Heritage

Nuwara Eliya Post Office Building (නුවර එලිය තැපල් කාර්යාළ ගොඩනැගිල්ල)

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Nuwara Eliya Post Office
photo by Poorfish licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

The Post Office Building of Nuwara Eliya is one of the oldest buildings in the city fondly known as the ‘Litte England’ is a designated archaeological monument falling under the protection of the Department of Archaeology. This grandeur building with its own clock tower standing in the middle of the town is one of the favourite points of interest and one of the most photographed buildings for foreign tourists visiting Nuwara Eliya.

The Victorian-style red-brick building, one of the oldest post offices in the country, was built by the Public Works Department of the government and was completed in 1894 (Bingham, 1921). Complete with a red brick exterior and a clock tower at one end of the building, the building showcases a glimpse of old-world Ceylon of the colonial era.

The top floor of the Nuwara Eliya post office was developed into a holiday bungalow in 2012. The government attempted to sell Nuwara Eliya, Kandy and Galle Fort post offices to private developers to be converted into hotels in 2017 but it was thwarted after the postal workers went on a three-day strike against the sale of these national monuments. The current government, strapped for cash, is currently (2023) attempting to sell this heritage building again to be converted into a hotel against all opposition by the people as well as tourists.

Only time will tell the fate of this grand heritage building.

References

Bingham, P.M. (1921) History of the Public Works Department, Ceylon, 1796 to 1913- Volume 1. Vol 1. Colombo, Ceylon: H. R. Cottle, Government Printer.

Also See

Map of Nuwara Eliya Post Office Building

Please click on the button below to load the Dynamic Google Map (ගූගල් සිතියම් පහලින්)

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The map above also shows other places of interest within a approximately 20 km radius of the current site. Click on any of the markers and the info box to take you to information of these sites

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Travel Directions to Nuwara Eliya Post Office Building

Route from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya Post Office Building

Through : Awissawella – Kithulgala – Ginigathhena – Hatton
Distance :160 km
Travel time : 5 hours
Driving directions : see on google map

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References

Also See

Map of Nuwara Eliya Post Office Building

Travel Directions to Nuwara Eliya Post Office Building

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