31past horizons Two Monsoons Survey and analysis of the Scottish Cemetery, Kolkata by Tom Addyman In the wake of the First War of Independence ( or Indian Mutiny, depending on one's perspective) Calcutta became the British imperial capital, a role it fulfilled until its replacement by New Delhi in 1912. However the legacy of the British Indian past is still central to the city's character and there are many unsuspected architectural survivals – great palaces, churches, broad boulevards and fortifications…. and cemeteries. In the early days of the British Raj ' two monsoons' was the expected life- span of a European in India and such extraordinary levels of mortality are reflected in the colonial cemeteries throughout the sub- continent. Some of the most fascinating are in Calcutta. The South Park Street cemetery is a wondrous necropolis of oversized monuments under a canopy of tropical verdure, while the Scottish and Dissenters' Cemetery, only a stone's throw away, is little known - an overgrown and impassable wilderness in the heart of this teeming metropolis of 12 million people. Engulfed by the modern townscape within a poor, densely- packed mixed Muslim and Christian neighbourhood, the Scottish Cemetery lies unfrequented and almost forgotten, screened behind its enclosing wall. As one enters through the attractive ochre- washed gatehouse the eye is met by a scene of desolation – glimpsed through the undergrowth hundreds of monuments in every stage of decay and collapse, burst apart by long- established root systems or simply swamped by strangling undergrowth. Only along the principal axial path were some of the more beautiful survivals to be seen – crumbling obelisks of brick and plaster. Despite the efforts of the caretaker, who lives with his family in the arched gatehouse, the cemetery is derelict and overgrown with snake- infested jungle 20 feet high. The monuments and stones are visibly broken and decayed. The cemetery, which is a rare green space in a densely- populated area of Kolkata, serves no useful purpose for the city, the local population or the relatives of the people who are buried there. It has become a great burden for St Andrew's Church, upon which the Scottish Cemetery - and the church in general - is dependent, and is a matter of concern for the city and state authorities. Yet it is an extraordinary record of the lives of generations of Scots, a part of Scotland's heritage overseas and surely a site for which present day Scotland should feel some responsibility. Calcutta ( now Kolkata) was long the principal city of the Honourable East India Company from which the British territories in India were ruled. It became a great trading centre through which the riches of the sub- continent flowed – indigo, jute, tea and, notoriously, opium, the latter destined for the markets of China. Drawn to this vast, disease- ridden and alien land were endless waves of traders, artisans, soldiers, missionaries, colonial administrators and adventurers – an unusual proportion of whom were Scots. continued ? ?

past horizons32 Under the auspices of the newly- formed Kolkata Scottish Heritage Trust ( KSHT), in November 2008 a joint team from Scotland and India undertook the first stage of the project to save the cemetery – a preliminary field investigation to assess the extent, condition and history of the site and its monuments, work that will underpin the development of a detailed strategy for their restoration. The six- acre cemetery was cleared of undergrowth over a period of two weeks. The site was strangled with vines, the occasional clump of banana palm and general jungle, amongst which a number of mature frangipani, banyans and other longer- established tropical trees were retained for the canopy they provide. The site investigation involved a team of 10, with members from Simpson and Brown, The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland ( RCAHMS), Continuity, and The Highland Council. The team undertook an intensive, week- long site assessment and recording exercise. In order to ensure that the monuments in the cemetery were recorded systematically and consistently, a standardised recording methodology was established prior to the field recording exercise. Drawing upon current practices in cemetery recording, this involved the creation of standardised monument recording sheets, developed specifically for this project from a wide range of sources. For each monument a variety of information was recorded, including materials, condition assessments and a transcript of the november 2008 field investigation Kenny enjoying a welcome cup of sweet tea Steve Wallace of the RCAHMS undertaking formal photography of the cemetery architecture