Himachal Pradesh Secretariat (Ellerslie building)

Ellerslie : The Himachal Pradesh Secretariat (Ellerslie building) was designed by Lt. Col. H.E.S. Abbott 100 years back. This beautiful building was constructed after dismantling an old building of the same name that housed the Military Department of the Punjab Government till 1886.
Abbot sought permission for construction from the then Secretary of the Municipal Committee Major W.P. Larson and wrote " you are aware of the intensions of the Punjab Government to pull down the house 'Ellerslie' and build on the site a new set of offices to accommodate the whole of Punjab Secretariat." The permission was granted on 28th June, 1899. The inside of Ellerslie is made of stone quarried from Sanjauli and Barnes Court (Present Raj Bhawan) and stuck together using lime mortar. The brickwork too has lime mortar cementing. The Himachal Pradesh Secretariat occupied it in the summers of 1967. In July 1972 the "Summit Hall" where the cabinet meetings are held was spruced up and was given this name as initial summit meeting for Shimla Agreement between India and Pakistan. This building with sub-basement, basement and three floors, now has 143 rooms and 31 toilets. It covers and area of about 8663 meters.--