Bringing the Kingsway Stores Home: Our Exhibition Opens in Accra15 Jan – Easter
On 15th January, we celebrated the opening of “Shopping Emporiums of West Africa: The Kingsway Stores” at Jamestown Cafe and Gallery in Accra, marking a significant milestone in our ongoing research into the architectural and commercial legacy of the United Africa Company. The launch evening brought together an engaged audience including President of the Ghana Institute of Architects Tony Asare, Dr Abena Busia, and Ronnie Micallef, the incoming High Commissioner of Malta in Accra, for what proved to be a thought-provoking discussion about retail modernism, colonial commerce, and architectural heritage in West Africa. David Kojo Derban gave a wonderful opening talk to contextualise the exhibition, along with a wider welcome from cafe and gallery owner architect Joe Owusu Addo.
The exhibition represents the culmination of over 5 years of collaborative research examining the Kingsway department store chain, which operated across West Africa throughout much of the twentieth century. Working alongside Unilever archivist Claire Tunstall and colleagues Ewan Harrison, Rixt Woudstra, Paul Robinson, and Michele Tenzon, we’ve traced the fascinating story of these iconic shopping emporiums from their inception through the independence periods of West Africa and beyond.
This work forms part of our broader investigation into the United Africa Company, published last year by Bloomsbury as “Architecture, Empire, Trade.” In our recent Journal of Design History article, co-authored with Ewan Harrison, Irene Appeaning Addo, and Oluwaseun Muraina, we wrote that “Kingsway responded to independence by instrumentalizing a particularly modernist domesticity through a series of didactic marketing efforts and the construction of boldly modernist new stores.” The article reveals how these stores weren’t simply places of commerce but architectural statements where “modernism is here revealed as complexly imbricated with colonial and neocolonial profit-seeking.”
The exhibition itself has journeyed from Liverpool to Ghana, carefully packed and stored at Jamestown Cafe before being installed in early January. Two freestanding pavilions display archival photographs from the Unilever Archive, accompanied by newly commissioned 3D-printed models created by Liverpool School of Architecture students and archival films that bring the stores’ bustling atmosphere to life. The pavilions themselves, fabricated using CNC routers by our expert technical team at Liverpool lead by James Galliford, echo the modernist architectural language of the stores they document.
What makes presenting this exhibition in Accra particularly meaningful is the opportunity to share this research in the very city where the first Kingsway store stood. The ruins stand next door to the gallery – a poignant reminder of this commercial and architectural heritage. Through collaboration with Allotey Bruce Konuah, we’ve extended the exhibition beyond the gallery walls with vinyl street banners installed on both the gallery exterior, creating a dialogue between past and present. The banners also contain QR codes so visitors and passers-by can freely download the catalogue.
Our commitment to sharing this research extends beyond this single exhibition. We were interviewed on Asaase Radio morning show and it was great to share our work with a broader audience across Ghana. Following the exhibitions run in Accra through to Easter, we hope to tour the exhibition to other venues, continuing the conversation about how retail modernism, colonial commerce, and architectural heritage intersect. This exhibition reminds us that architecture is never merely about buildings; it’s about the economic, social, and political systems that produce them.
The two major projects under construction in the city that we reported on in 2022 – Cathedral and Marine Drive have both stalled, and both projects are now under-review and reassessment – leaving behind faded hoardings and large vacant sites. At least the Community Centre and Ghana Club have some reprieve.
I also visited the Rex Cinema and Opera Cinema – both still looking excellent with their small scale intriguing entrance portals hiding their vast open-air screening areas.
The Kingsway Exhibition has been sent to Accra and carefully stored at the Jamestown Cafe for a few months now. We were finally able to unpack the vast pallet on Friday morning and spent the weekend constructing the two pavilions and installing the light boxes and panels.
The exhibition is being extended and reimagined through a further collaboration with Allotey Bruce Konuah on a series of vinyl street banners that will be installed on the exterior walls of the gallery space, as well as on the old ruined Kingsway Stores portico located next door.
The opening night is 15th January and all welcome. The exhibition will remain until Easter before it moves on…
Thank you to James Galliford and the Liverpool School of Architecture Technical Team for their expertise on the fabrication and installation, and to Claire Tunstall and Unilever Archives team for all their help and support sourcing the images and visuals.
In 1958, the Ghana Arts Council and the Rockefeller Foundation provided the necessary funding to set up ‘the Experimental Theatre Players’ spearheaded by Efua Sutherland and Joe Degraft. Architects Gerlach and Gillies-Reyburn were commissioned to design the structure which was based around two performance stages – one ‘in the round’ and the other a proscenium arch theatre. It was Sutherland who generated the design strategy,
“Conceptualized by Sutherland, the dominance of traditional motifs in the architectural design of this theatre edifice was a statement of cultural renaissance, independence, and nationalism because she believed “political independence suggested cultural autonomy”
(Anku, S. S. (2022). (Post) Colonial Ghanaian Attitudes Towards Ibsen: An Overview of Ibsen Reception in Ghana Between 1930 and 1966. Ibsen Studies, 22(1), 3–30. https://doi.org/10.1080/15021866.2022.2063977).
The stages are enclosed by a series of interlocked rooms built from sandcrete and providing changing, offices, and other ancillary functions. The project received a full write up in the West African Builder and Architect journal in 1962.
Images from West African Builder and Architect, 1962
“It was a small structure, unpretentious but handsome, traditional in inspiration yet modern in design. The dazzling whitewashed walls with their dark trim resembled a village compound and were meant to. Inside, at one end, a platform stage was covered by an overhanging roof; but the auditorium, with its seats of carved Ghanaian stools, was open to the night sky. It stood in a rough, weedy place approached by dusty footpaths, its simplicity contrasting sharply with the gaudy grandeur of Accra’s nearby Ambassador Hotel. The crowds were gathering at the entrance that was shaped like a huge traditional stool and flanked by two massive Akuaba dolls, sculpted male and female symbols of fertility”
(Anku, S. S. (2022). (Post) Colonial Ghanaian Attitudes Towards Ibsen: An Overview of Ibsen Reception in Ghana Between 1930 and 1966. Ibsen Studies, 22(1), 3–30. https://doi.org/10.1080/15021866.2022.2063977)
Anku further notes that the theatre was “replicated and relocated to the School of Performing Arts premises at the University of Ghana” – it’s unusual for a building to be entirely remade in a new location. The old site, as Anku notes, was near the Ambassador Hotel – this is now where the Mövenpick Hotel is located. Was the structure physically demolished, moved, and rebuilt? Perhaps the old site is where the National Theatre is located today?
The new Drama Studio at University of Ghana, Legon. Photograph by Phanuel Parbey
The July-August 2025 edition of the Architectural Review has published an extended 9-page feature article written by Lois Quartey and Julia Gallagher on the Accra Community Centre, Ghana. The building designed by Maxwell Fry and Jane Drew, with Theo Crosby as the lead assistant, opened in 1951 and quickly became an important educational, cultural, and social hub in the city. It was paid for by the United Africa Company in an attempt to foster local support after its ‘Swanmill’ HQ was looted and burned following the 1948 Accra riots. TAG provided some drawings and photographs that accompany the article.
The primary thrust of the piece is to raise awareness of this significant historic structure – especially how it was used in the independence campaigns and beyond – and to stress just how vulnerable this building is. Currently being used as a mere store and at risk from the Marine Drive development plan – the article expands on what we covered here https://transnationalarchitecture.group/2022/06/22/accras-renaissance-fishing-harbour-marine-drive-and-a-new-cathedral/ back in 2022.
It’s a deceptively simple and even ordinary building at first sight – but after spending time exploring it’s two interconnected courtyards and assembly hall it quickly begins to feel at home, climatically comfortable, and a nice place to be. It’s also a significant structure because of its design pedigree and especially because of its political significance – so many important speeches, gatherings, and events took place here in the advent to independence and beyond. It’s also home to one of the largest installations by leading artist Kofi Antubam – that alone should secure its future. Our model that replicates one made by Fry and Drew featured in the recent V&A Tropical Modernism exhibition too.
If foreign and leading agencies such as the V&A museum and Architectural Review are prepared to give this seemingly humble building exposure, critique, and cause for preservation – surely the case can be made to restore this heritage structure and to weave it into the wider Marine Drive masterplan. Champions of Ghanaian culture https://www.design233.com/articles/in-trust-for-the-people are behind saving these works and raising awareness, but much more needs to be done.
To deliberately allow a ‘managed decline’ and slow demolition is a tragic waste and short sighted view of the building’s rich political history.
Accra’s James Fort is an iconic monument for Ghana and modern Africa. This lecture explores the fort’s evolution -from its role as a trading post in the early European-African encounters, through its significance during the trans-Atlantic trade and enslavement, to its later use as a modern colonial prison in the post-independence era. It also explores its connection to Ghana’s liberation movement, particularly its role in imprisoning Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and other political leaders during their resistance to British rule. Today, this monument represents the resilience, talent and creative potential of a sustainable future for Ghana and its youthful population.
This report presents findings from a comprehensive survey of 48 archives, collections, and repositories across Northwest England that contain significant West African historical material (1880-1980). We should have an interactive map of the archive locations published here shortly….
Here is a list of the archives consulted and key information for each collection/location/repository:
The research reveals a substantial but under-explored archival landscape that offers exceptional opportunities for advancing historical research into West Africa and its relationship with Northwest England. The collections span diverse themes including colonial administration, trade networks, missionary activities, healthcare, urban development, and cultural exchange, providing rich source material for interdisciplinary research projects.
Research Scope and Methodology
Geographic and Temporal Parameters
The survey focused on historical West African material from former British colonies including Ghana, Gambia, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria, with additional consideration of materials from Congo, Cameroon, Senegal, Mali, and Niger. The temporal scope encompasses the period 1880-1980, capturing the late colonial period through to early post-independence developments.
Thematic Categories
Research materials were categorised across key themes:
History and heritage studies
Urban design and city planning
Public health and medical history
Architecture and built environment
Trade and commercial networks
Religious and missionary activities
Colonial administration
Collection Assessment Framework
Each archive was evaluated using a systematic approach that assessed:
Type and format of materials (books, photographs, manuscripts, ephemera, artifacts)
Primary thematic focus
Volume and extent of holdings
Accessibility and research potential
Relevance rating (1-5 star system that reflected how useful the archive would be to our research interests in the built environment and history)
Key Findings: Archive Landscape and Research Potential
Distribution and Scale
The survey identified 48 archives across Northwest England, primarily concentrated in the Merseyside region but extending to Manchester, Lancaster, and Chester. Seven archives achieved the highest relevance rating (5 stars), each containing over 20 linear metres of diverse West African materials spanning multiple themes and formats.
Material Types and Research Applications
The collections encompass diverse formats offering multiple research approaches:
Documentary Sources:
Colonial administrative records
Trade and shipping documentation
Medical and health records
Urban planning documents
Personal correspondence and diaries
Visual Materials:
Photographs documenting colonial life, urban development, and cultural practices
Architectural drawings and city plans
Maps and surveys
Artistic representations
Material Culture:
Artifacts and objects
Textiles and decorative arts
Ceramics and sculptures
Models and architectural elements
Corporate Archives: Exceptional Research Resources
Unilever and United Africa Company Archives: The Unilever archives, particularly the United Africa Company (UAC) collection, represent one of the most comprehensive corporate archives relating to West African economic history. UAC, established in 1929 through the merger of the Royal Niger Company and the African and Eastern Trade Corporation, became the largest trading company in West Africa. The archives contain:
Extensive Trading Records: Documentation of palm oil, cocoa, groundnut, and timber trades spanning decades
Infrastructure Development: Records of store construction, transport networks, and commercial facilities across West Africa
Labour and Employment: Personnel records, training programs, and workforce development initiatives
Technology Transfer: Documentation of agricultural techniques, processing methods, and industrial development
Local Partnerships: Records of relationships with African traders, suppliers, and business partners
Post-Independence Adaptation: Materials documenting corporate strategy during decolonization and nationalist movements
These materials offer unique insights into corporate colonialism, the mechanics of extractive economies, and the complex negotiations between European capital and African societies. The collection provides essential source material for understanding how global commodity chains operated at ground level and their impact on local communities.
Barclays Bank Archive: The Barclays collection contains extensive documentation of banking operations across West Africa, including:
Colonial Banking Development: Records of branch establishment, credit systems, and monetary policy
Financial Networks: Documentation of money transfers, currency exchange, and international finance
Agricultural Finance: Materials on crop financing, seasonal credit, and agricultural development programs
Commercial Lending: Records of business loans, trade financing, and commercial development
Post-Colonial Banking: Materials documenting the transition to independence and continued financial relationships
The banking records provide crucial insights into how financial systems shaped economic development, facilitated trade networks, and influenced social relations across West Africa. These materials are particularly valuable for understanding the mechanics of colonial extraction and the evolution of financial institutions in post-colonial Africa.
Thematic Strengths for Research Development
Urban Development and Planning: The Archives contain substantial materials on colonial urban development, infrastructure projects, and city planning initiatives. These sources offer opportunities to examine how European urban planning concepts were implemented in West African contexts and their lasting impact on contemporary cities.
Medical and Public Health History: Rich documentation of colonial health initiatives, medical practices, and public health campaigns provides foundation for research into the history of medicine in West Africa, disease management, and the development of healthcare infrastructure.
Commercial and Trade Networks: Extensive shipping, banking, and commercial records illuminate the economic relationships between Northwest England and West Africa, offering insights into trade networks, commodity flows, and economic development patterns. Of particular significance are the Unilever archives (including the United Africa Company records) and the Barclays Bank archive, which contain unparalleled documentation of corporate operations, trading networks, and financial systems that shaped West African economic development throughout the colonial and post-colonial periods.
Religious and Cultural Exchange: Missionary records, religious materials, and cultural documentation provide resources for examining religious transformation, cultural exchange, and the complex dynamics of colonial encounter.
Colonial Administration: Administrative records and governance documents enable research into colonial policy implementation, administrative structures, and the mechanics of imperial control.
Research Opportunities and Applications
Interdisciplinary Research Potential
The diversity of materials supports multiple disciplinary approaches:
Historical Research:
Comparative studies of colonial administration across West African territories
Economic history of trans-Atlantic trade networks
Social history of colonial encounters and cultural exchange
Urban Studies:
Evolution of colonial cities and urban planning
Infrastructure development and its contemporary implications
Architectural history and building practices
Medical History:
Development of tropical medicine
Public health initiatives and their outcomes
Medical knowledge transfer and adaptation
Cultural Studies:
Missionary activities and religious transformation
Cultural exchange and hybrid practices
Art, material culture, and aesthetic transformation
Collaborative Research Framework
The geographic concentration of archives creates opportunities for:
Multi-Archive Projects: Researchers can access complementary materials across institutions, enabling comprehensive studies that draw on diverse source types and perspectives.
Network Building: The established archive network provides foundation for collaborative research initiatives, shared resources, and coordinated access to materials. The University of Liverpool and AHUWA are particularly well-positioned to serve as coordinating institutions/centres for multi-archive research projects, leveraging their expertise in West African studies and established international partnerships.
Digital Humanities Applications: The variety of materials (textual, visual, material) offers opportunities for digital humanities projects, including digitization initiatives, database development, and online exhibitions. The University of Liverpool’s digital humanities infrastructure and AHUWA’s focus on accessibility make this an ideal location for developing innovative digital approaches to archival research.
Strategic Recommendations for Research Development
Institutional Research Capacity: University of Liverpool and AHUWA
University of Liverpool Research Infrastructure: The University of Liverpool is exceptionally well-positioned to capitalise on this rich archival landscape. As a leading institution in historical research with strong connections to West African studies, the university offers:
Established Research Expertise: Faculty with specialized knowledge in African history, colonial studies, and economic history
Interdisciplinary Capabilities: Departments spanning History, Geography, Politics, Development Studies, and Business that can support multifaceted research approaches
Digital Humanities Infrastructure: Technical resources for digitisation projects, database development, and online exhibitions
Graduate Research Programs: Capacity for training new researchers in archival methods and West African historical research
International Partnerships: Existing relationships with West African universities and research institutions
AHUWA Research Centre: The Architecture, Heritage, and Urbanism in Western Africa (AHUWA) research centre provides a specialized institutional framework for maximising the research potential of these archival collections. AHUWA’s mission and expertise make it ideally suited to:
Coordinate Multi-Archive Projects: Develop comprehensive research initiatives that draw on materials from multiple archives
Foster Collaborative Research: Facilitate partnerships between UK and West African researchers
Support Community Engagement: Connect archival research with contemporary West African communities
Promote Policy Relevance: Ensure research contributes to contemporary development and policy discussions
Develop Digital Platforms: Create online resources that make archival materials accessible to global researchers
The combination of Liverpool’s institutional resources and AHUWA’s specialised focus creates an unparalleled opportunity for developing the research potential of Northwest England’s West African archives.
Priority Research Areas
1. Comparative Colonial Studies The archives support comparative research across different West African territories, examining variations in colonial policy, administration, and outcomes.
2. Economic History Networks Trade and commercial records enable mapping of economic relationships, commodity flows, and the development of trans-Atlantic commercial networks. The Unilever/UAC and Barclays archives are particularly valuable for examining corporate colonialism, financial systems, and the evolution of global commodity chains. These collections support research into topics such as:
The role of European corporations in shaping West African economies
Banking and financial networks in colonial and post-colonial Africa
Labour relations and industrial development
Technology transfer and agricultural modernization
Corporate responses to decolonization and African nationalism
3. Urban Development Studies Planning documents and architectural materials provide foundation for examining colonial urban development and its contemporary implications.
4. Medical and Public Health History Healthcare records offer opportunities to examine the development of tropical medicine, public health initiatives, and medical knowledge transfer.
Methodological Approaches
Cross-Archive Analysis: Researchers should develop strategies for working across multiple archives to build comprehensive pictures of historical processes and relationships. The corporate archives (Unilever/UAC and Barclays) can be particularly productive when analysed in conjunction with government records, missionary materials, and local documentation.
Digital Integration: Consider developing digital platforms that integrate materials from multiple archives, enabling new forms of analysis and presentation. The University of Liverpool’s technical capabilities and AHUWA’s research focus provide ideal foundations for such initiatives.
Community Engagement: Explore opportunities for community-based research that connects archival materials with contemporary West African communities in Northwest England. AHUWA’s community engagement expertise and Liverpool’s diverse population create opportunities for participatory research approaches.
Future Research Directions
Emerging Themes
The archive survey suggests several promising research directions:
1. Infrastructure and Development: Examining colonial infrastructure projects and their long-term implications for contemporary development challenges.
2. Knowledge Transfer: Investigating how knowledge, practices, and technologies moved between West Africa and Northwest England.
3. Cultural Networks: Exploring the cultural connections and exchanges that developed through colonial relationships.
4. Corporate Colonialism and Business History: The Unilever/UAC and Barclays archives provide exceptional opportunities for examining the role of European corporations in shaping West African development, including studies of extractive economies, corporate-state relations, and business adaptation to decolonization.
5. Post-Colonial Continuities: Examining how colonial-era relationships evolved in the post-independence period, with particular attention to ongoing corporate and financial connections.
Methodological Innovation
The archives offer opportunities for methodological innovation in:
Digital humanities applications
Multi-sited archival research
Community-based research approaches
Interdisciplinary collaboration
Conclusion
The West African archival materials in Northwest England represent a significant and underutilised resource for historical research. The diversity of collections, spanning multiple themes and formats, provides foundation for innovative research projects that can advance understanding of West African history, colonial relationships, and their contemporary implications. The exceptional corporate archives, particularly the Unilever/UAC and Barclays collections, offer unique insights into the mechanics of colonial economies and corporate power in Africa.
The established network of 48 archives, combined with the research capacity of the University of Liverpool and the specialized expertise of AHUWA, offers exceptional opportunities for collaborative research, comparative studies, and interdisciplinary projects. With seven archives containing substantial holdings and many others providing specialized materials, researchers have access to comprehensive source bases for addressing complex historical questions about corporate colonialism, financial systems, and economic development.
The University of Liverpool’s institutional strengths and AHUWA’s focused mission create an ideal environment for developing the research potential of these collections. Their combined expertise in West African studies, digital humanities, and community engagement provides the foundation for innovative methodological approaches and collaborative research initiatives that can significantly advance historical understanding.
Moving forward, the research community should prioritize developing collaborative frameworks that maximise the potential of these collections, with particular attention to the corporate archives that offer unique insights into the mechanics of colonial extraction and economic development. The foundations established through this survey, combined with Liverpool’s institutional capacity and AHUWA’s specialised focus, provide the groundwork for a new generation of research that can significantly advance historical understanding of West Africa and its relationship with Northwest England.
Navigating Archival Fieldwork in Mumbai: Challenges, Opportunities, and Positionality
Excy Hansda E.Hansda@liverpool.ac.uk
A few months ago, I finished my fieldwork for my PhD research in Architectural History. My research investigates the microhistories of the middle-class Indians who moved to the suburbs of Bombay in the early twentieth century and the kind of spaces they lived in. Looking at a postcolonial angle, I am interested in questioning the colonial suburban vision and by highlighting the Indian agency in shaping the suburban urban housing projects, neighbourhoods and their dwellings in late-colonial Bombay. This blog reflects on the challenges and opportunities I encountered while conducting fieldwork in Mumbai. As an Indian PhD scholar based in England, fluent in both English and Hindi, I found that my position brought unique advantages and complications to archival research in Mumbai.
I have prior experience working in archives in both the UK and India. I quickly realized that my background—an Indian architect affiliated with a British academic institution working on a historical subject—often piqued interest in my project. Despite the initial curiosity my profile evoked, I was one of hundreds of Non-Resident Indians (NRI) affiliated with overseas institutions, and this seldom translated into privilege. If anything, being a North Indian, I was seen as a foreigner in Mumbai. Accessing senior bureaucrats in archival institutions and getting information smoothly and efficiently remained particularly difficult.
Finding the Right Archives
I began “getting the data” early in my PhD (February 2023), in parallel with my literature review. I started with the India Office Records at the British Library in London and expanded my search to include collections at the Liverpool School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the School of Oriental and African Studies, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the National Archives at Kew, and others. I investigated diverse sources—Annual Administrative Reports, maps, manuals, and published books. However, due to the hyper-specific focus of my study, initial results were limited.
This led me to change my methodological approach. I revisited the literature and drew on approaches from disciplines such as cultural studies, English literature, and sociology. This led me to explore unofficial sources such as online newspapers, Town Planning Review and the Journal of the Indian Institute of Architects at the Royal Institute of British Architects Archives in London. This helped me expand my knowledge of my subject.
My first fieldwork trip to Mumbai (January 2024) opened a new chapter. I visited the Maharashtra State Archives (MSA) at Elphinstone College, Mumbai, where I discovered files rich in minute detail—memos, petitions, letters, advertisements, maps, municipal debates, and more—everything useful for my research, unlike the colonial records in London, which largely included annual administrative reports and policy documents of the colonial bodies like the Bombay Improvement Trust and the Bombay Development Department, the Mumbai archives revealed the voices and subjectivities of local Indian residents who contested colonial policies and many cases of negotiations, contestations and even micro-scale conflicts which were often absent from official reports.
Missing Records and the State of Archives
Accessing the archives was not easy. The MSA, one of India’s oldest surviving archives, is poorly maintained and has limited funds. Files are deteriorating, and storage conditions are far from ideal. The reading room is small and dusty, with limited hours—open only five days a week, six hours per day, with an hour-long lunch break. Visitors can request just five files a day. The retrieval process is slow (waiting over two hours is common). Photography is not allowed, and one must request Xerox (Fig 1) or scanned copies, which are payable only in cash. Getting Xeroxes can take 20 days or more; scans may take months. (I am still waiting for the scans that I requested in February) Therefore, I resorted to transcribing the files and making notes (Fig 3 and 4).
Many records are missing. Files before the 1920s are largely uncatalogued and are organized as volumes for entire years for each department of the archives (Revenue, Judicial, PWD, General). Finding specific content means reading through these thick volumes page by page. For post-1920s material, although some cataloguing exists, it’s often incomplete. These are specific files which are numbered, and the numbers correspond to the numbers present in the hefty indices. One has to go through the indices in order to find the files.
Once a file is located, an office peon brings it—after dusting it off (Fig 2). Some are missing completely, and the office peons cannot find them. Others are in fragmented conditions, so they cannot be accessed. While others have missing maps or pages which are crumbling into fragments.
Fig 1: Xerox of a page in a file located at the MSA
Fig 2: A File on Co-operative Housing Society at the MSA
Fig 3 and 4: Transcriptions and Notes I made based on information available in archival documents at the MSA
Finding Sources
A central database for archival material simply does not exist. I relied heavily on human networks: clerks, peons, research assistants, historians, archivists, and fellow researchers. Often, they directed me to smaller archives—usually cramped rooms within municipal offices—where old documents were kept in poor condition and disorganized bulk.
At the MSA in Elphinstone College, I was directed to the Old Customs House in Mumbai. There, I learned they only housed records from Bombay City, so I was redirected to the archives at the Municipal Corporation Office of Bombay Suburban District in Bandra, only to be told that my time period of interest was not covered. Eventually, I was pointed toward ward offices, municipal boards, and local talathi (village record) offices.
Due to reorganization across the colonial and post-independence eras and the separation of districts and provincial state, records have been scattered. The only way to find them is through local knowledge—gathered from seasoned researchers, administrators, or office staff. Sometimes, I stumbled upon data in unexpected places, such as the Dadar municipal archives or the Art Deco Mumbai Society, which provided helpful secondary sources in English and vernacular languages (Fig 5 and 6).
Fig 5 and 6: Books obtained at the Art Deco Mumbai Trust, Mumbai
The reception of these archives was also varied. Sometimes, the staff was friendly and gave me access to files, right after I showed him my ID card and university letters. In other cases, I was made to wait for half an hour before meeting the upper bureaucrat. Sometimes, I had to follow up several times before they granted me permission to visit their archives. This was the case of Municipal Corporation archives, Mumbai.
Navigating the Neighbourhoods
Beyond archives, the buildings themselves served as vital secondary sources. Many twentieth-century buildings had been demolished, redeveloped, or repurposed. Some stood vacant; others had been converted into commercial spaces, with original residents gone.
Identifying buildings from the 1930s–40s required searching for buildings with style, typology and aesthetics matching that of the 20th-century architecture of Bombay. I used secondary literature available on Mumbai, tips from fellow researchers and architects working in Mumbai, detailed reports from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region – Heritage Conservation Society (MMR-HCS), and a database created by Art Deco Mumbai Trust to search buildings. These contained valuable mapping and description of old historic surviving buildings with histories of ownership, years of construction, sketches, photographs, and drawings. I used these for site observations and photographing the exteriors of the building (Fig 7 and 8).
Fig 7 and 8: Walking in the suburban town of Khar, Mumbai as a Method to Collect Data
However, accessing the interior of the buildings was a different challenge. I was often accompanied by a local Marathi-speaking friend to help communicate. His surname “Patil”, which is common in Mumbai, could have helped me start a conversation with the local residents of Mumbai suburbs- so I thought. Residents were tight-lipped, asking questions like “Kahan rehte ho?” (Where do you live?), “Marathi nahi aati kya?” (Don’t you know Marathi?), and “Kya dharam/jaat/surname hai?” (What’s your religion/caste/surname?). These euphemistic inquiries exposed the enduring social divisions of caste, class, and religion—reminding me that while buildings and built fabric might have changed, social fabrics and the mindset of the people are just the same as in the 1930s-40s Bombay.
Language
In the scrutiny of archival works, language skills were sometimes difficult. Language agitation and violence in the name of protecting Marathi culture and identity are common in Mumbai and the provincial state of Maharashtra, where outsiders are forced to speak in Marathi. However, most of the time, people were helpful to me in finding the source materials. The historians in academic and non-academic institutions were proficient in English, Hindi, and Marathi, and they helped me with ideas for my projects. People, especially those working in lower bureaucracy, were able to speak Hindi and directed me to people and places where I could retrieve information.
Logistics of Living in Mumbai
One has to find the right months to work in Mumbai. Working in August was not ideal. The intense humidity and monsoons made things spectacularly difficult. Working in summer could be difficult as well, as the heat is intense and the humidity is dangerously high. Working during the winter is better, though it is mosquito season. I lived in Vasai, a northern suburban town outside Mumbai, and used to commute on a local train two hours away from the archives, which was at the final southern station of Bombay city. Just like what I wanted to study, I lived like a middle-class person who lived in the suburbs and commuted to the city to make ends meet.
Final Reflections
Someone who works at, for example, the British Library or the Biblioteque Nationale, would not expect this set of challenges. These challenges included obtaining sources of information from beyond the archives, pursuing people to find information, and collecting data in sometimes un-welcoming environments, for which one needs to have a different approach towards them. Being a people’s person and being street-smart helps. Networking and making connections with people make things easier and give you access to a substantial amount of information. Whilst there were complications, it was an enriching experience, making me skilled in finding sources of information, connecting dots, finding and sometimes creating a thread, and keeping backup plans ready. Here, adaptability and patience helped. Having relationships with people has helped me more than having any institutional affiliations,
Fig 9: The sign board at the local railway station from where I boarded the train to the archives, every morning
Fig 10: The family with their neighbours with whom I lived in Mumbai suburbs
Finally, although having friends-like family in Mumbai and its suburbs made me somewhat familiar with the city, however being a North Indian, miles away from Mumbai, I am sure I might not have noticed a lot of subtleties both inside and outside the archives and sites of inquiry. On the other hand, as a scholar based in England, I found certain information in files, ideas, or simply the way of living striking, which Mumbaikars would have taken for granted. I am indebted to the Patil family and my friends at IIT Powai, where I imposed myself for a significant time period. Also, my colleagues who I knew before and the ones whom I met at the archives helped me point out interesting details, showed me directions during this fieldwork, and accompanied me on several site visits. These certainly positioned me in how I was looking at the sources, the archives, the people, the suburbs and the city.
11-13 February 2026 Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Lisbon
After questioning Architecture, Cities and Infrastructure (2019) and Architecture, Colonialism and War (2023), the third edition of the Colonial and Post-colonial Landscapes Congress (2026) will intersect the topics of Architecture, Colonialism and Labour.: https://www.archlabour.com/cpcl-2026
Although a common topic in colonial historiography, the influence of large-scale labor on the creation of built environments—including the design, construction, and maintenance of infrastructure, buildings and landscapes—has not been fully explored in the context of colonial architecture. The topic has significant implications not only for the description of past societies, but especially for the comprehension and support of present-day communities with colonial pasts and their relationship to the production of space. Connecting architecture and labor in these contexts offers a promising avenue for addressing some of the challenges encountered by postcolonial societies. These include the relationship with “Western” construction technologies and materials, scarcity of traditional building systems and their undervalued insights on climate adaptation and sustainable solutions, and persistent racial and gender inequalities in public works labor environments.
This congress welcomes contributions from diverse geographical, disciplinary, and chronological backgrounds to promote a wide and tough-provoking debate, crossing the history of colonial architecture, labour and social history and construction technology.
Transnational Architecture Group 