Sir Dhunjibhoy Bomanji was a true son of the British Raj.
A Parsee shipping magnate from Bombay, knighted for his philanthropy, he was as comfortable in the countryside of his adopted Yorkshire as in his native India.
Once a well-known figure in English high society, his name and legacy were all but forgotten.
But perhaps not for much longer. For the world inhabited by Sir Dhunjibhoy and Lady Bomanji has been found almost perfectly preserved in their 40-bedroom mansion in the picturesque spa town of Harrogate.
“Pineheath” is where the Bomanjis would spend the autumn months, after a summer at their home in Windsor and before leaving to winter in Poona.
Today it is a time capsule, untouched since the death of Lady Bomanji in 1985, but with much of the interior and contents dating from the 1920s.
The death of their only daughter, Mehroo Jehangir, last year cast doubt on the future of Pinelands, but a local businessman has bought the house and plans to restore it as a family home.
As a result, the doors of Pineheath have been opened to the outside world for the first time in decades.
Inside is a world of privilege familiar to anyone who has watched an episode of Downton Abbey.
An internal telephone system summons servants to every corner of the house. The yellow labels still carry the names “Sir Dhunjibhoy’s Dressing Room” and “Lady Bomanji’s Bedroom”.
In the drawing room, a portrait of Queen Elizabeth shares space with an oil painting of Sir Dhunjibhoy, who died in 1937.
Some of the walls are covered with 80-year-old hand-painted wallpaper, with the monogrammed initials of the owner in gold leaf pressed into the plaster mouldings.
Still in the kitchen are sets of heavy-metal weights for scales, an antique cake-decorating set and a wall-mounted coffee grinder.
Invitations to 40-year-old society events sit on a table next to yellowing newspaper cuttings. A reel-to-reel tape player from the 1970s seems like a concession to modernity.
Sir Dhunjibhoy, who made his fortune in shipping and jute, was knighted in 1922 for his services to the British Empire, including financial support during the First World War.
In the same year, he presented an equestrian statue of the British commander Earl Hague to Edinburgh, Scotland.
Mehroo was born and educated in what is now Mumbai but made England her home, where she was known locally as Lady Harrogate.
Widowed by an air raid in the Second World War, she had no children. Mrs Jehangir never disclosed her age, but was believed to be in her 90s at the time of her death.
Among the more poignant relics in the house is a pile of keys, labelled with everything from tennis courts to an “expanding suit case”.
Those same suitcases and trunks, now covered in dust, are still stored in the luggage room, empty of everything but the memories of the long voyage between Yorkshire and Poona.
jlangton@thenational.ae
SPECS
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Adele: The Stories Behind The Songs
Caroline Sullivan
Carlton Books
BLACK%20ADAM
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Infobox
Western Region Asia Cup Qualifier, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the next stage of qualifying, in Malaysia in August
Results
UAE beat Iran by 10 wickets
Kuwait beat Saudi Arabia by eight wickets
Oman beat Bahrain by nine wickets
Qatar beat Maldives by 106 runs
Monday fixtures
UAE v Kuwait, Iran v Saudi Arabia, Oman v Qatar, Maldives v Bahrain
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
MATCH INFO
Liverpool v Manchester City, Sunday, 8.30pm UAE
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
2019 Asian Cup final
Japan v Qatar
Friday, 6pm
Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Destroyer
Director: Karyn Kusama
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Toby Kebbell, Sebastian Stan
Rating: 3/5
UAE release: January 31
The Details
Kabir Singh
Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series
Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa
Rating: 2.5/5
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
THE BIO
Family: I have three siblings, one older brother (age 25) and two younger sisters, 20 and 13
Favourite book: Asking for my favourite book has to be one of the hardest questions. However a current favourite would be Sidewalk by Mitchell Duneier
Favourite place to travel to: Any walkable city. I also love nature and wildlife
What do you love eating or cooking: I’m constantly in the kitchen. Ever since I changed the way I eat I enjoy choosing and creating what goes into my body. However, nothing can top home cooked food from my parents.
Favorite place to go in the UAE: A quiet beach.
Premier Futsal 2017 Finals
Al Wasl Football Club; six teams, five-a-side
Delhi Dragons: Ronaldinho
Bengaluru Royals: Paul Scholes
Mumbai Warriors: Ryan Giggs
Chennai Ginghams: Hernan Crespo
Telugu Tigers: Deco
Kerala Cobras: Michel Salgado
'HIJRAH%3A%20IN%20THE%20FOOTSTEPS%20OF%20THE%20PROPHET'
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEdited%20by%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Idries%20Trevathan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPages%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20240%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hirmer%20Publishers%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EAvailable%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Final results:
Open men
Australia 94 (4) beat New Zealand 48 (0)
Plate men
England 85 (3) beat India 81 (1)
Open women
Australia 121 (4) beat South Africa 52 (0)
Under 22 men
Australia 68 (2) beat New Zealand 66 (2)
Under 22 women
Australia 92 (3) beat New Zealand 54 (1)
