Journey down history: Heritage walk at All Saints Church

The Bengaluru chapter of INTACH is hosting a heritage walk on February 4 through the 153-year-old All Saints Church in Richmond Town.

The purpose of the ‘Parichay’ heritage walk is to examine the origin and history of the site, besides gaining an understanding of its architectural features and symbolic imagery.

The single-storey building, consecrated in 1870, is made of composite brick and stone masonry.

Popular for the pointed arches, coloured stained glasses, rose windows and a false high ceiling, the church is also called ‘Garden Church of the Garden City’ to recognise the diverse flora it is nestled in.

Last year, stakeholders of the All Saints Church ordered a structural condition assessment to understand its structural integrity due to its proximity to the under-construction Pink Line underground metro route. The assessment also sought to prepare for preventive action to avoid potential accidents that could arise from the metro construction.

A group led by Dr S Raghunath, a civil engineering professor at BMS College of Engineering, worked with the BMRCL to examine the current state of the All Saints Church.

They wanted to see what the foundation of the building was made of and find out how strong the soil was under and around the structure.

Shikha Desai, a conservation architect from INTACH, Bengaluru Chapter, told DH that the assessment recommendations include the installation of instruments such as tilt meters and accelerometers to monitor areas identified during the assessment along the metro construction.

“The observations conducted throughout this process will enable the stakeholders to take effective, precautionary measures should any possibility of a potential mishap be identified,” said Shikha.