Arcadia is a
country house
image:Blenheim - Blenheim Palace - 20210417125239.jpg, 300px, Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire
An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a Townhou ...
in
Diyatalawa
Diyatalawa (), (), meaning ) is a former garrison town in the central highlands of Sri Lanka, in the Badulla District of Uva Province. It is situated at an altitude of and has become a popular destination for local holiday makers. It is home ...
, in the
Badulla District, Sri Lanka. It is known for being the country house of the
press baron
A media proprietor, also called a media executive, media mogul, media tycoon, or press baron is an entrepreneur who controls any means of public or commercial mass media, through the personal ownership or holding of a dominant position within a ...
D.R. Wijewardene.
Built by British
planter, G. M. Crabbe, the house and tea estate which was also called Arcadia was sold to D. R. Wijewardene in 1932 following the
1930 - 1932 economic crisis triggered by a steep drop in tea prices. Wijewardene expanded the house and added a landscaped garden. Wijewardene used Arcadia as a holiday retreat and to host distinguished guests during
weekends
The weekdays and weekend are the complementary parts of the week, devoted to labour and rest, respectively. The legal weekdays (British English), or workweek (American English), is the part of the seven-day week devoted to working. In most o ...
, notably
Lord Soulbury,
Sir Fredrick Rees and Fredrick Burns who were members of the
Soulbury Commission
The Soulbury Commission ( ''Solbari Komisyan Sabawa''; ) was a prime instrument of constitutional reform in British Ceylon (modern-day Sri Lanka) that succeeded the Donoughmore Commission. It was announced in 1944 and headed by Herwald Ramsboth ...
. On recommendations of the Soulbury Commission, Sri Lanka gained dominion status and independence in 1948. The house which remained in the
Wijewardene family was used by family members such as
Ray Wijewardene
Deshamanya Philip Revatha Wijewardene, better known as Ray Wijewardene, ( Sinhala:පිලිප් රෙවත විජයවර්ධන) (20 August 1924 - 18 August 2010) was a Sri Lankan engineer, aviator, inventor, and Olympic athlete. H ...
.
See also
*
Adisham Hall
Adisham Hall, or Adisham Bungalow is a country house near Haputale, in the Badulla District, Sri Lanka. At present, it houses the Adisham monastery of Saint Benedict. It has a relic (a chip of a bone) of St. Sylvester at the chapel.
Sir Thomas V ...
References
Country houses in Sri Lanka
Houses completed in 1931
Houses in Badulla District
Wijewardena family
Manor houses in Sri Lanka
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