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Not too many people would really think about this the way you just did. Rows of buildings extended on its two sides and housed the various government offices and also afforded accommodation for a small cavalry unit.
The Dutch Governor, Van Angelbeck, died on the 3 Sep and it is said that his funeral procession paraded through the streets of Colombo by torchlight and his body was laid to rest in the family vault besides the remains of his wife, whose skeleton could be seen through a glass on the cover of the coffin.
In the early part of the last century, Sir Thomas Maitland was the first British Governor to occupy the building, and, thereafter, it became the property of the Government and the city residence of the Governor. It was also the meeting place of the Executive Council of the Government. There is no trace whatsoever of the old building anymore. The house and garden occupy about 4 acres in extent and the site is exquisitely laid out with palms, ferns, shrubs, flowering plants and trees, and even massive trees amongst spacious and salubrious green grassy lawns.
The portico at the rear entrance faces the garden with an open recreation ground for entertainment. The house has seen many distinguished guests, including royalty. It is now used for official governmental functions and ceremonies of the state at the highest levels. The mansion itself, which is over years old, has a very valuable collection of paintings and antique furniture.
This palatial, yet gracious and elegant abode, stands like a sentinel in the Fort, watching over Colombo, calmly and quietly, over the many and splendorous pages of time. At the northern gate stands a fine bronze statue of Governor Sir Edward Barnes , who was responsible for constructing the famous Colombo-Kandy A1 Road. All British Governors and Presidents of Ceylon and, later, Sri Lanka have lived in this mansion and still continue to do so.
Lately, the access roads to the building have been curtailed by heavy security barriers and sentries on account of the Sinhala-Tamil ethnic conflict and the separatist cry for Tamil Eelam by some section of Tamil Militants. It was formerly known as the Fort Esplanade. In the Garden was handed over to the Colombo Municipal Council. The gardens have a variety of stately standing trees and an imposing white marble statue of Queen Victoria erected in The ten ton boulder of rock on which was chiseled the Cross of Christ and the Court of Arms of Portugal, found in in the Colombo Harbor, now lies close to the statue.
The notable church of the Augustine Friars, dedicated to St Francis and built by the Portuguese, stood behind the gardens. Later, this Church was destroyed by the Dutch who built a church of their own on the same site.
A Dutch Governor who died in Ceylon was laid to rest here, and, in , the British transferred his remains to the Wolfendhal Church on Wolfendhal Street at Kotahena, built in The story is much discussed and told in the fortress at that time about how the gallant Sinhala General Vidiya Bandara, imprisoned here by the Portuguese, was clandestinely rescued by his beautiful wife Samudra Devi. It is said that the prisoner escaped one night with the help of some plumbago miners who dug a tunnel up to the prison, underground.
How this ever happened has vexed the Portuguese for a long time. Opposite the Gordon Gardens was a two floored building which housed the Legislative Council Chamber, the Secretariat, and other principal administrative departments of government. Also known as the Ministry of Defence in the last century, the Foreign Ministry located opposite the Presidents House on Queen Street, was originally the office of the Colonial Secretary.
To these were added he records of the British Raj. The Government Printing Press Office made up the rest of the building. More than people were employed within the press which produced all types of printing, including postage stamps and railway tickets. In , the Secretariat offices and the Legislative Council moved to the newly constructed classical style premises by thed Galle Face Green where the old parliament also stood The building was renovated in with all of the interior being re-planned and the exterior given a well deserved face lift.
The area is now called Republic Square, and although t is no more open to the public for obvious security reasons, it can be visible from the edges of both sides of the Fort to which some access is still available. This building appears to have been erected on the original sites where Portuguese Monasteries of the Dominican Order once stood.
The Garrison Church of St. Peter, now wedged between the Police Headquarters and the GOH, is housed in the banquet hall of this Dutch residential building. It was first used for Divine services in and was consecrated by the Bishop of Calcutta, Dr Thomas Middleton, in Many have considered this as the most significant landmark in the Fort since old times and even until today.
Built in , this Victorian monument, still stands tall and proud of its heritage even though now dwarfed by the many skyscrapers that have sprouted all around it. It is still one of the very proud legacies of the architecture of the British Raj in Colombo. The idea of constructing it in the Fort was initially put forward as far back as the year The closk was commissioned in but kept in a warehouse, due to economic reasons, until when it was finally nstalled and running.
The four dials are created according to a standard British design showing the tme to all four points of the compass. In its heydey the lighthouse, standing at feet above sea level, had a white revolving double light which showed a triple flash lasting a second with an eighteen second wait.
Powered by keresone oil the light could be seen from a distance of 18 Km away in clear weather. The lighthouse was discontinued after the construction of large buildings in the Fort which obscured its purpose in A new lighthouse was commissioned at Galle Buck where it still strands and operates as a beacon to all ships entering Colombo Harbor.
Further west of the clock tower is Upper Chatham street which extends towards Galle Buck. Many old businesses plied down this small stretch and later on newer ones were constructed and thrive until this day. Baurs travel department is one of the many large business enterprises that stands here.
It was managed and run by the Wickremasooriya family who later on went on to become a famous music recording company under the Sooriya label. Netaji Wickremasooriya, son, toom over the business after the demise of his father who was a devout music lover and contributor to the development of music in Sri Lanka.
Sonna Meedin had his small tailoring establishment on Upper Chatham Street from where he also did a very lucrative buying and selling business involving electronics and other knick knacks. This stretch of the street was littered with Jewelry, Curio and other tourist attraction shops. Nanking was always a favorite haunt of bankers, government employees and private sector white collar workers as it provided a very cosy and comfortable atmosphere complemented with delicious Chinese cuisine at reasonable prices.
Velona had its showroom on the ground floor. In modern times the Mosque has been expanded with the purchase of Noor Hameems and several other adjoining businesses and stands as a three storeyed building providing religious facilities of Muslims in the Fort area. Pagoda Restaurant, a member of the Rodrigo Restaurant chain of ehich Green cabin at Bamba was another famous haunt, is located a few doors before the Mosque.
Famous for their Chinese Rolls and Milk Coffee this restaurant, catering to a high end clientele was also a very famous place for families to gather while shopping in the Fort. Air Lanka stewardesses and other counter staff were also found meeting here for a quick snack or lunch. Lump Rice was another savored specialty that was served here in dried banana leaves. A short cross road from this end, leading to the rear of Ceylicno House, was the entrance to Hospital Street, which ran parallel to Chatham Street, down to the Fort Police Station.
Many well patronized restaurant bars, from very old times, like the Globe Restaurant, Dominion, Lord Nelson etc also catered to the thirsty public who sought some cheer, be it night or day. The section of the street beyond York Street was called Lower Chatham Street where the head office of the national airline, Air Lanka, was located. The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce also had its offices here. Transworks House building in the Fort, constructed in typical British Imperial architectural style, with its striking red brick color has always been a very pretty and colorful sight.
This was then the Public Works Department. Later it became the office of the Post Master General. It also housed the head offices of Air Lanka at one period of time. Courtesy: kermeey. Living Heritage Network LivingHeritage.
Joseph's College St. Why invest in Sri Lanka? Colombo Fort Colombo-1 , Sri Lanka.
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