Mayo Memorial Hall

{{Infobox building | name = Mayo Memorial Hall | designated_other1_name = | designated_other1_date = | designated_other1_abbr = | designated_other1_link = | designated_other1_color = | image = File:Mayo Memorial Hall.jpg | image_size = | caption = | location= [[Prayagraj]], [[Uttar Pradesh]]<br>[[India]] | coordinates = {{coord|25.4601607|81.8434835|display=inline,title}} | completion_date =1879 | architect= [[Richard Roskell Bayne]] | architecture= | added = | governing_body = Local }}

'''Mayo Memorial and Town Hall'''<ref>{{cite book |last=Khandekar |first=G. H. |date=1894 |title=The Indian Companion: Being a Manual of Universal Statistics of All the Provinces in and the Countries Adjacent to India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dh8aAAAAMAAJ&q=mayo+town+hall+allahabad |publisher=Law Printing Press |page=922 |access-date=6 November 2014 }}</ref> (commonly '''Mayo Hall'''<ref>{{cite book |last=Renford |first=Raymond K. |date=1987 |title=The non-official British in India to 1920 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Pf9tAAAAMAAJ&q=mayo+town+hall+prayagraj |publisher=Oxford University Press |page=226 |isbn=978-0-19-561388-9 |access-date=6 November 2014 }}</ref>) is a large meeting hall in [[Prayagraj]], situated near the [[Thornhill Mayne Memorial]], having a 180 feet high tower . The interior of this memorial hall was ornamented with designs by Professor Gamble of the South Kensington Museum, London. Mayo Memorial Hall was designed by [[Richard Roskell Bayne]] and was completed in 1879.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://library.uvic.ca/spcoll/guides/sc131.html |title=Richard Roskell Bayne collection |access-date=2015-08-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130704112639/http://library.uvic.ca/spcoll/guides/sc131.html |archive-date=2013-07-04 }}</ref> The hall was meant for public meetings, balls and receptions in commemoration of the assassinated [[Richard Bourke, 6th Earl of Mayo|Viceroy Mayo]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.indianmirror.com/tourism/allahabad.html | title=Prayagraj| publisher=Indian Mirror | access-date=13 August 2018 }}</ref>

== History == The Mayo Memorial Hall was constructed in 1879 and served as a venue for public functions, funded by subscription. The hall was established to commemorate the assassinated Viceroy of India. It was intended for hosting public meetings, balls, and official receptions of Lieutenant-Governor's Council during the [[British Empire|British colonial period]].<ref name="UP">{{Cite web |title=Mayo Memorial Hall (1879) |url=https://www.uptourism.gov.in/en/post/mayo-memorial-hall |access-date=15 July 2025 |website=www.uptourism.gov.in}}</ref> The hall's interior was decorated according to designs sent from England by Professor Gamble of the South Kensington Museum (now the [[Victoria and Albert Museum]]), [[London]]. A further wing of the building was added in 1954.<ref name="Bloom">{{Cite book |last=Bloom |first=Jonathan |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Grove_Encyclopedia_of_Islamic_Art_Archit/un4WcfEASZwC |title=Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art & Architecture: Three-Volume Set |last2=Blair |first2=Sheila |date=2009-05-14 |publisher=OUP USA |isbn=978-0-19-530991-1 |page=57 |language=en}}</ref> The building is now known as the [[Amitabh Bachchan Sports Complex]].<ref name="Mayo">{{Cite web |title=The Mayo Hall, Allahabad |url=https://www.paperjewels.org/postcard/mayo-hall-allahabad |access-date=2025-07-15 |website=www.paperjewels.org}}</ref>

== Architecture == Designed by Richard Roskell Bayne (1837–1901), an engineer with the [[East Indian Railway Company|East Indian Railway]], the Mayo Memorial Hall features a semicircular concrete roof and a 55-metre high tower. The interior includes a notable dance floor and exhibits decorative elements in line with Victorian-era design sensibilities.<ref name="Bloom"/> Its original design was influenced by British institutional aesthetics, with contributions from Professor Gamble of the museum that later became the Victoria and Albert Museum. The building stands as a prominent example of [[British Raj|Raj-era]] architecture.<ref name="Mayo"/>It was situated near the Thornhill and Myne Memorial. This hall is known for its large 180 feet high tower.<ref name="UP"/>

==See also== * [[List of tourist attractions in Allahabad|List of tourist attractions in Prayagraj]]

==References== {{Reflist}}

[[Category:Buildings and structures in Prayagraj]] [[Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1879]] [[Category:1879 establishments in India]]