Address : Mahatma Gandhi Marg Deep Manak Nagar,Qaiserbagh Lucknow, UP – 226001

Visiting Timings : The Residency remains open on all days of the week. One can visit the place any day from 07:00 AM to 06:00 PM in the evening.

Ticket Price :
Indians : The entry fee is 5 INR per Person
Foreigners: The entry fee is 100 INR per Person

The British Residency – Lucknow’s Architectural Marvel

The British Residency, a popular heritage attraction in Lucknow, now serves as a government office. It also houses a museum along with the tomb of Saadat Ali Khan – the first Nawab of Awadh. Within the Residency are two more important features: Kaisarbagh Palace and an observatory. The building includes a mosque, a judicial post, Imambara, Ommaney’s house, Anderson’s post, a brigade mess, and Sago’s house.

• The Residency, now a great tourist attraction in Lucknow City, was once a residence for the British Residence General. It is also praised as the British Residency and Residency Complex, a group of buildings in one compound.
• Gorgeous gardens and lawns engirdle this historical site, overlooking the Gomti River. All in all, The Residency is a historical gem in Lucknow.
• Its front gate is known as the Baillie guard gate, and one of the most interesting things about The Residency is that it has been a momentous part of the Seige of Lucknow (1857), the ruins of which can still be witnessed at the site. Baillie Guard Gate was named after the first person that stayed in the British Residency, Col. John.
• In the initial days, a practice of Guard of Honour was started by the Nawab of that time.
• Besides the gate, the ruins of The Treasury lie, one of the main features of this prevalent tourist attraction in Lucknow. This part served as a warehouse of wretched cartridges during the war of 1857.
• On one of the walls of The Residency is inscribed in honor of the troops that fought with bravery in the war of 1857. This remembrance is considered to be built later, while the other parts of the building have been intact since the beginning.
• The Residency has graves of around 2000 soldiers that sacrificed their lives during the war of 1857.

History Of The British Residency

Nawab Asaf-ud-Daulah, in the late 1700s, started the construction of The Residency but eventually, it was completed by Saadat Ali Khan. A few years later, it became British personnel’s epicenter. Initially, they were just the diplomats of the East India Company. However, as the dominance of British East India expanded, the city of Lucknow became its administrative center. Consequently, the Residency also came under the British commissioner of Awadh. The biggest affair this place has been a part of is the first war of Independence which was fought in 1857. Lucknow was one of the main centers of this siege, and the main target was The Residency. Cannons and bullets shattered the major part of this place, and even today, the traces of that rebellion can be seen at The Residency.

Architecture :

One of the essential features of this must-visit place in Lucknow is the Banquet Hall, also built by the Nawab. The hall boasts detailed carvings of tall arches, large hallways, and high ceilings. The open space at the back was used as the kitchen in that period. A beautiful fountain in the center at the entrance perfectly complements the place’s beauty. Nearby the banquet hall is the house of Dr. Frayer, which also served as the hideout for the British families during the revolt of 1857. There is a basement in the house which was used as a hideout for the children and women during unfavorable conditions. However, the house was often used as a hospital during the war. Above all, the main building is a must-see at the Residency.