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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À propos du district de Kalutara

Kalutara est située à environ 42 km au sud de Colombo. Autrefois un comptoir commercial d'épices, Kalutara a été contrôlée tour à tour par les Portugais, les Hollandais et les Britanniques. La ville est célèbre pour ses paniers et nattes en bambou de qualité et ses mangoustans les plus succulents.

Le pont Kalutara, long de 38 mètres, a été construit à l'embouchure de la rivière Kalu Ganga et constitue un lien majeur entre les frontières occidentale et méridionale du pays. À l'extrémité sud du pont se trouve le Kalutara Vihara, un temple bouddhiste de trois étages construit dans les années 1960 qui a la particularité d'être le seul stupa creux au monde.

À propos de la province de l'Ouest

La province occidentale est la province la plus densément peuplée du Sri Lanka. Elle abrite la capitale législative Sri Jayawardenapura ainsi que Colombo, le centre administratif et commercial du pays. La province occidentale est divisée en 3 districts principaux appelés Colombo (642 km²), Gampaha (1 386,6 km²) et Kalutara (1 606 km²). En tant que centre économique du Sri Lanka, toutes les grandes entreprises locales et internationales sont présentes dans la ville, tout comme tous les grands créateurs et détaillants de rue, alors préparez-vous à vous adonner à une thérapie de shopping dans la province occidentale.

Having the highest population in the all the provinces, the almost all the premier educational institutions in the island are located in western province. Universities in the province include the University of Colombo, the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, University of Kelaniya, Open University, Sri Lanka, Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University and University of Moratuwa .Western province has the largest amount of schools in the country, which includes National, Provincial, Private and International schools.

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