Robert Tor Russell (1888–1972) was a British architect. In his position as Chief Architect to the Public Works Department of the Government of India, he is primarily associated with the development of the city of New Delhi in the early 1930s. He designed some of the city's most notable buildings and was the architect of Connaught Place, the financial centre of the new capital. Russell also served with distinction during the First World War, and later, after retiring from India, became a civil servant for the British Government.

Early life

Robert Tor Russell was born in

Hitchin Hitchin () is a market town in the North Hertfordshire Districts of England, district of Hertfordshire, England. The town dates from at least the 7th century. It lies in the valley of the River Hiz at the north-eastern end of the Chiltern Hills ...

, Hertfordshire in 1888 and was educated at Bedford Modern School. In 1906, he became a pupil of his father, the architect S. B. Russell (1864–1955), and qualified to practice in 1913. In 1914, he was offered the position of assistant to John Begg, consulting architect to the Government of India.

Career

Military service

Russell's career in architecture was interrupted by the First World War. He served in Mesopotamia (Iraq) with the Artists Rifles and was Mentioned in Despatches and awarded the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a Military awards and decorations, military award of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, awarded for operational gallantry for highly successful ...

for action during the British advance on Turkish-held Baghdad in the early months of 1917. His citation was as follows:

New Delhi

In 1919, he returned to India and rose to become Chief Architect to the PWD. In this position, he led the team that established the monumental architecture of New Delhi, according to the neo-classical model envisaged by Sir Edwin Lutyens. His main creative period was between 1929 and 1933, the peak of the Construction of New Delhi. During this period, he designed

Teen Murti Bhavan The Teen Murti Bhavan (''Teen Murti House''; formerly known as Flagstaff House) is a building and former residence in New Delhi. It was built by the British Raj and became the residence of the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, ...

(Flagstaff House) originally for the Commander in Chief of the

British Indian Army The Indian Army was the force of British Raj, British India, until Indian Independence Act 1947, national independence in 1947. Formed in 1895 by uniting the three Presidency armies, it was responsible for the defence of both British India and ...

; it subsequently became the residence of

Jawaharlal Nehru Jawaharlal Nehru (14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat, and statesman who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20th century. Nehru was a pr ...

. The Eastern and Western Courts on Janpath (Queensway) built to accommodate Indian legislators were Russell's work, as were the bungalows numbers 1,3,5,7 Lok Kalyan Marg, which now comprise 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, the official residence of the Indian Prime Minister. Russell also designed Safdarjung Airport, National Stadium, Delhi, and several colonial mansions and government housing in the area which is known as

Lutyens' Delhi Lutyens' Delhi is an area in New Delhi, India, named after the British architect Sir Edwin Lutyens, Edwin Lutyens (1869–1944), who was entrusted with the vast majority of the architectural design and buildings of the city that subsequently e ...

In 1931, he designed the round New Delhi General Post Office (''Gole Dak Khana'') building in the Gole Market locality. Situated inside a busy roundabout earlier known as ''Alexandra Place''. He also designed the Pataudi Palace for the Nawabs of Pataudi, in

Haryana Haryana () is a States and union territories of India, state located in the northern part of India. It was carved out after the linguistic reorganisation of Punjab, India, Punjab on 1 November 1966. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with les ...

. Russell's most obvious legacy is Connaught Place, two concentric circles of colonnaded streets modelled after the

Georgian architecture Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four Monarchy of the United Kingdom, British monarchs of the House of Han ...

of Royal Crescent in the English city of

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

, which became the commercial hub of the City. He was appointed CIE for his work on the development of New Delhi in 1930.

Later life

Russell retired from India in 1941 and returned to Britain whereupon he took on the position as Chief Planning Inspector for the Ministry of Housing and Local Government until 1954. He had married Ethel Hatch in 1921 and they had one son and one daughter. He retired to Tiverton, Devon where he died in 1972.Who was Who

Gallery

File:Columns at Connaught place.JPG, Columns at Connaught Place File:Teen murti bhavan ,New Delhi.JPG,

, New Delhi File:Western Court - IMG 1936.JPG, Western Court, New Delhi File:View of Eastern Court Queensway, New Delhi (Photo Division photo number 2887).jpg, Eastern Court, New Delhi File:Safdarjung Airport Terminal Building.JPG, Safdarjung Airport File:Pataudi Palace.jpg, Pataudi Palace

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, Robert Tor 20th-century English architects 1888 births 1972 deaths Territorial Force officers Military personnel from Hertfordshire People educated at Bedford Modern School People from Hitchin British people in colonial India Artists' Rifles officers British Army personnel of World War I Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire Architects from Hertfordshire Civil servants in the Ministry of Housing and Local Government