This place is well preserved memorial of the first struggle for independence 1857, wherein one can easily see the imprints of the struggle between the british army and Indian fighters. The ASI (Archaeological survey of India) has done a tremendous job to conserve the ruins of the memorial for future generations.

The evidence of the siege of the Residency in 1857 can be easily seen on the walls of each and every building of the Residency which were exposed to heavy cannonades for five months. Many of the buldings iether suffered heavy damage; or completely razed to the ground and are in ruins. Each ruin in the complex has its own story to tell about the events of 1857.

The Residency complex today consists of ruins of many buildings. During its historic siege in 1857, these buildings and the fortified posts were named usually after those who lived there. They were also named after the commanding officer of the post. We thus find names like Gubbin's Garrison, Sago's House, Dr Fayrer's House, Brigade Mess, Kanpur Battery, Sikh Square and Anderson's Post, etc.

Main Attractions -

1. Main Residency Building:- Originally, it was a grand building with three floors by which name this area is known. The credit of construction of this building goes to Nawab Saadat Ali Khan (1798–1814), which was used by the British Resident and Chief Commissioner of Awadh till 1857. This building with two upper floors and gardens was very beautiful. The main entrance of the building was equipped with a huge portico with double pillars on the east side. There was a huge verandah with tall pillars on the west side. The architecture of the building as a whole was neither Indian nor European. This building cannot be called satisfactory from the point of view of architecture. Henry Laurence was mortally wounded by a cannonball in his bedroom in the same building on 2 July.

2. Church and graveyard- In the north-west of the Residency, the remains of a church only two to three feet high exist, surrounded by a graveyard. This building was built only after 1845. It was constructed in the Gothic style. It was also used for grain storage during the siege of the Residency. The area around the church was first used as a cemetery during the siege. While unsanitary, the sheer number of casualties required the dead to be buried in a residential area. It also contains the graves of Henry Lawrence, Major Banks and General Neill.

3. Begum kothi, mosque and Imambara - Originally, begum kothi was built by Nawab Asifuddaula. After many time sale and resale the bulding was finally transferred to John Caludon. Emperor Nasiruddin Haider's European wife, Mukhtar Alia or Vilayati Begum, was Caludon's granddaughter. After the death of Nasiruddin, Mukhtar Alia and her step-sister Asharfunnisa started living in this Kothi. Ashrafunnis built an Imambara and a mosque near Begum Kothi. Unlike other buildings of the Residency this is the only building built in the traditional architecture of Awadh. The Imambara does not have a roof, but the mosque is comparatively in good condition.

4. 1857 Memorial Museum: The ruins of the Residency are preserved in the condition as it came under central protection in the year 1920 which still reminds us of the great uprising of 1857 in Lucknow. There is the history of the freedom struggle of 1857 inscribed on every brick of its structures. It conveys to us the feeling of patriotism and the sacrifices of the lakhs of people who participated in the freedom struggle of 1857 in the country and Awadh. It also echoes the heroic deeds and sufferings of many Britishers and natives who defended the Residency when it was besieged by the freedom fighters.

Suggestions to the visitors - It is requested to feel the heritage and historical legacy. Monuments are one of the precious gifts passed on to us by our ancestors and thus, it not only happens to be our karma but it is also our dharma to keep them protected and conserved.