19th Century skylights lying in ruins at CSMT

A 19thcentury relic that once lit up the original design of the UNESCOlisted World Heritage Site of Mumbai CSMT created by the legendary architect Frederick William Stevens now lies in ruins in a corner on its premises The 1878made Hayward Brothers Patent SemiPrism Lights from Borough London were dislodged during the recent renovation of the Grade 1 building in the name of conservationThe light frames with about 44 prisms seem to be structurally intact despite some damage Three similar frames were spotted on the west side of the building abandoned They were once above the sunlit passenger corridor of the suburban train areaExperts said that the semiprism lights were a unique feature for illumination in the 19th century The firm Haywards Brothers that manufactured them belonged to William and Edward Hayward part of a notable family of glaziers and glasscutters A 19thcentury illumination journal describes how the semiprism lights were deepreaching and improved illumination levels Lighting basements had been problematic Open gratings let in light but were open to the weather as well and hard to stand and walk on The semiprism idea by Edward Hayward was to split the triangular light in half by the prism after which the rays of light entering the top were thrown horizontally into the space below lighting areas deep insideDiscuss a viable solutionThe current state the lights are inSwati Chandgadkar celebrated stain glass conservator who has worked on the JN Petit Library the University of Mumbai and Keneseth Eliyahoo synagogue said The semiprism glass panels were an important relic and the main objective of conservation is to preserve the original fabric and retain authenticityHowever if a relic or material has lost its efficacy and cannot be restored and if the damage has a snowball effect on the surrounding it might be removed from its setting A viable solution can be discussed with conservation specialists and architects mdash on how to replace the lost relicmaterial she addedShe added it might be a good idea to salvage one of these lights in a fairly good condition and showcase it in the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus CSMT museum as an original fabricTake professional guidanceHeritage conservation consultant and architect Rahul Chemburkar of Vaastu Vidhaan said that the conservation of CSMT by the railways was everything gone on the wrong trackThe lights were installed in the ceiling of the CSMTThey are degrading the Grade 1 heritage edifice brick by brick The railways should take professional guidance for proper monitoring on a regular basis and from micro to macro A proper heritageoriented narrative is totally lacking he saidExperts worry about restorationExperts suggested that under no circumstances these relics should be lost or sold as scrap and every effort should be made to restore them or at least save them at the heritage gallery The World Heritage Site is in the middle of one of its biggest restoration projects and getting back all its bells and whistles The overall idea is to recreate the building to its original glory as Stevens had completed it in 1888 but experts have argued that many things have been done incorrectly which is damaging the buildingOne of the prisms that make up the lightsEarlier it was damage to the pillars then defacing the Gothicstyle figurines on the faccedilade of the building into dolllike zoo zoos highlighted by midday The BMCs heritage committee had also expressed concern earlier writing to the railways warning that any irreversible intervention carried out at the site would adversely impact the buildings heritage character and be a threat to its UNESCO listingThe Central Railway spokesperson said they will take up the issue on priority and save the relics1888 The year when construction of the Victoria Terminus as it was known then was completedCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates