Historic Chartered Bank Building

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Historic Chartered Bank Building in Colombo

The historic Chartered Bank Building, completed in 1933, is a neoclassical structure infused with local character. Its most distinctive feature is the series of eight carved elephant heads, complete with tusks, that project from the pillars, blending classical grandeur with Sri Lankan symbolism.

The site of the historic Chartered Bank Building has a complex history dating back centuries. During Portuguese rule, it housed the monastery of St. Augustino (Rankine, 1958). Before the current structure was erected, the location was occupied by a large two-story colonial building, which was demolished to make way for the new bank headquarters. In 1906, the Public Works Department unearthed a stone inscribed with the date MDCLX (1660) on the grounds of the building. Scholars suggest this stone may once have crowned a gateway of the Dutch Fort of Colombo (Bingham, 1922, pp. 7, 21; Bingham, 1923, p. xx).

Construction of the Present Building

The present building was constructed around 1933 (Gibson, 1929, pp. 7–8; colombofort.com, n.d.). Built of massive brown stone, it immediately became one of the most striking landmarks in Colombo Fort. The ground and basement floors were occupied by the Chartered Bank itself, while several other prominent businesses—including Carson Aitken Spence & Company Ltd., Cumberbatch & Company Ltd., and Muller & Phipps—leased offices on the upper floors.

Architectural Features

Designed in the neoclassical tradition, the building features majestic pillared façades and arched entrances. However, it deviates from purely classical conventions by incorporating oriental details. Most striking among these are the eight carved elephant heads, complete with tusks, projecting from its pillars—an architectural flourish that ties the building to Sri Lanka’s cultural identity.

The Chartered Bank in Colombo

The Chartered Bank of India, Australia, and China was established in London in 1852 by East Indian merchants seeking to service the booming trade between Britain and Asia. It received its Royal Charter in 1853, opening its first overseas branch in Calcutta before rapidly expanding across the Orient, including as far as Beijing.

The Colombo branch opened in 1892 (Wright, 1907/2004) on Queen Street (now Janadhipathi Mawatha), close to the General Post Office. By the early 20th century, the bank had become one of the most important financial institutions in the city, and the construction of the 1933 building reflected its central role in the economic life of colonial Ceylon.

References

Bingham, P. M. (1922). History of the Public Works Department, Ceylon, 1796 to 1913: Vol. II–III. H. R. Cottle, Government Printer of Ceylon.
Bingham, P. M. (1923). History of the Public Works Department, Ceylon, 1796 to 1913: Vol. III–III. H. R. Cottle, Government Printer of Ceylon.
colombofort.com. (n.d.). The complete guide to Colombo Fort. Colombo Fort. Retrieved September 16, 2025, from https://colombofort.com/fort.streets.buildings.htm
Gibson, A. (1929). Ceylon (1st ed.). J. M. Dent And Sons Ltd.
Manathunga, S. B. (2020). කොළඹ දිස්ත්‍රික්කය: පෞරාණික ස්ථාන හා ස්මාරක (3rd ed.). Department of Archaeology, Sri Lanka. (Original work published 2005)
Rankine, E. (1958). Colombo Old and New. Ceylon Today, VII(12), 3–10.
Welandawe, H., & Weerasinghe, J. (2016). Urban Heritage in the WRMPP. (unpublished)
Wright, A. (2004). Twentieth Century Impressions of Ceylon: Its History, People, Commerce, Industries, and Resources (1st ed.). Asian Educational Services. (Original work published 1907)

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