History
Charles Grant, Chairman of the British East India Company and Member of Parliament, was closely involved in the foundation of the college. It was temporarily located in Hertford Castle, then moved in 1809 to its purpose-built site at nearby Hertford Heath. Its architect, William Wilkins, also designed the National Gallery in London.
In 1856 an open competitive examination replaced the system of appointment to the Indian Civil Service by patronage. In January 1858, in the wake of the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the British government took over the administration of India and the college closed. The site, just outside Hertford, was reopened in 1862 as Haileybury College. That College merged in 1942 with Imperial Service College to become Haileybury and Imperial Service College, and still exists, as an independent school, on the same site.
Read more about this topic: East India Company College
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