Richmond Castle

Richmond Castle Richmond Castle Richmond Castle

In the countryside of Kalutara, Sri Lanka is Richmond Castle, an old Edwardian mansion. Built in the early 1900s, it was the home of the local baron Don Arthur de Silva Wijesinghe Siriwardena. Located on a hill 2 km from the Kalutara town,  the 42 acre estate is currently open to the public.

History

The mansion was built by Nanayakkara Rajawasala Appuhamilage Don Arthur De Silva Wijeysinghe Siriwardena (12 November 1889 – 8 July 1947). Arthur De Silva Wijeysinghe was the son of a wealthy and influential Sri Lankan planter. He was schooled in Britain and on completion of his studies was bestowed the title of Baron by the king.

Shortly after, Baron Arthur Siriwardena returned to Sri Lanka to take up his position. On the way he visited India, where he was inspired by the palace of his old school pal, Raja Rajeswara Sethupathi, the Maharaja of Ramnad.

As the story goes, he asked for the construction plans of the palace from Sethupathi in order to build a house in the same image. But the maharaja refused on the grounds that a Ceylonese did not have the skills to undertake such a major project. On hearing this, the baron went back to Ceylon where he hired the services of two good local architects. He then visited his friend again, this time bringing along the architects with him. They viewed the castle and copied its plan in secret. The Baron then had Richmond Castle built as a symbol of Sri Lanka’s splendor and power. Every inch of the structure boasted the highest luxury of the era. All essential supplies for the building; such as floor and roofing tiles, timber, stained glass, decorative items, and bathroom fittings; were outsourced from various countries abroad. It was a sight never before seen in Sri Lanka.

The Baron moved into Richmond Castle in 1910 upon his marriage to a young noble beauty, Clarice Matilda Maude Suriyabandara. Richmond Castle had beautiful flower gardens and fruit orchards, and was often host to lavish banquets for  foreign and Sri Lankan dignitaries. It is said that Siriwardena also had a troupe of over 50 performers for the entertainment of his guests, a grand white horse driven carriage, and employed a small private army for protection.

However, despite the fairytale life blessed with every comfort in life, the noble couple lacked one of the greatest delights, a child of their own. It is said that marble statues of infants all around the park were made so that the couple could gaze at them lovingly from atop the balcony. Sadly, the marriage did not last, and the baron was overcome with grief. He bequeathed all his wealth to a trust for the public and then lived as a hermit in a hotel in Kandy. He never returned to Richmond Castle for the remainder of his life. Baron Siriwardena died in 1947 at the age of 59, but made provisions for his ex-wife’s care till the time of her death.

The estate was taken care of by his trust, and was later opened to the public.


Architecture

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Om Kalutara-distriktetKalutara ligger cirka 42 km syd for Colombo. Kalutara, der engang var en krydderihandelspost, blev kontrolleret af portugisiske, hollændske og britiske styrker. Byen er berømt for sine kvalitetskurve og -måtter af bambus samt de lækreste mangostaner.

Den 38 meter lange Kalutara-bro blev bygget ved udmundingen af ​​Kalu Ganga-floden og fungerer som en vigtig forbindelse mellem landets vestlige og sydlige grænse. I den sydlige ende af broen ligger den 3 etager høje Kalutara Vihara, et buddhistisk tempel bygget i 1960'erne, der har den ære at være den eneste stupa i verden, der er hul.

Om Vestprovinsen

Vestprovinsen er den tættest befolkede provins i Sri Lanka. Den er hjemsted for den lovgivende hovedstad Sri Jayawardenapura samt Colombo, landets administrative og forretningsmæssige centrum. Vestprovinsen er opdelt i 3 hoveddistrikter kaldet Colombo (642 km²), Gampaha (1.386,6 km²) og Kalutara (1.606 km²). Som Sri Lankas økonomiske centrum er alle de store lokale og internationale virksomheder til stede i byen, og det samme er alle de store designer- og detailhandlere på hovedgaden, så vær klar til at forkæle dig selv med lidt shoppingterapi i den vestlige provins.

Med den højeste befolkningstal i alle provinserne er næsten alle de førende uddannelsesinstitutioner på øen placeret i den vestlige provins. Universiteterne i provinsen inkluderer University of Colombo, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, University of Kelaniya, Open University, Sri Lanka, Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University og University of Moratuwa. Den vestlige provins har det største antal skoler i landet, herunder nationale, provinsielle, private og internationale skoler.

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