Richmond Castle

It is a castle situated in Palathota, Kaluthara which is approximately 2km from Kaluthara town. If you are travelling from Colombo, you have to take a right from the clock tower junction. There is a bus (Kethhena) which is not reliable, as it is working only on an hourly basis. There are three wheelers you can hire for a fair price. You can purchase a ticket at the entrance and later you’ll have to hand it over to the guardian in-charge.

The castle was built in a land of 46 acres bordering Kalu Ganga on the back. If you are travelling on your own vehicle, you can take it near the castle after a half a kilometre drive under the shade of rubber cultivation.

Entrance is on the right side of the castle and you will be warmly welcomed by a representative from the Department of Public Trustee. If you are taking photographs, you need to update your particulars in a log book. Then, you’ll be given a detailed description of the history of the castle and the Mudaliyar who built it. The founder, a tycoon named Nanayakkara Rajawasala Appuhamilage Don Arthur De Silva Wijesinghe Siriwardena Pandikara Mudaliyar had built this castle after witnessing an eye catching sight of a castle in India. He had requested to share the technology and the architecture from the owner of the Indian castle. However, his request was turned down sarcastically saying that a Ceylonese cannot afford that much of money to build such a masterpiece. The determined Mudaliyar had sent a set of Sri Lankan architects to India and they have studied the castle from the outside and came up with blue prints their version. Only lime and sand has been used as local raw materials. Teak and other wood have been imported from Burma; marbles and tiles were imported from India and glasses, steel and iron were imported from UK and Italy. Two ship loads of timber have been used to build this and all the imported materials were shipped from their respective countries and transported via Kalu ganga to the construction site.

Front View

Back view

Side view

All the decorations on the wood were done locally and the artwork is belonging to Kandyan era. At the main entrance to the castle, the floor is made of marble and for conservation purposes; you are not allowed to step on. Also the magnificent staircase directing to the upstairs is restricted to use. ( It looks so beautiful, strong and well preserved, one can think it will last for another 100 years!!). There is another staircase which is used by the servants and you can use it to ascend the upstairs, which consists of bedrooms and office rooms in which, photographs of memorable events of the Mudaliyars were on display. Most of them are their wedding photos. There stands a portrait of the Mudaliyar at the entrance of the balcony and the uniqueness of the creation is, from viewed in different angles, it looks like the Mudaliyar is staring straight back at you.

Mudaliyar's mystery portrait

Staircase leading upstairs on either side

One important fact from his days for us to be proud as Sri Lankans was at his time, he had donated 2,500 rupees with an ambulance to the queen of England for the treatments of the wounded soldiers at the World War I.

Another wondrous fact about the castle was the glasses of all the windows and doors look dark from the outside but from the inside, it’s laden with decorations and we can see the outside from the inside but not the other way. The castle consisted of a concert hall for musical and dancing purposes and Mudaliyar and his wife had watched the entertainment events from the balcony which can be accessed from a spiral staircase from the side of the castle. There had been an air ventilation system which leads to Kalu ganga where the wind from the same will get transferred to the concert hall.

Glass Decorations

Wooden and glass artwork

The difference between a castle and an ancestral house is in castles, the end of the roof cannot be seen in any angle of the building whereas is houses, it is not. The front garden is strewn with statues of children as the Mudaliyar loved them but had none. He loved specially boys and on his last will, he had stated that this place is to be used as a recreational centre for boys. That proves the story of the statues too. The boys’ statues were facing the direction of the castle whereas the girls’ were looking away or down. That means the Mudaliyar had rejected girls. The Mudaliyar’s family life had been shattered probably due to issues with not having children and subsequently they have separated. The wife, Mrs. Silva Wijesinghe had gone back to her parents at Colombo and lived there until she died on 1970 s. The Mudaliyar had donated all his wealth including the castle and the property to the government and lived in the Queens hotel, Kandy. He had succumbed to a heart attack in 1946. As per his last will, the Richmond Castle now is an orphanage to boys who have guardians but poverty stricken. They stay in rooms which the servants’ quarters used to be. The rooms at the ground floor are now used as Montessori classrooms. However, in Montessoris, both the girls and boys have the eligibility to study.

Garden

Girls' statues facing out

Girls' statues facing out

A valuable lesson we can get into our lives from Mudaliyar’s last days was there are things that money cannot buy. It is obvious that even with a majestic mansion and loads of wealth, Mudaliyar’s life had not been a happy and content one. That is why all these properties are now owned by the government and we have access to this splendid creation. Otherwise, the castle may still owned by the next generation of Silva Wijesinghes’ with all the pride and majesty.