The gothic colonial mansion of Lord Harris, the man credited with making cricket popular in India, has been left to rot, according to heritage campaigners.
Lord Harris, governor of Bombay from 1890 to 1895, was said to be more interested in playing and promoting the game of gentlemen than ruling the Raj.
Before arriving in India, he became only the second man to captain England, leading the national team in four test matches and eventually playing for his county, Kent, for 40 years.
In India he made his home in the south of Bombay in a grand gothic mansion with turrets, arched windows and Victorian tiled floors, but spent most of his time playing and watching cricket.
He was widely criticized during his tenure for his lack of attention to major problems in the city but his devotion to the game, which later became India’s great sporting passion, was never doubted.
