpath , translated the "People's Path", is one of the main roads in New Delhi. It starts out as Radial Road 1 in Connaught Place, adjacent to Palika Bazaar, and runs North-South perpendicular to, and past Rajpath...
, close to Connaught Place
Connaught Place, New Delhi
Connaught Place Connaught Place Connaught Place (Hindi: कनॉट प्लेस, (officially Rajiv Chowk) is one of the largest financial, commercial and business centers in Delhi. It is often abbreviated as CP and houses the headquarters of several Indian firms. Its surroundings occupy a place of pride...
in New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
. It was New Delhi’s first luxurious grand hotel .
Today it has the largest collection of colonial and post-colonial art and artefeacts anywhere in Delhi, and has a museum and an art gallery .
History
The hotel was opened in 1931, designed in mix of VictorianVictorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
and colonial architecture with a hint of Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
style by architect, D.J. Bromfield, an associate of Edwin Lutyens
Edwin Lutyens
Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens, OM, KCIE, PRA, FRIBA was a British architect who is known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era...
, who in turn designed the new capital of British Raj
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
, New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
, also inaugurated in the same year, and contained in Lutyens' Delhi
Lutyens' Delhi
Lutyens' Delhi is an area in Delhi, specifically New Delhi, India, named after the leading British architect Edwin Lutyens , who was responsible for much of the architectural design and building when India was part of the British Empire in the 1920s and 1930s...
. The Imperial was built by S.B.S. Ranjit Singh, son of R.B.S. Narain Singh, honoured by the British Raj
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
, at the Coronation Durbar of 1911, wherein New Delhi was declared the new Capital of India from Calcutta .
The hotel was restored by its General Manager and Vice President, Mr Harvinder Sekhon, between 1996 and 2001. During his tenure, the Imperial hosted the Queen of the Netherlands, Hollywood actors and actresses, adventurers, and tycoons. He also opened the six restaurants and bars which are called "Spice Route", "Patiala Peg Bar", "1911 Restaurant and Bar", "Daniells Tavern" and "San Gimignano". Please also refer to the "New Delhi Hotel Opens Door to Art, Los Angeles Times, December 7, 1997, Associated Press" and "India: Fishlock's empire by Mr. Trevor Fishlock, Daily Telegraph, London, November 27, 2000.
Heritage
Hotel Imperial, New Delhi is well known for its heritage and legacy. It has a well known bar called 'Patiala Peg'. It was this hotel and the bar where Pandit Jawaharlal NehruJawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
, Mahatama Gandhi, Mohd. Ali Jinnah and Lord Mountbatten met to discuss the Partition of India
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
and the birth of Pakistan.