La Martiniere Pillar, Lucknow, 1858

Photograph by Felice Beato (1825-1907), Indian Mutiny (1857-1859), 1858.

One of the buildings made famous during the 1857 rising was La Martinière, seen here from beside the lake, with Parker's column in the foreground. It was built by Frenchman Claude Martin in 1795, though he died before its completion in 1802. Initially designed as a country house, it was converted into a school for boys. At the start of the Indian Mutiny, it was occupied by the insurgents, but evacuated in November 1857 with the news of Sir Colin Campbell's advance. During Sir Colin's second attack in March 1858, it was found deserted and was thus one of the few monuments in Lucknow to escape damage.