The Empire Hotel, Kandy or Olde Empire Hotel, is a small two-storey heritage hotel located on Temple Road in the

Kandy Kandy ( si, මහනුවර ''Mahanuwara'', ; ta, கண்டி Kandy, ) is a major city in Sri Lanka located in the Central Province. It was the last capital of the ancient kings' era of Sri Lanka. The city lies in the midst of hills ...

city centre. The hotel is located opposite the park/garden ( Mahamaluwa) of the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic (Sri Dalada Maligawa), adjacent to Queens Hotel and the former Kandy court complex. The hotel was opened on 27 December 1898 by Porolis C. Fernando and it has been operated by the Fernando family ever since. The building was originally built in 1857 as a coffee factory (kopi kale) before being converted to a hotel. In 1998 it was designated as a 'Conserved Building' by the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

as part of the listing of Kandy as a World Heritage City. On 8 July 2005 it was formally included as an 'Archaeological Protected Monument' by the government. The Victorian-style building, features three white stone arches on the ground floor, with an open

veranda A veranda or verandah is a roofed, open-air gallery or porch, attached to the outside of a building. A veranda is often partly enclosed by a railing and frequently extends across the front and sides of the structure. Although the form ''veran ...

h and cast iron balustrades on the first floor, supported by four stone

doric Doric may refer to: * Doric, of or relating to the Dorians of ancient Greece ** Doric Greek, the dialects of the Dorians * Doric order, a style of ancient Greek architecture * Doric mode, a synonym of Dorian mode * Doric dialect (Scotland) * Doric ...

columns, and a half round tile roof. The entire upstairs floor has polished wooden floorboards on timber beams. The upstairs verandah commands a view over

Kandy Lake Kandy Lake ( si, බෝගම්බර වැව/ කිරි මූද), also known as Kiri Muhuda or the Sea of Milk, is an artificial lake in the heart of the hill city of Kandy, Sri Lanka, built in 1807 by King Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe next ...

and provides a viewing platform for guests to watch the

Kandy Esala Perahera The Kandy Esala Perahera (the Sri Dalada Perahara procession of Kandy) also known as The Festival of the Tooth is a festival held in July and August in Kandy, Sri Lanka. This historical procession is held annually to pay homage to the Sacred T ...

. The hotel was used as a

pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

in the 1940s/50s but was converted by the owners into a guest house/budget hotel in the 1970s. It has 14 bedrooms upstairs, with the entrance being from Colombo Road at the back of the building. The hotel has communal bathrooms for guests. In July 2010 the hotel caught fire, sustaining damage to the upper floor and roof. It was subsequently repaired and restored. In January 2014 Manor House Concepts took over the lower floor of the building and renovated the two downstairs dining rooms into a single café, fronting Temple Street.

References

{{Kandy landmarks British colonial architecture in Sri Lanka Hotels established in 1898 1898 establishments in Ceylon Hotels in Kandy Manor houses in Sri Lanka Heritage hotels in Sri Lanka Archaeological protected monuments in Kandy District

See also

References