Calcutta General Post Office
General Post Office, Kolkata (Calcutta) is the imposing central post office of the city of Kolkata, India and the chief post office of West Bengal. Situated in the B.B.D. Bagh area, it handles most of the city’s inbound and outbound mail and parcels.
Designed by Walter B. Grenville, the general post office was built in 1864 for a total cost of was RS. 6,50,000. The function of the Post Office started in 1864. A second opinion suggests the date as 1868.
It is located on the site of the first Fort William and is alleged to be the site of the infamous Black Hole of Calcutta (1756). It is highly recognizable for its high (220 feet) domed roof and Ionic-Corinthian pillars.
A Philatelic Bureau is located on the southwestern end of the building. On the eastern staircase, an inscription is visible even to this day which reads “The lines in the adjacent steps and pavement, mark the position and extent of part of the South East bastion of old Fort William. The extreme South-East point being 95 feet from this wall.”
A Postal Museum was built in 1884 and displays a collection of artefacts and stamps.
Glanville was also responsible for designing the main railway station in Calcutta (1869).
