The Residency

The Residency was constructed to serve as the residence of the British Resident General who was a representative in the court of Nawab. A group of buildings that were built in 1800 AD by the then Nawab of Awadh, Nawab Saadat Ali Khan, it became famous during the 1857 Sepoy Mutiny. In early June that year, mutineers laid siege on the edifice.

During this time, it provided shelter to nearly all the Europeans who resided in the city of Awadh. The palace served as a safe shelter by holding together during the continuous shelling that lasted for a month. During the siege, it served as a refuge for approximately 3,000 British inhabitants.

Now in ruins, this building has been declared a protected monument by the Archaeological Survey of India. The complex contains the graves of around 2,000 British soldiers who died in the Revolt of 1857.

The tomb of Nawab Saadat Ali Khan, who was the first Nawab of Awadh, is also located in the complex. Kaisarbagh Palace and an observatory built for Colonel Wilcox, who was a British astronomer, are also present within the complex.

In the precincts that is a government office today, there is a museum. In a portion, which was the annexe of the main building, the museum is housed. This portion was earlier used for displaying a model of the complex.