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.
Frederick North, 5th Earl of Guilford, styled The Honourable Frederick North until 1817, was a British politician and colonial administrator.
The Ceylon Civil Service, popularly known by its acronym CCS, was the premier civil service of the Government of Ceylon under British colonial rule and in the immediate post-independence period. Established in 1833, it functioned as part of the executive administration of the country to various degrees until Ceylon gained self-rule in 1948. Until it was abolished on 1 May 1963 it functioned as the permanent bureaucracy or secretariat of Crown employees that supported the Government of Ceylon.
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.
Sir is a formal English honorific address for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Traditionally, as governed by law and custom, Sir is used for men titled knights i.e. of orders of chivalry, and later also to baronets, and other offices. As the female equivalent for knighthood is damehood, the suo jure female equivalent term is typically Dame. The wife of a knight or baronet tends to be addressed Lady, although a few exceptions and interchanges of these uses exist.
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 that prosecuted famed bandit Saradiel.
Charles Henry de Soysa 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, St. Matthias Church, 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 was the country's first Knight Bachelor (posthumous).
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.
The Inspector General of Police (IGP) is the professional head of the Sri Lanka Police. He is the most senior police officer in Sri Lanka and oversees all police personnel throughout the country. The IGP reports to the Minister of Law and Order, when the Police Service is under the Ministry of Law and Order as it is currently. Senior DIG C. D. Wickramaratne is currently acting as IGP while Pujith Jayasundara is on compulsory leave.
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.
Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike, frequently referred to as S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike, was the fourth Prime Minister of Ceylon and founder of the Left wing and Sinhalese nationalist Sri Lanka Freedom Party. SWRD Bandaranaike became the prime minister of Ceylon in 1956 and carried out left wing reforms such as nationalizing bus services and introducing legislation to prohibit caste based discrimination. Bandaranaike is also remembered for removing British naval and air bases in Sri Lanka and establishing diplomatic missions with a number of communist states. When the Suez Crisis occurred Bandaranaike stood by Egypt and supported its right to nationalize the Suez Canal Company going against Israel and the UK in the UN. His effort to resolve the Suez Crisis, pleased the Arab Countries. Thus Sri Lanka was appointed as a member of the Suez Advisory Board.
The governor-general of Ceylon was the representative of the monarch in the Dominion of Ceylon from the country's independence from the United Kingdom in 1948 until it became the republic of Sri Lanka in 1972.
General Sir John Lionel Kotelawala was a Sri Lankan statesman, most notable for serving as the 3rd Prime Minister of Ceylon from 1953 to 1956.
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.
Galle Face 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.
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.
Fort is the central business district of Colombo in Sri Lanka. It is the financial district of Colombo and the location of the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) and the World Trade Centre of Colombo from which the CSE operates. It is also the location of the Bank of Ceylon headquarters. Along the foreshore of the Fort area is the Galle Face Green Promenade, built in 1859 under the governance of Sir Henry George Ward, the Governor of Ceylon during British colonial administration. Fort is also home to the General Post Office, hotels, government departments and offices.
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.
Queen's Cottage is a country house near Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka. It is the vacationing and country residence of the President of Sri Lanka. Located within the limits of the Nuwara Eliya Municipal Council along the Queen Elizabeth Drive, it is a protected monument under the Antiquities Ordinance.
Royal College is a selective entry boys' school located in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Started as a private school by Rev Joseph Marsh in 1835, it was established as the Colombo Academy by Sir Robert Wilmot-Horton in January 1836, the first government-run secondary school for boys in the island.
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 residence for visiting heads of state and local government ministers.
Colombo Racecourse was a harness racing course in Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo, Sri Lanka. During the Second World War, it was used as a temporary airfield. In 2012 it was redeveloped as the Colombo Racecourse Sports Complex to become the first International Rugby Union ground in Sri Lanka to host all the national rugby union side's home matches.
Modera House is a large bungalow in Colombo, Sri Lanka. A nineteenth century stately home, located in Mutwal north of Colombo. It is now part of the De La Salle College, Colombo.
Horagolla Walauwa is a large bungalow in Atthanagalla, Western Province, Sri Lanka.
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.
The Doric Bungalow at Arippu East, Mannar, Sri Lanka, was the residence of the first British Governor of Ceylon.
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.
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