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Richmond Castle is an Richmond Castle travel tips
/ref> on a estate beside the Kalutara-Palatota Road.
The building was constructed by a local landowner and philanthropist, Padikara Mudali Nanayakkara Rajawasala Appuhamilage Don Arthur de Silva Wijesinghe Siriwardena (12 November 1889 – 8 July 1947). Srirwardena studied in Britain and on completion of his studies he was bestowed the position of Mudaliyar by the king, returning to Ceylon to take up the position.
The mansion was built based on a similar plan of a castle in India, which was owned by Srirwardena's schoolmates,
Department of Public Trustee
Government buildings in Sri Lanka Houses completed in 1910 Buildings and structures in Kalutara {{SriLanka-struct-stub
Edwardian
In the United Kingdom, the Edwardian era was a period in the early 20th century that spanned the reign of King Edward VII from 1901 to 1910. It is commonly extended to the start of the First World War in 1914, during the early reign of King Ge ...
mansion
A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word ''manse'' originally defined a property l ...
, located near Kalutara
Kalutara (, ) or Kalutota is a major city in Kalutara District, Western Province, Sri Lanka. It is also the administrative capital of Kalutara District. It is located approximately south of the capital Colombo. The city holds a unique posit ...
. Built between 1900 and 1910, it was formally the country seat
300px, Oxfordshire.html" ;"title="Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire">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 To ...
of Mudaliyar
Thuluva Vellalar, also known as Agamudi Mudaliar or Arcot Mudaliars, is a caste found in northern Tamil Nadu, southern Andhra Pradesh and southern Karnataka. They were an elite and dominant land-owning community.
Etymology
The earliest occu ...
Don Arthur de Silva Wijesinghe Siriwardena. The building is currently owned by the Public Trustee
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichk ...
and open to the public.
The house sits on a hill from the Kalutara
Kalutara (, ) or Kalutota is a major city in Kalutara District, Western Province, Sri Lanka. It is also the administrative capital of Kalutara District. It is located approximately south of the capital Colombo. The city holds a unique posit ...
, adjoining the Kalu Ganga
Kalu Ganga (; literally: Black River) is a river in Sri Lanka. The river originates from Sri Pada Peak Wilderness Sanctuary, reaching the sea at Kalutara after a journey. The Black River flows through the Ratnapura and the Kalutara District an ...
River at Palatota,/ref> on a estate beside the Kalutara-Palatota Road.
History
The building was constructed by a local landowner and philanthropist, Padikara Mudali Nanayakkara Rajawasala Appuhamilage Don Arthur de Silva Wijesinghe Siriwardena (12 November 1889 – 8 July 1947). Srirwardena studied in Britain and on completion of his studies he was bestowed the position of Mudaliyar by the king, returning to Ceylon to take up the position.
The mansion was built based on a similar plan of a castle in India, which was owned by Srirwardena's schoolmates, Raja Rajeswara Sethupathi
Raja Rajeswara Sethupathi () or Muthuramalinga Sethupathy (3 June 1889 – 1929) was the Raja of Ramnad from 1903 to 1929.
Early life and education
Raja Rajeswara Sethupathi was the son of Bhaskara Sethupathy and the father of politician Shanm ...
, the Raja
Raja (; from , IAST ') is a noble or royal Sanskrit title historically used by some Indian subcontinent, Indian rulers and monarchs and highest-ranking nobles. The title was historically used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.
T ...
of Ramnad
Ramanathapuram (), also known as Ramnad, is a city Municipal Corporation in Ramanathapuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of Ramanathapuram district and the second largest town (by population) ...
. Sriwardena had requested a copy of the building plans from the Sethupathi, but was refused with the advice the Ceylonese were not capable of undertaking such a large construction project. This inspired Sriwardena to visit the Raja with two local architects, who secretly drew plans of the castle.
Richmond Castle is a two-storey building with sixteen rooms, 99 doors and 34 windows. All essential supplies for the building were sourced from abroad, including floor tiles from Italy, teak from Burma (used to construct the main staircase), window panes, decorated with glass depicting grapevines, from Scotland, and an iron stair and bathroom fittings from England. Srirwardena moved into Richmond Castle upon his marriage to Clarice Matilda Maude Suriyabandara in 1910. The marriage took place in St. Mary's Church Kalamulla.
The couple spent 32 years together however they were unable to have children. Srirwenda bequeathed his properties to the Public Trustee, with the request that the castle was converted to a children's home.
Srirwardena died on 8 July 1947 and from 1956 the Richmond Castle has been taken care by the Public Trustee Department of Sri Lanka.
See also
*Srawasthi Mandiraya
The Srawasthi Mandiraya is the primary office complex of the Western Provincial Council, located in Cinnamon Gardens, a suburb of Colombo. Built in 1913, it saw use for most of its lifetime as a hostel for Members of Parliament from outside C ...
References
External links
Department of Public Trustee
Government buildings in Sri Lanka Houses completed in 1910 Buildings and structures in Kalutara {{SriLanka-struct-stub