Describe the characteristics of public buildings built in the new classical style with special reference to the Town Hall’ of Bombay.
For constructing public buildings, three main architectural styles were used. Two of these were prevalent in England. The first one was neo-classical or the new classical. Its characteristic included constructions of geometrical structures fronted with lofty pillars. It was considered particularly appropriate for the British empire in India. The British imagined that a style that embodied the grandeur of imperial Rome could now be made to express the glory of imperial India.The Town Hall in Bombay was built in this style in 1833. Another group of commercial buildings, built during the 1860s was the Elphinstone circle. This building was inspired by the models in Italy. It made innovative use of covered arcades at ground level to shield the shopper and pedestrian from the fierce sun and rain of Bombay.