Mayo Memorial Hall, Prayagraj: The Grand Colonial Town Hall of 1879, Timings and Visit Guide

ॐEssential info at a glance

ॐMayo Memorial Hall timings and entry

For general sightseeing, and to admire the building, the hall is open from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM daily; as a sports complex, it is open from 6:00 AM to 9:30 PM and closed on Sundays, though the sports amenities are for members or need permission. Viewing the grand building and its famous tower from outside is free; there is no ticket to admire the architecture. It is best seen by day, and pairs beautifully with the other colonial heritage of Civil Lines.

ॐMayo Memorial Hall: the grand colonial town hall

In the Civil Lines quarter of Prayagraj, near the old Thornhill Mayne library and the University, rises one of the grandest colonial buildings of the city: Mayo Memorial Hall, a magnificent town hall of the British Raj, completed in the year 1879. It is a great and imposing structure, crowned by a striking tower a hundred and eighty feet high that is a landmark of the city, and it is honoured today as a heritage monument by the Government of Uttar Pradesh. In its day it was the grand civic and social hall of British Allahabad, then a great seat of administration and culture; and though its life has changed with the times, it remains one of the finest examples of Raj-era architecture in the north, a building of history and grandeur in the heart of the city.

ॐThe memorial to Lord Mayo

The hall takes its name, and its origin, from a Viceroy. It was built as a memorial to Lord Mayo, Richard Southwell Bourke, the sixth Earl of Mayo, who served as the Viceroy of India from 1869 until 1872. His tenure was cut short by tragedy, for in 1872, on a visit to the Andaman Islands, Lord Mayo was assassinated, the only Viceroy of India ever to be killed in office. In his memory, the British community of Allahabad raised this great hall, completed in 1879, to serve as a memorial and a public town hall for the city; and so the building carries the memory of that Viceroy and of the age in which it was built.

ॐThe architecture: the tower and the Gamble interior

Mayo Hall is, for the lover of buildings, a delight. Its great landmark is its tower, rising a hundred and eighty feet, a prominent sight in the Civil Lines skyline; and the building as a whole is a fine expression of Raj-era architecture, a blend of the Victorian, the Gothic and the Indo-Saracenic. It was designed by Richard Roskell Bayne, an accomplished engineer and architect of the East Indian Railway, who had trained, it is recorded, in the office of Sir Charles Barry, the architect of the very Houses of Parliament in London, so that something of that great pedigree lies behind this hall. And its interior was the work of a celebrated hand: the magnificent decoration was designed by Professor James Gamble of the South Kensington Museum in London, the museum that became the Victoria and Albert, where to this day a room is named in his honour. Within are a fine marble-mosaic floor, ornamental columns, chandeliers, and a grand dance floor; and in its glory the hall hosted the public meetings, the receptions and the balls of the age, and even seventeen sessions of the legislative council of the province. It is a splendid, storied interior.

ॐA hall of history, now a hall of sport

The most charming thing about Mayo Hall today is that it has not become a mere museum-piece, but lives on with a new and vibrant purpose. After independence, and with a further wing added in 1954, the grand old hall was given over to sport; and today it is known as the Amitabh Bachchan Sports Complex, a much-loved multi-purpose sports centre of the city, with courts for badminton, squash and table tennis, a swimming pool, and more. Here, within these historic walls, generations of the children and young people of Prayagraj have learned and practised their games, so that the old colonial hall echoes now not with balls and council debates but with the sounds of sport and youth, a living, breathing part of the daily life of the city. There is a certain happiness in that: a monument of the past, still full of life in the present.

ॐThe grand old hall, in my own words

By Rajeev Sharma, guide with Experience My India

I love showing my visitors Mayo Hall, especially those who enjoy grand old buildings, because it is one of the finest colonial structures in the city, with that magnificent hundred-and-eighty-foot tower you can see from far off. I tell them, simply as history, that it was built in 1879 as a memorial to Lord Mayo, a Viceroy who was assassinated; and I tell them the lovely architectural detail, that the man who designed it had trained under the architect of the British Houses of Parliament, and that the beautiful interior was done by a famous artist of the London museum that became the Victoria and Albert.

And then I tell them the part that makes people smile: that this grand old hall, where the British once held their balls and their council meetings, is now our sports complex, where the children of Prayagraj come to play badminton and swim; so the old building is still full of life. I pair it with the other colonial gems of Civil Lines, the All Saints Cathedral, the old library, so my visitors see the whole British-era heritage of the city together. We admire it from outside, since inside it is a members' sports club. A grand, historic, and rather happy old place.

In more than forty years of guiding, this grand colonial hall, now alive with the games of the city's children, is among the most charming I share.

ॐWhat to see and do

• Admire the grand Raj-era architecture and the striking 180-foot tower.
• Learn the history: the memorial to Lord Mayo, and the hall's civic and legislative past.
• Note the architectural pedigree: Bayne, trained under the architect of the Houses of Parliament, and the Gamble interior.
• See how the old hall lives on as the Amitabh Bachchan Sports Complex.
• Pair it with the All Saints Cathedral and the Civil Lines colonial heritage.

ॐHow to reach Mayo Memorial Hall

Mayo Hall is on Stanley Road in Civil Lines, near the Thornhill Mayne library, the University and the Police Line, in the heart of the city, easily reached by road.

It sits among the colonial heritage of Civil Lines.

ॐBest time to visit and how to plan it

• Pair it with the All Saints Cathedral, Azad Park and the Civil Lines heritage.
• Allow 20 to 30 minutes to admire the exterior and the tower; it is chiefly an architectural sight.

For Prayagraj, or a combined Kashi, Ayodhya and Prayagraj visit, planned end to end, see our tour packages.

ॐAccessibility for elderly and mobility limited visitors

• The building is chiefly admired from outside, on level ground, easy for a gentle look and photographs.
• There is space around the building to view the tower and the facade comfortably.
• The interior is a members' sports complex; ask about any access in advance.
• We arrange transport and plan a comfortable, gentle heritage walk of Civil Lines.

ॐEtiquette for visiting

• Respect the heritage building and the sports complex; do not enter members' areas without permission.
• Photograph the exterior freely; ask before photographing inside or during sports activities.
• Keep the surroundings clean, and be considerate of the players and members.
• Treat the historic monument with care; do not deface it.

ॐOur guided heritage visits and Prayagraj tours

We are a Varanasi, Ayodhya and Prayagraj based operator, a unit of Experience My India, with more than forty years of guiding visitors across all three cities, and our own local guide in Prayagraj. Viewing the building is free, so what we offer is the story and the planning: a guide who tells the history and the architecture of the grand old hall, respectfully and well, the visit woven into a walk of the Civil Lines colonial heritage, with the All Saints Cathedral, Anand Bhawan and Azad Park, and the whole heritage of the city, in a full Prayag day.

Inclusions and exclusions are stated up front, with any taxes and conditions, and no charge appears later that was not named. Viewing is free; our charge is only for guiding and services. See all our tour packages for the full range.

Experience My India is a travel operator, not the hall or sports-complex administration. Viewing the building is free; our charge is only for our guiding and services. Timings and access are set by the authorities and can change.

ॐNearby sites in Prayagraj

Mayo Hall is in Civil Lines, among the colonial heritage of Prayagraj.

For the great Gothic cathedral of Civil Lines nearby, see our All Saints Cathedral guide.