Peek into Goa’s oyster-shell windows
Peek into Goa’s oyster-shell windows
A common feature in Indo-Portuguese homes is wooden windows fitted with oyster shells, or nacre. The shells are sourced from riverside beaches. The flatter ones were cleaned, polished, shaped, and slipped between the windows’ grooved wooden battens; this kept the rooms cool while allowing a warm, filtered light to pass through and shielding the home from prying eyes.
There are still a few houses in Goa that sport these windows. Take a walk through the old Latin quarter in Panjim, Fontainhas, whose narrow streets are dotted with colored homes that preserve their Indo-Portuguese architecture. Begin at the Fundação Oriente on Filipe Neri Xavier Road. The white bungalow has yellow skirting and long oyster-shell windows on both floors. Head out, walk north on Rua 31 de Janeiro past the graffiti-stained walls of Old Quarter Hostel, admiring the grill windows and the bougainvillea-framed balconies. Stop at the renovated Panjim Inn, with its dull brown color and plant-laden sidewalk; its downstairs windows, though shut, are packed with oyster shells. The next clearing will bring you to a quaint yellow house shrouded by plants on Rua de Natal, the Afonso Guest House, whose windows feature ornate grills. The curving road ends at a circular junction. There, on one side, is a derelict maroon house, whose windows will show you what havoc age and neglect can wreak on these delicate shells.
A detailed history about the oyster-shell windows is on display at the Houses of Goa museum at Torda
A common feature in Indo-Portuguese homes is wooden windows fitted with oyster shells, or nacre. The shells are sourced from riverside beaches. The flatter ones were cleaned, polished, shaped, and slipped between the windows’ grooved wooden battens; this kept the rooms cool while allowing a warm, filtered light to pass through and shielding the home from prying eyes.
There are still a few houses in Goa that sport these windows. Take a walk through the old Latin quarter in Panjim, Fontainhas, whose narrow streets are dotted with colored homes that preserve their Indo-Portuguese architecture. Begin at the Fundação Oriente on Filipe Neri Xavier Road. The white bungalow has yellow skirting and long oyster-shell windows on both floors. Head out, walk north on Rua 31 de Janeiro past the graffiti-stained walls of Old Quarter Hostel, admiring the grill windows and the bougainvillea-framed balconies. Stop at the renovated Panjim Inn, with its dull brown color and plant-laden sidewalk; its downstairs windows, though shut, are packed with oyster shells. The next clearing will bring you to a quaint yellow house shrouded by plants on Rua de Natal, the Afonso Guest House, whose windows feature ornate grills. The curving road ends at a circular junction. There, on one side, is a derelict maroon house, whose windows will show you what havoc age and neglect can wreak on these delicate shells.
A detailed history about the oyster-shell windows is on display at the Houses of Goa museum at Torda
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