PORTRAITS OF THE KOLAR GOLDFIELD, INDIA (AN INTRODUCTION
TO JOHN TAYLOR AND SONS ‘LITTLE ENGLAND’ 1880 TO 1956) by Robert
W. Vernon (UK)
Published in May 2025.
Portraits of the Kolar Goldfield, India is a comprehensive account of the early history of the Kolar Goldfield and the involvement of the British Mining Company of John Taylor and Sons. It is a whole new perspective of the early days of the mining industry in KGF.
The Kolar Goldfield (KGF), India was once one of the biggest
gold producers in the world, with mines that rivalled those of South Africa.
The majority of the mines were managed by the London based firm of John Taylor
and Sons, over four generations of the family, from 1880 until the mines were nationalized
in 1956. British involvement in all aspects of the mining was such that the
area became known as 'Little England.'
In the Author’s own words “As you will undoubtedly be aware,
the British firm of John Taylor and Sons had worldwide interests, and I have
published several papers and books about their activities (mainly in Spain).
Now my attention is turning to Kolar, in effect John Taylor and Sons 'golden
years.' My background is mining / geology (albeit coal), but I am more than
familiar with metal mining as well, so my publications are more about the
evolution of mines, share dealing, and technical evolution. The trading of mine
concessions at Kolar, for example, is just one aspect that would be of interest
to me, as well as the managerial decisions made to further the development of
the working mines. I tend to steer clear of social aspects, as that requires
knowledge that is personal to the residents of mining areas”.
The Author has expressed that he would like to think that
this book would make a contribution to the history of KGF looking at some
aspects that have not been mentioned before – “I regard it as an introduction.
I hope it awakens interest in perhaps a mining museum at KGF . This work is meant as an introduction to KGF and
commences with several chapters that provide a brief introduction to the Kolar
area and the complex geology of mineralization in the 19th century”.
The sequence of chapters covers the various mining problems that led to the arrival
of the John Taylor and Sons Company in the mining industry and the members of
their family who were actively involved in running the Company in Kolar Goldfield.
Further Chapters of
the book examine a few institutions in KGF that contributed to the image of ‘Little
England’. This includes one of the first focal points for social gatherings,
namely the Gymkhana Club, followed by various other clubs including the KGF
Club with its many activities like billiards, badminton and the golf course.
The Masonic Lodge is also mentioned in one of the Chapters
as the Freemasons played a significant charitable role in the area as did the British
Army with the formation of the Kolar Volunteer Regiment which was later re-formed
as a Battalion until it was disbanded in 1947. The KGF Mining Hospital is also mentioned in
one of the chapters.
This book includes the collection of portraits at the KGF
Club. The author visited the area in March 2024 and March 2025, having made
contact with Dr. Srikumar, a noted author, and an authority on the mining
history of the area. They met at the KGF Club and were soon in deep discussion
about the mining history of the area. The important collection of portraits of
the Mining officials at the KGF Club were of particular interest. They
represented a treasure trove of mining history. The portraits are a unique collection,
and many members of the Taylor family are represented. However, the details of
some of them remained undocumented. The Author has since then researched the
history of each individual in those portraits and has written about them in this
book. He has mentioned that Dr Srikumar has been of great assistance in
providing valuable information.
The Book concludes with an epilogue that briefly looks at
what the future may hold for KGF.
The Book is available for purchase on Amazon. The links are
given below
The Amazon India link to purchase the KGF Book is https://www.amazon.in/Portraits-Kolar-Goldfield-India-England/dp/1838362134
The UK link to the KGF book is https://www.amazon.co.uk/Portraits-Kolar-Goldfield-India-Introduction/dp/1838362134
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