Indian Institute, Academic building at Broad Street intersection, Oxford, England
The Indian Institute is a Grade II listed building at the corner of Broad Street, Catte Street, and Holywell Street in Oxford, England. The building has a rounded corner tower topped by a cupola, with stone carvings covering much of the facade.
Sir Monier Monier-Williams established the institute in 1883 to prepare candidates for the Indian Civil Service during British colonial rule. After Indian independence, the institute lost its original purpose and the building was eventually taken over by other university functions.
The carved stone friezes on the exterior show figures from Hindu mythology placed alongside English Renaissance ornaments, which is unusual for a building in the heart of Oxford. Visitors who look up at the facade can spot these details without entering the building.
The building now houses the Oxford Martin School, so interior access is not always open to the public and depends on what is happening inside on a given day. The exterior can be seen freely from the street at any time, and the corner position makes it easy to view from several angles.
The architect Basil Champneys, who designed the building, was also responsible for several other Oxford buildings, but this is the only one of his works in the city where Eastern decorative motifs appear on the stone facade. The former library collection from the institute is now held within the Bodleian Library rather than on this site.
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