Whist Bungalow

Last updated

Pradeepa Hall 95/19 Paris Watha (formallyWhist Bungalow) is a large bungalow (as mansions are referred to locally) in Modara Colombo15 , Sri Lanka. A nineteenth century stately home modeled on Neoclassical style, located in Mutwal north of Colombo on the cost where the Kelani River used to meet the Indian Ocean. It is now used as a reception hall for weddings.

History

Built by Henry Augustus Marshall, an Englishmen who accompanied Lord North who was the first British Governor of Ceylon. Marshall was an officer in the Ceylon Civil Service and went on to serve as Auditor General of Ceylon. He built Whist Bungalow as a small retreat in addition to his other houses Rock House and Modera House.

The house was bought by the Supreme Court Judge Sir Richard Morgan who expanded the house to its current appearance and extend the garden. It was inherited by his son who died suddenly and is rumored haunt the house. Louis H. S. Pieris, the son-in-law of Sir Charles Henry de Soysa thereafter became the owner and it was later leased to Stipperger, the representative of the Austrian Lloyd Shipping Company in Colombo. During this time Ernst Haeckel and Lord Llandaff where guests at Whist.

Later the government took over the bungalow for use as the official residence of the Inspector General of Police. It was bought at government auction the wealthy merchant C.S. Antony and the family lived until it was leased as a tea store used by companies such as Bartleets, JEDB and SPC. During this time it was briefly own by the Government Minister V.A Sugathadasa. As a result of these exchanges size of the estate had reduced over the years and as a result of the land reclamation act of 1972, many of the servants living in the out houses gained ownership of them.

In the 1980s it was acquired by the Urban Development Authority, which refurbished it and renamed it as Pradeepa Hall. It was open as a venue for public functions by Prime Minister R. Premadasa on February 10, 1987. Since then it has been managed by the National Housing Development Authority with the latest refurbishments undertaken in 2010.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Government House, Canberra</span> Official residence of the Governor-General of Australia

Government House, colloquially known as Yarralumla, is the official residence of the governor-general of Australia. It is located in the suburb of Yarralumla in the Australian capital city of Canberra, in the Australian Capital Territory. The main residence is set amid 54 hectares of parkland. The house and its associated grounds were added to the Commonwealth Heritage List on 22 June 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike</span> 4th Prime Minister of the Dominion of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) from 1956 to 1959

Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike, also known as "The Silver Bell of Asia", was a Ceylonese statesman who served as the fourth Prime Minister of the Dominion of Ceylon, serving from 1956 until his assassination. The founder of the left-wing and Sinhalese nationalist Sri Lanka Freedom Party, his tenure saw the country's first left-wing reforms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Governor-General of Ceylon</span> Representative of the monarch 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.

After the outbreak of the Second World War, in the British Crown Colony of Ceylon, the government of Sir Don Baron Jayatilaka assured the British King and his government of its continued support.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Kotelawala</span> 3rd Prime Minister of Sri Lanka

General Sir John Lionel Kotelawala was a Sri Lankan statesman, who served as the 3rd Prime Minister of Ceylon from 1953 to 1956.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oliver Goonetilleke</span> Sri Lankan statesman

Sir Oliver Ernest Goonetilleke was a Sri Lankan statesman. Having served as an important figure in the gradual independence of Ceylon from Britain, he became the third Governor-General of Ceylon (1954–1962). He was the first Ceylonese individual to hold the vice-regal post.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galle Face Green</span> Urban park in Colombo, Sri Lanka

Galle Face Green is a 5 ha ocean-side urban park, which stretches for 500 m (1,600 ft) along the coast, in the heart of Colombo, the financial and business capital of Sri Lanka. The promenade was initially laid out in 1859 by Governor Sir Henry George Ward, although the original Galle Face Green extended over a much larger area than is seen today. The Galle Face Green was initially used for horse racing and as a golf course, but was also used for cricket, polo, football, tennis, and rugby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Pedris</span> Militia leader in colonial Ceylon; executed by the British in 1915 and made a martyr

Duenuge Edward Henry Pedris was a Ceylonese militia officer and a prominent socialite. Pedris was executed for treason by the 17th Punjab Regiment of the British Indian Army under martial law during the 1915 Sinhalese-Muslim riots. Convicted in a three day Field General Court Martial under the terms of the Army Act, bypassing the local legal system, his execution was viewed as unjust by the local population and a warning to local leaders. It hastened the movement toward independence, providing motivation and a martyr for those who pioneered the movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cabinet of Sri Lanka</span> Council of ministers that form the central government of Sri Lanka

In Sri Lanka, the Cabinet of Ministers is the council of senior ministers responsible and answerable to the Parliament of Sri Lanka. The President is a member of the cabinet and its head.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Lavinia Hotel</span> Hotel in Sri Lanka

The Mount Lavinia Hotel, in Mount Lavinia, Sri Lanka, is a 275-room hotel, situated at 100 Hotel Road in Mount Lavinia. It is recognised as one of the oldest and most famous hotels in the country. It has been continuously operating as a hotel since 1947, but was initially constructed as the governor's residence in 1806.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Henry de Soysa</span> Ceylonese entrepreneur and philanthropist

Charles Henry de Soysa Dharmagunawardana Vipula Jayasuriya Karunaratna Disanayaka popularly known as Charles Henry de Soysa, JP was a Ceylonese entrepreneur and philanthropist. He was a pioneering planter, industrialist and was the wealthiest Ceylonese of the 19th century. He was instrumental in the establishment of the first Ceylonese bank, the Moratuwa carpenters guild, the Ceylon Agricultural and National Associations. He is widely regarded as the greatest philanthropist of the island for contributions which includes the De Soysa Maternity Hospital, the Prince and Princess of Wales Colleges, the Model Farm Experimental Station and many other institutions and acts of charity, establishing infant-maternal healthcare and secular education for girls in the country. He would have been the island's first Knight Bachelor, but having died prior, his widow was given the rare honor of the use of the style and dignity of wife of the Knight Bachelor and was known as Catherine, Lady de Soysa.

President's House is the official residence and workplace of the President of Sri Lanka, located at Janadhipathi Mawatha, Colombo, 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 in 1972.

Rock House Army Camp is a military base located at Modera, north of Colombo in the Western Province of Sri Lanka. It serves as the regimental headquarters of the Sri Lanka Armoured Corps of Sri Lanka Army.

Sir Richard Francis Morgan was a Ceylonese lawyer, who served as the 13th Queen's Advocate of Ceylon and acting Chief Justice of Ceylon. He was the first Asian in the British Empire to receive a Knighthood and first Ceylonese to be a member of the Governor's Executive Council and was an unofficial (Burgher) member of the Legislative Council of Ceylon. He was the Crown Advocate who prosecuted famed bandit Saradiel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Parliament Building, Colombo</span>

The Old Parliament Building, is the building that houses the Presidential Secretariat of Sri Lanka. Situated in the Colombo fort area facing the sea, it is in close proximity to the President's House, Colombo and adjacent to the General Treasury Building. The building housed the island's legislature for 53 years until the new parliamentary complex was opened at Sri Jayawardenepura in 1983.

Visumpaya, is an official residence of the Government of Sri Lanka. It is located in Lillie Street, Colombo, Sri Lanka. The house has been used as a residence for visiting heads of state and local government ministers.

Ceylonese recipients of British titles conferred on the advice of Her Majesty's Ceylon Ministers. This list includes all those who were born in, worked in or lived in Ceylon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Oriental Hotel</span>

Grand Oriental Hotel or GOH is a 3 star heritage hotel, located in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Bothale Walauwa is a large bungalow in Bothale Ihalagama, Western Province, Sri Lanka.

Panini Tennekoon was a Sri Lankan architect. He spent most of his career as a public servant, working in the Public Works Department, serving as the country's chief architect, before running his own architectural practice, designing low-cost housing and investigating sustainable timber use in construction. He was a fellow of Sri Lankan Institute of Architects and the Royal Australian Institute of Architects.