Whiteaway,Laidlaw & Co.Ltd Calcutta

Whiteaway and Laidlaw, the poshest and largest store this side of Suez, became 'the' colonial emporium or department store in India and became a household name throughout the East; it was founded in Calcutta by two eponymous Scotsmen in 1882 and also had branches in Bombay, Madras, Lahore and Simla as well as further afield in Colombo, Burma, the Straits Settlements and in Shanghai.

This elaborate, 'wedding-cake' structure was purpose-built by Calcutta-based contractors Mackintosh Burn & Co as the headquarters of Whiteaway, Laidlaw & Co; its architecture, sheer size and prominent corner position were intended to attract buyers to enter its doors. The ground floor and the first floor were occupied by the department store itself. Given the size of the building, the floor space was huge. The second and third floors accommodated offices and apartments; the offices were known as Victoria Chambers. Presently, it is known as Metropolitan Building owned by LIC.

Photo - Esrar Ahmed