Historic August Kranti Maidan to sport gate with stones salvaged from British-era bridges

In order to preserve the legacy of Mumbai’s architecture, the civic officials, instead of disposing of the basalt stones from the old structures, decided to reuse them to beautify the entrance of the iconic August Kranti Maidan ground.

An official at the BMC’s Heritage Cell said, “Like the rest of the bridges, basalt stones extracted during the demolition of the Reay Road Bridge were numbered and preserved scientifically. By then, conservation work of the August Kranti Maidan had commenced. We then conceptualised the idea to recycle the basalt stones by using them for the new gate columns at the maidan.”

The process of relocation of the stones and the construction of the new entrance took four months to complete.

Earlier, the August Maidan gate had a simple metal frame. The officials added that the idea was conceived to ensure that the beautiful workmanship of the British era architecture be preserved and safeguarded.

The idea for conserving the stones was first floated by additional municipal commissioner Ashwini Bhide and the BMC rop-ed in senior conservation architect Pankaj Joshi for the project.

“The stones hold a rich historic value. Hence, instead of discarding them, we decided to use them to erect piers for the gates at the August Kranti Maidan, which was being restored. With the initiative, we have virtually embedded the history of Reay Road Bridge into the August Kranti Maidan, which in itself is of historical significance,” Joshi told The Indian Express Wednesday.

“We have also recommended the creation of conservation yards where the BMC can collect such stones as they have a lot of utility,” he added.

While work on the two piers on the main entrance of the August Kranti Maidan has been completed barring some final finishing touch, the rear gate is still under construction.

Alongside the Reay Road Bridge, basalt stones from several bridges such as Carnac bridge and Delisle Bridge have also been collected and stored by the BMC, to use in other heritage works. “We plan to construct several similar structures using these stones from old bridges in the near future,” said the civic body official.

He added, “These days, most structures are constructed using cement. Now, someone visiting the August Kranti Maidan will be reminded of Mumbai’s rich legacy.”