Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob (1841–1917) was an English engineer, architect and writer, active in India and best known for the numerous public buildings he designed in the Indo-Saracenic style.
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He was born on 14 Jan 1841 to Colonel W. Jacob[1] (of the Bombay Artillery and a member of a distinguished military family) and Jane Swinton, granddaughter of Capt. Samuel Swinton RN, who was the inspiration for the story of The Scarlet Pimpernel. He was educated at Cheam School and then at the East India Company Military College at Addiscombe where he was one of the last batch of graduates (graduating as an engineer in 1858).[2] (See Clan Swinton.)
He entered the Bombay Artillery in 1858, qualifying five years later as a surveyor and engineer. After initial service in the Public Works Department, and a brief spell with the Aden Field Force in 1865–6, he was appointed in 1867 as chief engineer of the state of Jaipur in Rajasthan, India. He was to spend the remainder of his working life in this position until he retired at the age of 71.[1]
At the time he became chief engineer and took charge of the public works department of the Jaipur it had only been in existence for seven years, having been founded in 1860. The department was responsible for the construction of everything in the state ranging from walls, outhouses, guard houses, roads, canals to major public buildings. Compared with many British officials in India he was noted for his respect for local building traditions and skills, which lead to his incorporating many Indian architectural features into his building designs. As a result he became — with F. S. Growse, Robert Fellowes Chisholm, Charles Mant, Henry Irwin, William Emerson, George Wittet and Frederick Stevens — a pioneer of the Indo-Saracenic style of architecture which incorporated Indian Islamic architecture into European neo-Classical or Gothic Revivalist styles.
He was promoted to lieutenant-colonel on 6 February 1885.[3] He was promoted to Colonel on 26 February 1889.[4]
He had no sooner retired to England in 1911 then he was recruited by the secretary of state for India to assist Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker in the design of New Delhi. Failing health soon forced him to withdraw from the assignment.[1]
He was married to Mary Brown (daughter of Robert Brown of Edinburgh) from 1874 until his death.[1] He died at Weybridge on 4 December 1917.[1]
Among the notable buildings that he designed are:
Among his honours were the Kaisar-I-Hind for Public Service in 1901.[6]