Signal tower, refuge during 1857 Revolt, to a monument: The many faces of Flagstaff Tower

Several historians and writers have written at length about the Flagstaff Tower as it played a significant role in the 1857 Revolt. Initially used for sending telegraph messages, the tower became a temporary refuge for the British during the Revolt.

5 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Mar 27, 2023 09:59 AM IST

It encloses a higher tower, round which steps lead to the roof with embattled parapets. (Photo Credit: Delhi Past and Present by Herbert Charles Fanshawe)

From a signal tower, a refuge house, home to a secret passage to the Red Fort and now a monument in the extension of the Aravalli Range on the Delhi Ridge — Flagstaff Tower has witnessed several important milestones of the city’s history.

Charanjeet Singh (59), a retired Delhi Police officer from Kamla Nagar, has been a daily visitor for about 40 years now. He said: “Since the flagstaff is located at a height, the British used to keep a watch of the entire city from here. They used to stand on the top of the tower holding guns. It is also said that the flagstaff houses a secret passage towards the Red Fort.”

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Singh said he comes to the ridge for a walk every morning, armed with a wooden stick to keep monkeys at bay, and spends some time admiring the beauty of the tower.

Right across the Viceregal Lodge, which today houses the Delhi University Vice-Chancellor’s office, and up a steep road into the Northern Ridge biodiversity park is Flagstaff Tower, nestled among seven other monuments. The one-room circular castellated brick and plaster structure, built around 1828 as a signal tower, is on the highest point of the Ridge past a canopy of trees.

It encloses a higher tower, round which steps lead to the roof with embattled parapets. It has an iron barred entrance gate and iron-grated windows. The structure also has holes in the walls, which historians believe were used to place guns.

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Several historians and writers have written at length about the Flagstaff Tower as it played a significant role in the 1857 Revolt. Initially used for sending telegraph messages, the tower became a temporary refuge for the British during the Revolt. The capture of the tower, first by rebels and then by the British, resulted in massive casualties. The bodies were then dumped in the nearby lake, turning it red; it was later named Khooni Jheel.

Henry George Keene and Edmund Albert Duncan, in their book, Handbook to Delhi, wrote: “On 11th May, 1857, after most Europeans in the Fort and City had been cruelly murdered by the mutineers from Meerut, and after many officers had been shot down by the sepoys of their own regiments, all the survivors, including officers, collected at this tower, which was defended by only two guns, and a few sepoys, whose loyalty was doubtful.”

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They further wrote: “The tower was crowded to suffocation with men, women and children, all hoping for early success from Meerut. When, however, the explosion of the Old Magazine, blown up by Willoughby at about 4 PM, boomed forth like an edict of doom, they relinquished all hope of succour and decided on escaping, if possible, some to Meerut and others to Karnal and Umballa; the only alternative left (to) them being to remain and suffer certain torture, dishonour and death at the hands of merciless, demons, bent on their destruction.”

William Dalrymple, in his book, The Last Mughal, wrote: “The only serious resistance the British met was at the Flagstaff Tower, the scene of such confusion a month earlier. Here alone the sepoys held their ground and ‘met the Europeans with a withering volley which killed many and wounded a great number’. Late in the afternoon there was also a belated attempt at a counter-attack up through the Sabzi Mandi. This was driven off by the Gurkhas with the unsheathed kukri knives. By 5 PM…, the entire Ridge was in British hands.”

Up until the past decade, the flagstaff bore the marks of the bullets and cannons of 1857. “The Flagstaff Tower was the sad spot where the ladies of the cantonment gathered with their children on the afternoon of 11th May, and waited vainly for help from Meerut, or for something to be done, and from which they finally started in sad disorganised flight towards Karnal; and it is only too easy to imagine what their sufferings of that afternoon must have been,” wrote Herbert Charles Fanshawe in his book, Delhi Past and Present.

He further wrote, “It was at the Flagstaff Tower too, that the enemy made their last stand on 8th June, before falling back behind the shelter of the city walls; and four days later, on 12th June, delivered one of their most determined attacks on our position, which compelled us to occupy Metcalfe House.”

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According to Dr AK Singh, scientist in-charge of the Kamla Nehru Ridge, the tower is now under the jurisdiction of the Archaeological Survey of India and is maintained regularly. “We, however, ensure its safety as it is part of the Ridge. Every two years, the building is repaired and taken care of. The tower is amidst several species of flora and fauna which the Ridge is home to today,” he said.

Singh further said that the Ridge experiences a lot of VIP movement and footfall, and it becomes a difficult task to ensure safety as the biodiversity park is spread across 300 acres.

Vidheesha Kuntamalla

Vidheesha Kuntamalla is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express, based in New Delhi. She is known for her investigative reporting on higher education policy, international student immigration, and academic freedom on university campuses. Her work consistently connects policy decisions with lived realities, foregrounding how administrative actions, political pressure, and global shifts affect students, faculty, and institutions. Professional Profile Core Beat: Vidheesha covers education in Delhi and nationally, reporting on major public institutions including the University of Delhi (DU), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Jamia Millia Islamia, the IITs, and the IIMs. She also reports extensively on private and government schools in the National Capital Region. Prior to joining The Indian Express, she worked as a freelance journalist in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for over a year, covering politics, rural issues, women-centric issues, and social justice. Specialisation: She has developed a strong niche in reporting on the Indian student diaspora, particularly the challenges faced by Indian students and H-1B holders in the United States. Her work examines how geopolitical shifts, immigration policy changes, and campus politics impact global education mobility. She has also reported widely on: * Mental health crises and student suicides at IITs * Policy responses to campus mental health * Academic freedom and institutional clampdowns at JNU, South Asian University (SAU), and Delhi University * Curriculum and syllabus changes under the National Education Policy Her recent reporting has included deeply reported human stories on policy changes during the Trump administration and their consequences for Indian students and researchers in the US. Reporting Style Vidheesha is recognised for a human-centric approach to policy reporting, combining investigative depth with intimate storytelling. Her work often highlights the anxieties of students and faculty navigating bureaucratic uncertainty, legal precarity, and institutional pressure. She regularly works with court records, internal documents, official data, and disciplinary frameworks to expose structural challenges to academic freedom. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2024 & 2025) 1. Express Investigation Series JNU’s fault lines move from campus to court: University fights students and faculty (November 2025) An Indian Express investigation found that since 2011, JNU has appeared in over 600 cases before the Delhi High Court, filed by the administration, faculty, staff, students, and contractual workers across the tenures of three Vice-Chancellors. JNU’s legal wars with students and faculty pile up under 3 V-Cs | Rs 30-lakh fines chill campus dissent (November 2025) The report traced how steep monetary penalties — now codified in the Chief Proctor’s Office Manual — are reshaping dissent and disciplinary action on campus. 2. International Education & Immigration ‘Free for a day. Then came ICE’: Acquitted after 43 years, Indian-origin man faces deportation — to a country he has never known (October 2025) H-1B $100,000 entry fee explained: Who pays, who’s exempt, and what’s still unclear? (September 2025) Khammam to Dallas, Jhansi to Seattle — audacious journeys in pursuit of the American dream after H-1B visa fee hike (September 2025) What a proposed 15% cap on foreign admissions in the US could mean for Indian students (October 2025) Anxiety on campus after Trump says visas of pro-Palestinian protesters will be cancelled (January 2025) ‘I couldn’t believe it’: F-1 status of some Indian students restored after US reverses abrupt visa terminations (April 2025) 3. Academic Freedom & Policy Exclusive: South Asian University fires professor for ‘inciting students’ during stipend protests (September 2025) Exclusive: Ministry seeks explanation from JNU V-C for skipping Centre’s meet, views absence ‘seriously’ (July 2025) SAU rows after Noam Chomsky mentions PM Modi, Lankan scholar resigns, PhD student exits SAU A series of five stories examining shrinking academic freedom at South Asian University after global scholar Noam Chomsky referenced Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an academic interaction, triggering administrative unease and renewed debate over political speech, surveillance, and institutional autonomy on Indian campuses. 4. Mental Health on Campuses In post-pandemic years, counselling rooms at IITs are busier than ever; IIT-wise data shows why (August 2025) Campus suicides: IIT-Delhi panel flags toxic competition, caste bias, burnout (April 2025) 5. Delhi Schools These Delhi government school grads are now success stories. Here’s what worked — and what didn’t (February 2025) ‘Ma’am… may I share something?’ Growing up online and alone, why Delhi’s teens are reaching out (December 2025) ... Read More

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