The clock has been replaced with an electronic one as the old clock’s machinery which used to function with copper mechanism is not available these days. However, the look and feel have been retained.

t p venu I hyderabad

Not long ago, the once-proud James Street Police Station stood forgotten, cloaked in peeling gaudy pink and blue paint, its glory days a distant memory. Built in 1877, the structure had fallen into disrepair, and in 2016, police personnel were ordered to vacate it after it was deemed unsafe.

Today, the story is very different.

Thanks to a meticulous 14-month restoration led by the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA), at a cost of Rs 1 crore, the building has been brought back to life using traditional limestone and lime plaster—materials faithful to its original construction.

Mir Khan of Deccan Terrain Heritage, a heritage restoration and conservation company says, “Over the years, cement was used and was replaced by lime mortar. The wooden beams too corroded and were restored. Several layers of foreign material such as cement, synthetic paints were carefully removed and redone with ancient lime plaster techniques. Interior lime plaster and wooden retro fittings are consolidated.”

Designated a heritage site in 1998, the building’s future once hung in the balance, with many fearing it would be lost to demolition. “There were serious concerns,” recalls Soma Ghosh, librarian at the Salar Jung Museum. “But better sense prevailed, and now the structure has been preserved for future generations.”

One of the station’s most unique features—the antique clock donated in 1900 by Dewan Bahadur Seth Lachmi Narayan Ramgopal, a leading industrialist during the Nizam’s reign—has also been restored, along with its bell. The timepiece, a gift from a bygone era, now ticks once again in harmony with the building’s revived spirit.

For years, heritage enthusiasts clung to a sepia-toned photograph of James Street, captured by the legendary Raja Deen Dayal, as a reminder of what once was. Today, that nostalgic image has come to life. With the building standing proud once again, James Street—now known as MG Road—shines bright, a timeless tribute to Hyderabad’s architectural legacy.

The ornamental lime plaster over typical colonial brick masonry is one of a kind in clock tower design, signifying the era of brick and lime mastery, where curved steps and grooves on the outer walls distinguishes itself from general lime buildings ornamentation. Conserving original fabric of lime mortar inside and outside of the clock tower, which took longer than anticipated, however the results are soul satisfying.