VISITORS to Osborne House on the Isle of Wight will soon be able to undertake a journey through the life of Bhai Ram Singh – Queen Victoria’s secret Indian architect.

Students from the University of Southampton are running an exhibition from May 7 showcasing just how exactly this little known Sikh man rose from humble beginnings in a Punjabi village, to become star architect to London High Society as part of their second year degree course project.

Appropriately taking place adjacent to Bhai Ram Singh’s most celebrated work, Queen Victoria’s Durbar Room at Osborne House, the exhibition will map Ram Singh’s journey from the Punjab to the Isle of Wight, with a focus on how colonial interaction shaped the course of Indo-British architecture.

Guests to Osborne will be able to unravel the secrets of the man whose portrait hangs outside the opulent Indian room; a man who became the outstanding architect of his generation and whose work remains iconic of colonial rule in the Pakistani and Indian cities of Lahore and Amritsar, yet about whom still so little is known.

Students will be on hand on May 7 to share his story with visitors and help shed light on this fascinating man.

Michael Hunter, curator at Osborne, said: “We are delighted to have been approached by this group of students and have enjoyed working with them as they research Bhai Ram Singh and develop this exhibition.