Gordon Gardens and the President's House

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The Gordon Gardens, dating back to the British colonial period, is now part of the Presidential Palace, the official residence of the President of Sri Lanka. Unfortunately, these gardens are not open to the public.

Since 1804, the residence has been home to 29 British governors and six Sri Lankan presidents. During the British colonial period, it was referred to as the Governor’s House and alternately called “King’s House” or “Queen’s House,” depending on the reigning monarch. (Hyland, 2022)

During the Portuguese era, this area housed St. Peter’s Church, the primary place of worship for the Portuguese in Colombo (“Saint Peter’s Church, Fort, Colombo,” 1896). The church fell into disrepair during the Dutch occupation, who then constructed their own church on the same site. The Dutch Church and its cemetery were used until the Wolvendaal Church was built in 1751, after which they too fell into ruins by the time of British rule.

The British demolished the remnants of the Dutch Church, relocating all tombstones and artifacts, including the tombstone of King Don Juan Dharmapala (1551–1597), to Wolvendaal Church. The site was then transformed into a public park.

Gordon Gardens

By the 1850s, the park spanned over 4.05 hectares [10 acres], including cricket and football grounds. However, by the turn of the 20th century, the area had been reduced to just about 1.21 hectares [3 acres].

Sir Arthur Gordon, the 15th Governor of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), further enhanced the park by planting ornamental trees and installing fountains at his own expense. He gifted the park to the city of Colombo in 1887 to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee (Cave, 1908, p. 38).

In 1897, a beautifully crafted, larger-than-life marble statue of Queen Victoria was erected near the Passenger Jetty of Colombo Harbor and at the junction of York and Church Streets to mark the occasion.

The Boulder with Coat-of-Arms of Portugal

The park also became home to several significant monuments, one of which is a 25.4 metric ton [25-ton] block of stone bearing the royal coat of arms of Portugal and the year 1501 carved into it. This historical artifact was discovered in September 1898 on a rock at the base of an old building at the Breakwater, which had served as the headquarters of the Harbor Police in the Fort of Colombo. In 1912, the boulder was relocated to Gordon Gardens (S. G. Perera, 1924).

Disregarding its age-old heritage, the boulder was moved from the President’s Garden to the harbor’s entrance during the early 2000s. Today, it lies abandoned in a remote corner of the harbor, unseen and closed off to the public.

The Marble Statue of Queen Victoria

The marble statue of Queen Victoria, originally installed near the Passenger Jetty at Colombo Harbor, was relocated to Gordon Gardens in the 1920s. Later, it was moved from Gordon Gardens (now the private garden of the Presidential Palace) to the rear entrance of the National Museum of Colombo, facing Vihara Mahadevi Park. Currently, it is located on the Bund of the Victoria Dam in Teldeniya, Kandy.

The Early Days of the President’s House (Governor’s House)

The building now known as the President’s House was originally constructed during the Dutch colonial period and dates back to at least the 1780s. It first appeared on a Dutch map created in 1785 by Captain Foenander of the Dutch engineers. The first occupant was Johan van Angelbeek, the last Dutch governor of Ceylon, before the falling of Colombo to the British in 1786. He resided there until his death in 1799. (Bingham, 1922, p. 53)

Following Angelbeek’s passing, the residence was leased to General McDowall, the envoy sent by Ambassador Frederic North to meet King Sri Wikrama Rajasingha of Kandy. McDowall used the house as both his residence and office. (Udugama, 1983, p. 17)

On November 27, 1802, Lacomina Gertruda Van de Graff, niece of Governor Angelbeek and daughter of ex-Governor Van de Graaf, married George Melville Leslie, a British Paymaster-General of Sri Lanka. While the wedding was a notable social event, Leslie soon faced financial difficulties when a deficit of £10,000 (100,000 rix dollars) was discovered in his accounts, leading to his dismissal in 1803. (Somanader, 1954)

To save his niece from disgrace, Christian van Angelbeek, acting as executor of the late governor’s estate, offered the Governor’s House as partial repayment of the deficit. On January 17, 1804, the property was transferred to the British government for 35,000 rix dollars. Shortly thereafter, Leslie and his family left Ceylon, eventually settling the remaining 65,000 rix dollars through cash payments and Dutch “kredit brieven” by the end of 1805. (Somanader, 1954)

The President’s House during the British Period

During the British era, the mansion was referred to as either “King’s House” or “Queen’s House,” depending on the reigning monarch of England.

Sir Thomas Maitland, who served as Governor of Ceylon from 1805 to 1811, reportedly occupied this residence, as noted by Cordiner. However, his stay was likely brief, as Maitland became enamored with Mount Lavinia and constructed a mansion on the beach, which later became the prestigious Mount Lavinia Hotel.

The Governor’s House gained a reputation for grand festivities during the tenure of Edward Barnes (1824–1831). Barnes, who married a wealthy Yorkshire woman, is remembered as one of Ceylon’s most capable administrators, renowned for his work on roads and bridges.

In 1831, the mansion, then known as King’s House, underwent repairs costing approximately 889 kilograms [£700] to prepare for Robert Wilmot-Horton, who served as governor from 1831 to 1837. With Queen Victoria’s accession to the throne in June 1837, the residence came to be known as Queen’s House. Further expansions were carried out in 1838 under Governor James Alexander Stewart-Mackenzie (1837–1841). In 1852, the building was almost entirely rebuilt by Mr. Durand Kershaw, Assistant Civil Engineer, at a cost of £7,000. (Bingham, 1922, p. 53)

The mansion hosted its first royal visitor in 1870, Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, the second son of Queen Victoria. Governor Sir Hercules Robinson (1865–1872) organized a spectacular reception for the Duke and his entourage. It was reported that this event “proved the most brilliant and numerously attended of any that had ever been held in Ceylon,” attracting chiefs and headmen who had not left their jungle homes for decades.

Another notable royal visitor was the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII), who visited in 1875 and stayed as a guest of Governor Sir William Gregory (1872–1877).

Queen’s House in Colombo Post Independence

After Sri Lanka gained independence in 1948, the building became the official residence of the Governor-General of Ceylon, as the country was then known. In 1954, it hosted Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, during their royal visit to Ceylon.

By the 1980s and 1990s, the residence had fallen into disrepair due to years of neglect. It was later extensively refurbished under the supervision of renowned Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa. Despite its status as the official presidential residence, several presidents of Sri Lanka used it only occasionally, often choosing to reside elsewhere.

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.
Cave, H. W. (1908). The Book of Ceylon – Being a Guide to Its Railway System and an Account of Its Varied Attractions for the Visitor and Tourist. Cassell and Company Limited.
Governor’s House – the early days | Daily FT. (2015, June 25). Daily FT. Retrieved January 28, 2025, from https://www.ft.lk/FT-Lite/governors-house-the-early-days/6-550736
Hyland, J. (2022, July 22). A brief history of Sri Lanka’s President’s House. The Diplomat. Retrieved January 28, 2025, from https://thediplomat.com/2022/07/a-brief-history-of-sri-lankas-presidents-house/
Kaluarachchi, S. (2004). කොළඹ පුරාණය (Ancient Colombo). Sooriya Publishers.
Lewis, J. (1913). List of Inscriptions on Tombstones and Monuments in Ceylon, of Historical or Local Interest, With an Obituary of Persons Uncommemorated. H. C. COTTLE.
Saint Peter’s Church, Fort, Colombo. (1896). The Monthly Literary Register and Notes and Queries for Ceylon, IV (new series)(4).
Somanader, K. J. (1954). Queen’s House, Colombo. Ceylon Today (July 1954), 12–14.
Perera, S. G. (1924). The First Portuguese Inscription in Ceylon. The Ceylon Antiquary and Literary Register, IX, 202–211.
Udugama, S. (1983). Sri Lanka from Legend and History. Niloo Bhatt.

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