Written by: Sadaf Shahzad
Posted on: June 17, 2021 | 
Charing Cross Lahore, Overlooking the Punjab Assembly
It is one of the busiest intersections of Lahore, located at the beginning of Mall Road, and is surrounded by some of the oldest and best-preserved buildings of colonial India. Charing Cross, which overlooks the Punjab Assembly, was made in the early 1900s. It is at the junction of Queen’s Montgomery Road and the Mall Roads, of what was then called Donald Town (named after Sir. Donald McLeod, one of the founders of Punjab University).
It came to be known as Charing Cross, named after the intersection in London, and was a representation of modern urban infrastructure in a new British colony. While Charing Cross still carries its complex colonial legacy, it also reflects the changing times and priorities of a post-colonial city like Lahore.
During the colonial era, Charing Cross was the place where the rich and fashionable colonial elite came to be seen and heard by society. Much of the buildings existed before the establishment of the Punjab Assembly building in 1935. Two historically significant buildings were located at the junction: The Shah Din Building on the west and the Old Masonic Temple in the east, with both buildings made identical to flank the Queen’s statue in the middle of the crossroad.
Charing Cross in the 1930's
If one entered Charing Cross from the west, there was once a garden which is now the location of the Alfalah Building, and the area on the east where the WAPDA House stands today, was once the site of Mela Ram Building and the Jodha Lal Building. The area that is now home to the Avari Hotel was once the famous Nedou’s Hotel, once a classy, plush and magnificent haven of the colonial era. Other notable buildings around Charing Cross included the famous Goldsmith’s Shop for gold and silver ornaments, as well as other establishments which sold everything from cigars to piano fortes. There was also a post office located by the garden, which still functions.
The Shah Din Building was made by Muhammad Shah Din (1869-1918), who was the first Muslim to be made judge of the Punjab Chief Court (now the Punjab High Court). Horse-drawn carriages would bring gentlemen in suits and ladies in fine dresses to the building. According to the historian K.K. Aziz, “Facing the assembly chambers was the Metro, where in summer tea was served 'alfresco', and Miss Angela did her cabaret show. In the two hall-size rooms of the Shah Din Building was the Lorangs, the finest restaurant in town, patronised by the elite. Near it stood the Stiffles, where the guests dined in dinner jackets, danced in the evening and lunched with their friends in as English an ambience as could be conceived.”
Shah Din Building Today
But the Masonic Temple is not the first of its kind in Colonial Lahore. The first temple was located on Lodge Road, close to the Lahore Museum and is now Lady MacLagan Government High School. The Charing Cross temple was built in 1914, using a foundational stone from its predecessor. It was used as an exclusive meeting place of people from all religions, noted for its equality and freedom of discussion. Unfortunately, the Masonic Temple was abandoned, and Masonic activities were shut down in the Bhutto era for being ‘un-Islamic’. For many years the mystery and intrigue surrounding the hall caused the locals to call it ‘Jadoo Ghar’ (House of Magic).
The Masonic Temple in the 1950's
The most recognizable part of the Cross is the small white marble pavilion located in the middle of the intersection, made with traditional Mughal and Islamic motifs. The structure was constructed by the prominent architect Bhai Ram Singh in 1901 to commemorate Queen Victoria’s first jubilee as Empress of India. A bronze statue of Queen Victoria sat in the middle of the pavilion, looking over the intersection from 1904 to 1951, when it was rather unceremoniously carted off to the Lahore Museum on a donkey cart. A large copy of the Quran was placed in the pavilion in its place during the General Zia era.
Queen Victoria's Statue on a Donkey Cart
While some believed that the changes made to Charing Cross simply had to do with the Islamic distaste for keeping statues or icons in public places, others believed that this was a symbolic gesture of the changing times. As Partition and the Independence of Pakistan took place, the junction became a politically and culturally charged space. The public and their representatives took up the once-colonial space to protest injustices committed by the Raj, and the post-Partition governments that came to power.
Even today, the busy site is still a prime location for demonstrations, rallies and protests, due to its location next to the Punjab Assembly. This has not been without its share of tragedy, as the Cross has been subject to terrorist attacks in the late 2000s and early 2010s. These incidents of violence had a profound effect on Charing Cross as much of the previously accessible path to the Punjab Assembly and the marble pavilion has been blocked.
Protests Taking Place at Charing Cross
Today, the junction is now officially known as ‘Faisal Chowk’ and is now marked by a tall Islamic Summit that honored King Faisal of Saudi Arabia. However, to the Lahoris and those who have crossed the junction throughout their lives, it is still Charing Cross. Much like the intersection of the road itself, Charing Cross is the crossroads of past and present, of Lahore’s legacy as a colonial urban center and its place in history as a city of massive upheaval and change. The tastes and priorities of those in power reflect the changing aesthetics and features of this historically rich site.
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