Heritage

Historic Mathews Building in Colombo (කොළඹ ඓතිහාසික මැතිව්ස් ගොඩනැගිල්ල)

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Nestled beside the Dutch Hospital complex, at the corner of Canal Row Road, stands the historic Mathews Building. Its façade is partly hidden behind a sprawling nuga tree, giving it a quiet charm and making it easy to overlook amid the busy atmosphere of Colombo Fort.

The Mathews Building is a two-story structure with an additional basement, designed in early 20th-century British Colonial style. The basement level is indicated by elegantly designed cast-iron grill windows at the foot of the building. Measuring about 14 meters in length, the structure features wooden decks that separate the floors.

The roofline is marked by two triangular tympanums, while the upper levels display arched windows with keystones and balconies with iron grills. A semi-relief carving near the roof proudly displays the name of the shipping company once housed here. Some areas where wooden decks are missing are instead finished with ceramic tile designs. (Manathuga, 2005/2020)

Historical Ownership

This building was owned by a pioneering shipping company initially started in 1896 by a British national named J. Stephen. Later, it became a shipping company building under Sri Lankan management, known as C. Matthew.

References

Manathunga, S. B. (2020). කොළඹ දිස්ත්‍රික්කය: පෞරාණික ස්ථාන හා ස්මාරක (3rd ed.). Department of Archaeology, Sri Lanka. (Original work published 2005)

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Map of Historic Historic Mathews Building of Colombo

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Travelling to Historic Historic Mathews Building in Colombo

Route from Colombo Fort to Historic Mathews Building
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