St. James' Church
What’s so great about Kashmiri gate besides the conveniently placed metro station, you ask? Well, if you’re ever in the neighbourhod and have time for a saunter, check out Delhi’s oldest church (circa. 1836) and the historically fascinating area which once played host to Delhi’s ‘White Mughals’. The handsome renaissance style church known in local parlance as St. James, forms the piece de résistance of this area and is a testament to the vibrant legacy of its patron, James Skinner.
Vow to Build a Church
Born in 1778 to an East India Company officer and a Rajput princess, Lt. Colonel Skinner grew up in north India’s Islamicate milieu just as the British were establishing their hold over the subcontinent. “Sikander sahib” as he was fondly called by his men, commanded a body of irregular cavalry initially for the Marathas and later for the British in the early 19th century. One day whilst leading his corps of ‘yellow boys’ (famous for their yellow tunics), Skinner was caught in a skirmish and seriously wounded in the battlefield. As he lay helpless, Skinner vowed to build a church if he survived.
Scarred in 1857
A victim of the mutiny of 1857, the church was attacked by rebels who took pot shots at the ball and cross that are now housed inside the premises. Also interred within the church compound are Skinner’s close friends, the East India Company Resident Sir Thomas Metcalfe who built two houses in Delhi (one of which was over a tomb!) and Commissioner William Fraser, described by travellers as mix between a “half asiatic” and “scotch highlander”. Skinner, himself buried inside the church, passed away in 1841 leaving behind a regiment – ‘Skinners Horse’, which still remains a vital part of the Indian army.
Near the church stands the site of the old St. Stephen’s college (now the election commission office), the Delhi Telegraph office, the remnants of the Kashmiri gate and the British magazine.
Exploring the Kashmiri gate area is like walking through a treasure trove of history…all within minutes of that convenient metro station.
(St. James is open daily from 8 am – noon and 2-5 pm)
—
References:
H Fawnshawe: Delhi Past and Present (1902), Asian Educational Service, 1993
Victor Jacquemont : Letters from India (1828-1831) India, Tibet, Lahore and Cashmere – 2 Vols, Asian Educational Service, 1993
The Golden Calm : An English Lady’s Life in Moghul Dehlie, Reminiscences by Emily , Lady Clive Bayley, and by her father, Sir Thomas Metcalfe. Ed. M.M Kaye, Webb and Bower, England 1980
The recollections of Skinner of Skinner’s Horse: James Skinner and his ‘Yellow boys’ Irregular Cavalry in the Wars of India Between the British, Mahratta, Rajput, Mogul, Sikh and Pindarree Forces, Lenotaur ltd., 2006
