Mumbai: CST designer's kin visits the historic station

It was an emotional moment for Diana Robertson, the great-great granddaughter of Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus' (CST) designer Fredrick William Stevens, when she visited the iconic building in the city.

Stevens, an English architectural engineer who worked for the British colonial government in India, was in 1877 entrusted with designing the CST (formerly Victoria Terminus) building, now a UNESCO world heritage site. Besides being the terminus for long-distance and local trains, the CST building in south Mumbai houses the headquarters of the Central Railway.

Stevens, born on May 11, 1847 at Bath city in southwest England, also designed other prominent structures in Mumbai, including the municipal corporation building (opposite the CST) and the one which houses the Maharashtra police headquarters. Diana, overwhelmed after visiting the historic CST building here on Friday, said, "This is really an unbelievable and unforgettable moment. It's hard to believe that the great work and the legacy of my great-great grandfather is cherished and loved so much in this city."

She also paid homage to Stevens at his grave in a cemetery in Sewri during her two-day visit.

Delving on the history of the landmark structure, CR's Chief PRO Narendra Patil said Stevens had initially joined the engineering branch of the public works department in Poona (now Pune). Later, because of his extraordinary architectural talent, he was transferred to Bombay (now Mumbai) where he designed several buildings, he said.

"Diana spent almost two hours and showed keen interest in knowing about the CST building," Patil said. At the time of its completion, the CST building was the largest structure in Asia, he added.