The colony’s red brick legal majesty
- 89-123 Pansodan Street
- Not open to the public
Grand court
With its iconic clock tower, grand halls and rooftop lion statues the High Court was designed to intimidate anyone who entered through the gates.The red brick colonial administrative building in so called ‘Queen Anne style’ was designed according the style guidelines of the British Indian Empire: “Calcutta should be Classic, Bombay Gothic, Madras Saracenic and Rangoon Renaissance”.
High court moving to lower grounds?
The High Court was always Myanmar’s highest seat of justice and a frantically busy place. Yet, since the court moved to the new capital Nay Pyi Taw, the grand staircases, expansive gardens, stately courtrooms and shaded walkways have become eerily quiet. Local lawyers have advocated for the place to keep its significance for the country’s legal system, but the future is yet unknown…
Calcutta should be Classic, Bombay Gothic, Madras Saracenic and Rangoon Renaissance.
Nice to know
The iconic clock tower that features so prominently on virtually every Yangon postcard snapshot was an architectural design feat in itself. It took twenty 50cm wide logs of stabilising soil to carry the weight of the tower.