Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensemble of Mumbai

This UNESCO World Heritage Site, inscribed in 2018, covers two groups of buildings that face each other across the Oval Maidan in the Fort area of south Mumbai. On one side stand 19th-century Victorian Gothic Revival public buildings; on the other, 20th-century Art Deco apartment blocks and a cinema. Together they show how the colonial city grew over two eras.

The eastern edge of the Maidan holds the Gothic group: the Bombay High Court, the Fort campus of the University of Mumbai with its Rajabai Clock Tower, and the City Civil and Sessions Court, all rich in ornament. The western edge is lined with privately built Art Deco residences of sleek lines and geometric detailing, among them the Eros Cinema. The Maidan itself, once called the Esplanade, has long hosted public gatherings and today is a busy open ground used for walks and cricket.