Westminster House, the

official residence An official residence is the House, residence of a head of state, head of government, governor, Clergy, religious leader, leaders of international organizations, or other senior figure. It may be the same place where they conduct their work-relate ...

Colombo Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...

for the British High Commissioner in

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

, is situated in Cinnamon Gardens, a suburb of Colombo. In 1948

Ceylon Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

became a

dominion The term ''Dominion'' is used to refer to one of several self-governing nations of the British Empire. "Dominion status" was first accorded to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland, South Africa, and the Irish Free State at the 1926 ...

within the

commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

and the British established a high commission that year. The High Commissioner was originally domiciled in a government bungalow, Four Furlongs, on Bauddhaloka Mawatha (formerly Bullers Road) in Cinnamon Gardens. In March 1950 that the Ceylonese government provided a site for the High Commissioner's new residence, on a 99-year lease, on Wijerama Mawatha (formerly MacCarthy Road), in Cinnamon Gardens, however the lease was not formally signed until March 1952. The building, a colonial style bungalow, with large gardens, was designed by the Ministry of Works in

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...

, for an estimated cost of £40,000. Works on the residence commenced in July 1952 and it was completed in March 1954. Most of the furniture for the ground floor was designed, in a contemporary style, by

Dennis Lennon John Dennis Lennon (23 June 1918 – 16 April 1991) was a British architect, interior designer, and furniture designer. He was responsible for the interior design of the ''Queen Elizabeth 2'' and of 190-192 Sloane Street, London. Lennon worked ...

. The residence was named after the

Palace of Westminster The Palace of Westminster serves as the meeting place for both the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Informally known as the Houses of Parli ...

. The final cost was £53,795, plus £12,000 for furnishings and equipment. The offices of the High Commission occupied a six-storey office building, designed by Charles Kidby of the Ministry of Works, on a site, on Galle Road in

Colpetty Kollupitiya, also known as Colpetty is a major neighbourhood of Colombo, Sri Lanka. The name Kollupitiya comes from the name of a chief from Kandy who had unsuccessfully attempted to dethrone the last king of Kandy. During the period of British ...

. Construction of the office building commenced in April 1963, with the laying of a foundation stone by Sir Michael Walker, and opened in January 1966. In the late 1990s the British Government decided that the existing office of the High Commission was no longer fit for purpose and acquired a site on Bauddhaloka Mawatha, from the Meteorological Department, adjacent to Westminster House. In 2001 the Scottish architectural practice, Richard Murphy Associates, in collaboration with local architect, Milroy Perera, was commissioned to design the new offices. The single-storey building has a central spine traversing the middle of the site with four wings leading off it on either side in a staggered arrangement, creating a series of small intimate courtyards, reflecting aspects of traditional Sri Lankan architecture. The building was formally opened in May 2008. On 14 November 2013,

King Charles King Charles may refer to: Kings A number of kings of Albania, Alençon, Anjou, Austria, Bohemia, Croatia, England, France, Holy Roman Empire, Hungary, Ireland, Jerusalem, Naples, Navarre, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Sardinia, Scotland, Sicily, Sp ...

celebrated his 65th birthday at Westminster House, whilst he was attending the 23rd Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Sri Lanka as the Prince of Wales.

References

Queen’s Birthday Party 2011
{{SriLanka-struct-stub Diplomatic missions in Sri Lanka Diplomatic residences in Colombo Sri Lanka–United Kingdom relations

See also

References