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President's House is the
official residence An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless of whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority (either their own or that of th ...
and workplace of the
President of Sri Lanka The president of Sri Lanka ( ''Śrī Laṅkā Janādhipati''; ''Ilaṇkai janātipati'') is the head of state and head of government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. The president is the chief executive of the union governm ...
, located at Janadhipathi Mawatha,
Colombo Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...
, Sri Lanka. Since 1804 it had been the residence of British Governors and Governors-General and was known as the "King's House" or the "Queen's House" until Sri Lanka became a
republic A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representat ...
in 1972. There were 29 Governors who resided here, and there have also been six Presidents who have resided or used it in an official capacity. It was most recently used by
Gotabaya Rajapaksa Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa, (; ; born 20 June 1949) was a Sri Lankan politician and military officer who served as the eighth President of Sri Lanka from 18 November 2019 until his Resignation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, resignation on 14 July 202 ...
, the
President of Sri Lanka The president of Sri Lanka ( ''Śrī Laṅkā Janādhipati''; ''Ilaṇkai janātipati'') is the head of state and head of government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. The president is the chief executive of the union governm ...
for state functions until anti-government protestors stormed the compound and occupied it. The Presidential Secretariat functions as the Office of the President, with much of the presidential staff based there.


History


Dutch period

The last Dutch Governor, Johan van Angelbeek, built a two-storied residence on the site of the demolished St Francis's Church, which had been built by the Portuguese in the 16th century.


British period

It was sold to the British colonial administration by Angelbeek's granddaughter on 17 January 1804, for £10,000, to set off deficits incurred by her husband George Melvin Leslie, the Revenue Officer to the British Governor Frederick North. After the British took over the house, it became the
official residence An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless of whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority (either their own or that of th ...
of the
Governor of Ceylon {{Use dmy dates, date=November 2019 The governor of Ceylon can refer to historical vice-regal representatives of three colonial powers: Portuguese Ceylon * List of captains of Portuguese Ceylon (1518–1551) * List of captain-majors of Portugue ...
and known as Government House, but most commonly referred to as the King's House or the Queen's House depending on the monarch of the time.


Post-independence

When Ceylon gained its independence in 1948, the house became the official residence of the
Governor General of Ceylon The governor-general of Ceylon was the representative of the Ceylonese monarch in the Dominion of Ceylon from the country's independence in 1948 until it became the republic of Sri Lanka in 1972. History There were four governors-general. Sir ...
with the last British Governor Sir Henry Monck-Mason Moore continuing as the new Governor-General. In 1949, Lord Soulbury succeeded Moore as the Governor General. In 1954, Queen Elizabeth II stayed at the house during her royal visit to Ceylon, becoming the first monarch of Ceylon to reside there with her husband, Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh and later that year,
Sir Oliver Goonetilleke Sir Oliver Ernest Goonetilleke () (20 October 1892 – 17 December 1978) was a Sri Lankan statesman. Having served as an important figure in the gradual independence of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) from Britain, he became the third Governor-Genera ...
took up residence at Queen's House as the first Ceylonese to be appointed to the post of the Governor-General. He would reside at Queen's House until 2 March 1962 when he was replaced by
William Gopallawa William Gopallawa (, ; 17 September 1896 – 31 January 1981) was a Sri Lankan politician and statesman who served as the last Governor-General of Ceylon from 1962 to 1972 and the first and only non-executive President of Sri Lanka from 1972 to ...
and went into exile following an attempted military coup. Gopallawa continued as Governor-General for a second term, having taken up residence at Queen's House in 1962. He became the first
President of Sri Lanka The president of Sri Lanka ( ''Śrī Laṅkā Janādhipati''; ''Ilaṇkai janātipati'') is the head of state and head of government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. The president is the chief executive of the union governm ...
in 1972 when Sri Lanka became a republic. With it, the house was renamed the President's House.


The Jayawardene restorations

J. R. Jayawardene who was elected Prime Minister in 1977, created the executive presidency with a new
constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed. When these pri ...
in 1978 and became the first Executive President succeeding Gopallawa. Jayawardene who resided at his private residence
Braemar Braemar is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, around west of Aberdeen in the Highlands. It is the closest significantly-sized settlement to the upper course of the River Dee, sitting at an elevation of . The Gaelic ''Bràigh Mhàrr'' p ...
during his tenure as Prime Minister and President, found the President's House in poor condition, due to years of neglect. To this effect, in the 1980s and 1990s, the house underwent refurbishments under the direction of one of Sri Lanka's foremost architects Geoffrey Bawa.
Ranasinghe Premadasa Sri Lankabhimanya Ranasinghe Premadasa ( ''Raṇasiṃha Premadāsa''; ''Raṇaciṅka Pirēmatācā''; 23 June 1924 – 1 May 1993) was a Sri Lankan politician and statesman who served as the third President of Sri Lanka from 2 January 1989 unt ...
took up formal residence at President's House following his election to office in 1989. Following his death in 1993, D. B. Wijetunga resided at the President's House until he was succeeded by
Chandrika Kumaratunga Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga (; ; born 29 June 1945), commonly referred to by her initials CBK, is a Sri Lankan politician who served as the fifth President of Sri Lanka, President of Sri Lanka from 12 November 1994 to 19 November 2005. ...
in 1994. Kumaratunga used
Temple Trees Temple Trees is the official residence of the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. It is located in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Several recent presidents have used it as their official residence as well. History Private residence The history of ''Temple Tree ...
as her official residence until 1999 when she moved to the President's House and remained there till the end of her term.


Rajapaksha reconstruction

Kumaratunga's successor Mahinda Rajapaksha used the
Temple Trees Temple Trees is the official residence of the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. It is located in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Several recent presidents have used it as their official residence as well. History Private residence The history of ''Temple Tree ...
as his official residence. The house was refurbished in the 2000s with the addition of an underground bunker.
Maithripala Sirisena Maithripala Yapa Sirisena (; ; born 3 September 1951) is a Sri Lankan politician who served as the seventh president of Sri Lanka from 9 January 2015 to 18 November 2019. Sirisena is Sri Lanka's first president from the North Central Province, S ...
did not take up residency at the President's House and instead resided at his ministerial residence at Mahagama Sekara Mawatha (Paget Road) which he later retained after his presidency ended in 2019, until he was forced to vacate on a Supreme Court ruling.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa, (; ; born 20 June 1949) was a Sri Lankan politician and military officer who served as the eighth President of Sri Lanka from 18 November 2019 until his Resignation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, resignation on 14 July 202 ...
remained at his private residence in
Nugegoda Nugegoda () is a large, densely populated suburb of Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is located just south of Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte and north-east of Dehiwela Mt. Lavinia. It has a population of over 250,000 people. Education Schools in the region ...
; however, he used the President's House to host meetings during the
2022 Sri Lankan protests The 2022 Sri Lankan protests, commonly known as Aragalaya (), were a series of mass protests that began in March 2022 against the government of Sri Lanka. The government was heavily criticized for mismanaging the Economy of Sri Lanka, Sri Lankan ...
.


Occupation by protesters during the 2022 protests

On 9 July, during the
2022 Sri Lankan protests The 2022 Sri Lankan protests, commonly known as Aragalaya (), were a series of mass protests that began in March 2022 against the government of Sri Lanka. The government was heavily criticized for mismanaging the Economy of Sri Lanka, Sri Lankan ...
, thousands of protesters stormed and occupied the President's House,
Temple Trees Temple Trees is the official residence of the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. It is located in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Several recent presidents have used it as their official residence as well. History Private residence The history of ''Temple Tree ...
(Prime Minister's house), Presidential Secretariat demanding that both President
Gotabaya Rajapaksa Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa, (; ; born 20 June 1949) was a Sri Lankan politician and military officer who served as the eighth President of Sri Lanka from 18 November 2019 until his Resignation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, resignation on 14 July 202 ...
and Prime Minister
Ranil Wickremesinghe Ranil Wickremesinghe (; ; born 24 March 1949) is a Sri Lankan politician who served as the ninth president of Sri Lanka from 2022 to 2024. He has also served as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 1993–1994, 2001–2004, 2015–2018, 2018-2019 a ...
resign immediately. Some of them spent the night there, refusing to leave the premises until the resignations they demanded were confirmed. By 10 July the President's House had become a centre of attention with large numbers of Sri Lankans visiting the building. On 14 July, protesters handed the residence back to the government to stop any further damage to the historical building.


Gordon Gardens

Set in about of land, the residence gained further attraction when Governor Sir Arthur Hamilton Gordon laid out the Gordon Gardens at his own expense in honour of
Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...
's
Golden Jubilee A golden jubilee marks a 50th anniversary. It variously is applied to people, events, and nations. Bangladesh In Bangladesh, golden jubilee refers the 50th anniversary year of the separation from Pakistan and is called in Bengali language, ...
celebrations in 1887. The Gardens boast a variety of trees. A marble statue of Queen Victoria was removed from the gardens in 2006. Gordon Gardens were open to the public until 1980 when they were made part of the President's House; it is now off limits to the public. The site was the location for the 1881
Royal–Thomian The Battle of the Blues (Also known as Royal–Thomian Cricket Encounter) is an annual Big Match in Sri Lanka played between Royal College, Colombo and S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia since 1879. It is known as ''The Battle of the Blues'' ...
cricket match.


Kilometre Zero

In Sri Lanka, all distances from Colombo are measured, formally, in miles, from the President's House. This practice began with the construction of the Colombo-Kandy road in 1830, which was the first modern highway on the island. Since then, most of the highways originate from Colombo.


Public access and security

The King's House had a limited opening to the public until the early part of the 20th century. Only colonial officers were allowed access to the Governor when in residence.


Closure of Janadhipathi Mawatha

Since independence, the Queen's House as it was known remained accessible in many ways. Gordon Gardens remained open as a public park. In times of emergencies, access was limited and the Queen's Road was closed off. In peacetime, these were open once again, until 1980, when Gordon Gardens were taken over by the President's House. Following the Central Bank bombing the Janadhipathi Mawatha (formally Queen's Road) was permanently closed off for vehicular traffic up to
Old Colombo Lighthouse Old Colombo Lighthouse or Colombo Fort Clock Tower is a clock tower and was a lighthouse in Colombo. The lighthouse is no longer operational, but the tower remains and functions as a clock tower. It is located at the junction of Chatham Street and ...
and further extended to Bank of Ceylon Mawatha. It was reopened in early 2015, and in June 2016 the President's House was opened to the public for a week.


Protection

Starting in the 18th century, a permanent guard of colonial troops was provided from which originated the colonial title of the Mudaliar of the Governor's Gate. By the 20th century, the Governor's Guard was located in the basement of the GPO Building located opposite the King's House. At present, the President's House is protected by the President's Security Division.


Ceremonial guard

In the past Governors were provided with ceremonial guards by the Governor's Bodyguard (inner guard) and Lascarins (outer guard). In 1979, the Sri Lanka Corps of Military Police formed the President's Ceremonial Guard Company at the President's House to perform ceremonial guard duties, such as Guard Mounting. Guard mounting duties are now rotated between the military police (six months), the
Sri Lanka Navy The Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) (; ) is the navy, naval arm of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces and is classed as the country's most vital defence force due to its island geography. It is responsible for the maritime defence of the Sri Lankan nation and its ...
(three months) and the
Sri Lanka Air Force The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF; ; ) is the air force, air arm and the youngest of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces. It was founded in 1951 as the Royal Ceylon Air Force (RCyAF) with the assistance of the Royal Air Force (RAF). The SLAF played a major r ...
(three months) at the outer perimeter of the President's House (outer guard). Military police undertake guard mounting duties within the President's House (inner guard) in the traditional uniform of the old Governor's Bodyguard. The Troop assigned as the ceremonial guard at the President's House, are tasked with raising and lowering the national flag at the Galle Face Green flag staff.


See also

* Maldivian annual tribute


References


External links


www.sundaytimes.lk
{{Authority control British colonial architecture in Sri Lanka Dutch colonial architecture in Sri Lanka Government buildings in Colombo Government Houses of the British Empire and Commonwealth Houses in Colombo Official residences in Sri Lanka Presidential residences Manor houses in Sri Lanka