Wazir Khan’s Baradari
This Baradari (literally, 12-door pavilion) originally served as the centerpiece of the Nakhlia Garden (Dates Garden) built by Wazir Khan in 1635. He was a benefactor of numerous buildings throughout Lahore including the Mosque and Hammam (bath house) which bear his name. It is among the finest of such monuments in the city, having been incorporated into the grounds of the Punjab Public Library as early as 1860, where it serves as a reading room. During the 19th and early 20th centuries it also served as a museum from 1855-1864 and as the Settlement and Telegraph Office under the British.
Lahore City Heritage Museum
Initially, the Museum was set up in Wazir Khan's Baradari. After some time it was realized that the space of the Baradari had become inadequate for the ever-increasing exhibits in the Museum. When the Punjab Exhibition of Industrial Arts and Crafts was held in 1864, the entire collection of the (Baradari) Museum was transferred to the new Exhibition Hall, later called the Tollinton Market. The same exhibition lasted for 30 years in the Tollinton Market; and in 1894 the entire collection was shifted to the new Central Museum Punjab (presently called Lahore Museum, Lahore).
From 1894 to 2000 it remained under the control of Municipal Government, Lahore and handed over to Lahore Museum in 2006 in order to establish Lahore City Heritage Museum.
John Lockwood Kipling
John Lockwood Kipling, the father of the famous Rudyard Kipling, came in 1875 from Calcutta to take over charge of the Mayo School of Art, now known as the National College of Arts. He was also the Curator of the Lahore Central Museum. He eagerly participated in the expansion and improvement of the Museum till his retirement on 5th May, 1893. At the time of the Jubilee celebrations of Queen Victoria's reign in 1887, it was decided to erect a new and permanent building for the Museum. A public fund was set up for the purpose. The design of the whole complex of the museum building, and technical institute was prepared by Sardar Sahib Bhai Ram Singh and executed under the supervision of Rai Bahadur Ganga Ram, the then Executive Engineer of Lahore. The foundation stone of the present building was laid by Prince Albert Victor, the grandson of Queen Victoria on 3rd February, 1890. The building, covering an area of 27,850 square feet, was opened to the public in 1894. Before the opening, the entire collection was transferred from the old Lahore Central Museum to the new one and the old building was handed over to the Lahore Municipality to serve as a public market called Tollinton Market. By the end of the 19th century, the Lahore Museum had notable additions in the sections of Gandhara sculpture, stone inscriptions, Fine arts and numismatics. As with many other assets, several valuable collections of the Museum were divided between Pakistan and India at the time of Partition in 1947. After this steps were taken to give a new shape to the Museum, a process which continues to the present day.
Zamzama / Kim's Gun
The Zamzama Gun also known as Kim’s Gun or Bhangianwali Toap. It is a large bore cannon that was casted in about 1757 in Lahore. It is currently on display in front of the Lahore Museum and NCA.
The gun was used by Ahmed Shah in the battle of Panipat, in 1761. After the battle, on his way back to Kabul, he left it at Lahore with his governor, Khawaja Ubed, as the carriage that was supposed to take the gun to Kabul was not ready. The other gun he took with him but that one was lost in passage through the Chenab.
In 1762, Dhillon Jat Ruler Maharaja Hari Singh Bhangi went into battle with Khawaja Ubed. Bhangi attacked the then-village of Khawaja Said two miles from Lahore (now part of the city of Lahore), where the Mughal governor Khawaja Ubed had his arsenal, and seized his artillery, arms and ammunition. Amongst the guns captured was the Zamzama Gun itself. It was renamed by its Sikh captors Bhangi Toap.
For the next two years, it lay in the Shah Burj of the Lahore Fort. Thereafter, Raja Lehna Singh and Maharaja Gujjar Singh Bhangi got hold of it and they gave it to Sandhawalia Jat Ruler Charat Singh Sukherchakia as his share in the spoils. The Bhangi Sardars thought that Charat Singh would not be able to carry this gun with him and it would remain with them. Contrary to their expectations, Charat Singh successfully carried this gun to his fort at Gujranwala.
From Charat Singh, Zamzama was snatched by the Chathas who took it to Ahmadnagar where it became a bone of contention between the brothers Ahmad Khan chatha and Pir Muhammad chatha. In the fight that ensued, two sons of Ahmad Khan and one of Pir Muhammad were killed. In this fight, Gujjar Singh Bhangi sided with Pir Muhammad. After the victory, the gun was restored to Gujjar Singh. After two years, the gun was wrested by Charat Singh Sukherchakia from whom it was once again snatched by the Pashtuns.
Next year, Raja Jhanda Singh Bhangi defeated the Pashtuns of Chatha and brought the gun to Amritsar. In 1802, Ranjit Singh, after defeating the Bhangis, got hold of the gun. He used it in the battles of Daska, Kasur, Sujanpur, Wazirabad and Multan. In the siege of Multan, the gun was badly damaged.