Dogs of Schoen House - Wodehouse Road

Wodehouse Road is a holy road. It houses the Cathedral of Holy Name(famous for it's stained glass paintings) along with the residence of the Archbishop of Bombay and also the CBI headquarters of the Mumbai region. Apart from it few colonial structures such as Clark House, Janjira Chambers residences of railway and defence personnel (with armed security guards vigilantly manning the gates) However, walk a little ahead and you will come across an old bunglow with a German name - Schoen House.

An unverified blogpost states that it was built by a Parsi man and used to house a German Jew who was a dentist and later interned by the British, thereafter no one is aware of his whereabouts. A few newspaper reports also report of a school being run within the bunglow inspite of it's dilapidated state. It looked vacant when I visited. I was keen on locating a few animal carvings on the pillars and I was lucky to find Dogs etched on the four corners of all four pillars holding the balcony over the porch. Two gargoyles depicting crocodiles with pipes protruding from their mouths act as rainwater spouts. It must be quite a sight when it rains.


The Faithful Canine of Schoen 


The other faithful, one among many

The Croc 

A stately mansion 

Could it be home to ghosts? 

In better light 

The German Jew - Schoen 


The canopy is home to several birds 

Silent spectator to the world 

Court Notices on the doors that they don't make anymore 

When a door is banged shut, window pane breaks


The structure is stately but in ruins. Mother Nature has taken over and creepers compete for space with other debris. It makes for a fascinating subject for any one who loves Ruins and Architecture. I only wish that, more of its history was known. Conspiracy theorists will make you believe that this is the quintessential haunted bunglow that is often spoken about, although they won't be far off the mark because it does retain a ghostly charm. I wonder if any student who studied in the erstwhile school would have any stories to share. The doors bear evidence of court notices and a small black name plate bears the name of the current owner. I was tempted to jump over the small fence and explore more but was running short on time, but I will return soon. 

Comments

Anonymous said…
Reading your posts always makes me acutely aware of how little I know my own city and the fact that I almost always get lost in south Bombay. But I love these old structures, the Victorian architecture and how they represent a different Bombay which once existed.
Hey Manali, thank you for dropping by. Our city is vast and holds within herself so many secrets that it is difficult to know her completely!
Anonymous said…
I know that this post is like 5 years old. But the other day my friends and I actually went in. It was more of the already existing rumors that scared us than the actual house but it was really dark and the shadows felt like they were actual humans. When we came back, one of my batchmates had a cut on her arm. THAT was scary. We don't know how it came but it sure as heck wasn't there before. No exaggeration here.
Wow! that is amazing, Anon. I had no clue that one could even enter. And what happened after? was it a serious gash or a simple scratch?
Mallika Sobti said…
That was my second grade classroom! Fort Convent school's main building is still across the road, but in the late 90s/early 2000s, the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade classes were housed in the Schoen House complex. It was still a little dilapidated back then, but I spent three very happy years going to class every day in that complex, popping over to the main building for assemblies and such, but always returning to our little private section of the school. Thanks for documenting!
Unknown said…
Hey Manali
Did to ever end up going back?
Curious to know p
Sachin kale said…
wish to visit it soon
Justina said…
The ground floor was rented by Fort Convent for the Ist and 2nd standard classes.I studied here in in the 1960's.The premises were well maintained at the time. I remember someone used to live on the 1st floor and we were often admonished for being "noisy" in the afternoons!I have Class Photographs taken in the portico. In those days Fort Convent was an ISC school and had a very good reputation.
Dear Ms. Justina, thanks so much for sharing this. I am sure that was a wonderful time!
Dear Ms. Malika, thank you for sharing this too. You are most welcome. Such personal stories is what adds to the beauty of these structures across Bombay.
Unknown said…
One of my friend lives in Melbourne. He used to say that his house in Woodhouse I wonder it's the same house which is abounded

I have to ask him, weather it's this same house

Thanks for sharing
Unknown said…
Wow!!!!
Yesterday first time i visited the place and I got so facinated to know more about the history of this place...while browsing the internet i came accross this post...now the place looks all the more ruined...I felt sad that once again such beautiful place is taken over by some rich builders...he will demolish and build some commercial complex....and the history, architectures are gone
Roy Mathews said…
Schoen house was once the home of Mary Evans aka Fearless Nadia the first Bollywood stunt woman, actress and her husband Homi Wadia. This building is bang opposite the Ymca Bombay and is a sad picture of neglect.

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