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| Colombo, Capital of Ceylon
- 1880's |
Picture taken from Janadhipathi Mawatha (formally Queens Street)
in Colombo Fort. Galle Face Green and the Beira Lake
could be seen in the background. Colombo was
made the capital of Sri Lanka
(then Ceylon)
in 1815 under British rule. Prior to the British rule, Colombo had been occupied by the
Portuguese until 1656, and by the Dutch from 1656 until 1796. All three of
these nations wanted control of Ceylon in large part to
safeguard their trade in ivory, cinnamon, elephants and sapphires.
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| Beira Lake Colombo, Early 1900s |
Beira Lake is in the heart of the city of Colombo, Sri Lanka and surrounded by
many important businesses. Lake occupied
approximately 165 hectares of land in early 1900s and it has been reduced
to mere 65 hectares today.
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| Galle Face
Hotel, 1880 |
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| Galle Face Green Colombo,
Ceylon,
Late 1800's |
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| House
Boat in Wellawatta Canal,
Ceylon, Late 1800's |
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| Banyan Tree - Colpetty, Ceylon |
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| Colombo Harbour and Shipping |
The name Colombo
is derived from the Sinhalese word Kola-amba-thota, meaning "Harbor
with leafy mango trees". Since Colombo
was a convenient resting place for ships from Arabia to Southeast and Far
East Asia, as well as a gateway to the cinnamon resources of the former island of Ceylon, it has been an important port for centuries. During World War II,
it became a major re-supply station for Allied forces in Asia
as well.
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| Colpetty
Bazaar, Colombo, Ceylon |
Colpetty, or Kollupitiya, Bazaar is a thin
strip of land which lies alongside the Galle Road Colpetty
Bazaar, along with the Fort area, was the hub of the early British colonial
presence in Colombo. The famous Galle Face Hotel is situated at the
northern end of Colpetty Bazaar.
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| The
Bambalapitiya Road,
Leading to Mount Lavinia,
Ceylon, Late 1800's |
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| Street
Scene in Pettah Colombo, Late 1800's |
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| Colombo Town Hall, Ceylon, Late 1800's |
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| Union Place Colombo, Ceylon, Late 1800's |
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| Early Days of Chatham Street
in Fort, Colombo, |
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| Upper Chatham Street,
Fort, Colombo |
Subsequent Development of Upper Chatham Street, Fort, Colombo, leading to the Indian Ocean on the Western Coast. Bullock carts lined up along
the stretch of shops was used as the mode of transport of goods and people.
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| Prince Street &
York Street
Intersection, Fort
Colombo |
Later view towards the Pettah from the intersection of Prince Street
and York Street,
Fort, Colombo.
Grindlays Bank building and Gaffoor
Building, with two additional floors,
is visible on the left facing the Bristol Building
and YMBA building on the right. Cargills building is visible on the near
right besides the tree and the parked vintage cars.
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| Breakwater, Colombo. Ceylon |
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| Main
Street showing Khan Clock Tower, Colombo, Ceylon |
The Khan Clock Tower was built around the turn of the
nineteenth century Khan Clock Tower, a prominent Colombo landmark,
stands at the entrance to the Pettah markets. The Tower was built by a
wealthy Parsi family of Bombay,
which also owned the famous Colombo Oil Mills. In this old photo of Sri Lanka
the clock tower can be seen in the center background.
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| Gordon Gardens
(Later Queen’s House) Colombo,
Ceylon,
1924 |
On February 1, 1804, the British
Government took over the private house of the last Dutch Governor in Ceylon,
Johan Gerard van Angelbeek in the heart of Colombo Fort. This is the house
that became the official residence of the British Governor and was referred
to as Queen’s House – so named because the British monarch at
the time was Queen Victoria.
Queen’s House Set in about 4 acres of land, the residence gained
further attraction when Governor Sir Arthur Hamilton Gordon (1883-90) laid
out the Gordon Gardens at his own expense in honour of Queen Victoria’s
golden jubilee celebrations in 1887. The Gardens boast of an amazing
variety of trees and a marble statue of Queen Victoria which was removed from the
gardens in 2006. Gordon
Gardens was a public
park opened to the public until 1980 when it was made part of the
President’s House and today off limits to the public
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| The
Entrance, Mount Lavinia Hotel,
Ceylon |
The Mount Lavinia Hotel was originally
built in 1806. After falling into disrepair, Mount
Lavinia House was rebuilt in 1830 by the British Governor Edward Barnes at
a cost of 30,000 pounds. It was designed along the lines of "Banqueting Palace"
in Whitehall, London designed by the architect Inigo
Jones. Like an Italian villa, the house had a coach house, and military barracks and quarters. Mount Lavinia was home to five British
Governors. When the British government had finished using the Governor's
residence it was converted into the world famous Mount Lavinia Hotel.
Scenes from the movie "Bridge on the River Kwai" were filmed
here. Mount Lavinia was home to five British Governors. When the
British government had finished using the Governor's residence it was
converted into the world famous Mount Lavinia Hotel. Scenes from the movie
"Bridge on the River Kwai" were filmed here
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| Grand Oriental
Hotel, Colombo |
The Grand Orient Hotel is located on the waterfront in Fort,
Colombo The Grand Orient Hotel, or GOH as it is commonly known, was
built in 1837 for the British soldiers. In 1875 it was converted into a
hotel. The hotel was also known as the "Taprobane" and was
extremely popular among ship passengers and local residents for its
ballroom dancing and luxury. Furniture and crockery from the hotel became style and fashion items. Today the
hotel continues to flourish after renovations in the 1990s. The many fine
hotels in Colombo reflect the city's
popularity as a transit port during the 19th and early 20th century among
passengers going to Far East Asia from Europe
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| Colombo
Race Course Governor's Cup Day - 3rd August 1929 |
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| The Museum, Colombo. |
The National Museum of Colombo was established in 1877. The Colombo Museum
is the largest and oldest museum in Sri Lanka. It was established
under the reign of the British Colonial Governor, Sir William Henry
Gregory. The museum was designed in an imposing Italian style by James G.
Smither..
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| Galle Face Green Colombo |
Panoramic view of Galle Face Colombo, Sri Lanka around
1880s-1900, looking south from Galle
Road (later this path became the Galle Road),
Club House & Galle Face Hotel (far right) showing in the background.
