The Richmond Castle is located minutes away from the Kalutara town and if you are staying or passing the area make sure you drop into admire the architecture. If you want to soak up the tropical sunlight and laze around in this peaceful town then you can find plenty of Kalutara Beach Hotels but don’t settle for low budget seaside lodging. Find comfortable, luxurious and safe accommodation at the renowned AVANI Kalutara, one of the top hotels in the area and part of the AVANI chain of hotels. Boasting of stunning seaside views, gourmet meals, special facilities and great customer service, it is one of the best choices for those staying in Kalutara.
The Richmond Castle is a two-storied mansion located in the town of Kalutara in the Southern section of Sri Lanka. It is famous for it’s superb architecture, which has a strong Indian influence but was designed by a British architect and this interesting hybrid of countries has created a truly magnificent piece of architecture. The mansion occupies fifteen spacious rooms and all of these spaces are given natural air conditioning through use of various designing and constructional techniques. Interestingly there are ninety-nine doorframes and thirty-eight windows in this massive house.
Built in 1896, the Richmond Castle is considered as one of the most spectacular works of architecture during that period. The mansion was built for a regional governor turned philanthropist with an unusually long name – Rajawasala Appuhamilage Don Arthur De Silva Wijesinghe Siriwardena who once lived in the house with his wife. The story unfolds that the couple who were blessed with all the luxuries in the world were unable to enjoy the joys of parenthood and later parted due to this. From that time the Richmond Castle that was once bubbling with happiness and sounds of joy was isolated since the owner lived a life of a hermit away from his estate till his death at the age of fifty-nine. Today it is converted to a much more humble surrounding since it is occupied as a nursery and hostel for under privileged children. The majesty of the building still remains in its architecture and interestingly surrounded by the sounds and laughter of little children that it once so longed for.
Thanuja Silva is a travel writer who writes under the pen name Auburn Silver. She has a passion for fashion and a deep interest in admiring new and exotic attractions around the world. Google+