Built in 1854, the Christ Church Mutwal features a finely crafted Gothic screen and intricate stone carvings that reflect the colonial aesthetic of the period. Locally known as “Gal Palliya” (“Stone Church”) due to its enduring granite construction, it remains a prominent landmark in the Mutwal area worth visiting.
Located by the busy Lipton Roundabout in Colombo, built in 1883, Cinnamon Gardens Baptist Church is a welcoming and supportive Christian community known for its warm and inclusive atmosphere. The church conducts services in Tamil, Sinhala, and English every Sunday, along with a trilingual Sunday school.
A violent clash between Buddhists and Catholics in Kotahena, Colombo, sparked by tensions between Deepaduttamarama Temple and St. Lucia’s Cathedral. During a Buddhist Perahera led by Ven. Migettuwatte Gunananda Thera, Catholic mobs attacked the procession, killing one devotee and injuring many.
Sri Lanka’s oldest and largest Catholic cathedral, founded in 1760 and rebuilt in 1901 in Venetian Renaissance style. Seating over 6,000, it features a grand façade with statues, a vast underground crypt, and the country’s largest bell, “Antony Thomas”. A landmark of Colombo’s Catholic heritage.
Hidden behind a modest arch near St. Anthony’s Church in Kochchikade lies Sri Lanka’s largest granite kovil — the awe-inspiring Kochchikade Sivan Kovil. With its unpainted gopuram of intricate carvings, 200 granite pillars, and a cool, dim interior that contrasts the blazing streets outside, it stands as a timeless masterpiece of Hindu devotion and artistry.
Once a beacon for sailors and a landmark of Colombo, the 80-foot steel Kodi Gaha (Flagstaff) lit the way to the harbour with its powerful gas lamps. Once standing tall in Colombo Fort and immortalized in song, this forgotten monument now rests on St. Sebastian Hill — a silent witness to 500 years of history.
Built in 1895, the Old General Post Office (GPO) is one of the most iconic colonial landmarks of Colombo. Standing prominently opposite the Presidential House, this two-story structure is celebrated as a masterclass in neoclassical colonial architecture.
The Maradana Railway Station, a grand structure built by the British in 1908, remains one of the finest examples of colonial-era railway architecture in Sri Lanka. The exact date of its opening is uncertain; however, maps from 1889 already indicate the presence of a railway station at Maradana, confirming that an earlier station existed before that year.
The colonial government established the Government Technical College in 1893, housed in a modest building that had once been a storage house for coffee near Colombo Fort. This was the first organized attempt to provide technical education to the youth of Ceylon, addressing what had long been seen as a pressing need.
Nestled along the bustling stretch of Galle Road in Colpetty, St. Andrew’s Scots Kirk (built in 1906) stands as a serene and dignified witness to Colombo’s colonial past. With its whitewashed Gothic spires and pointed arches rising above the tropical foliage, the church is more than just a place of worship—it is a living monument to the Scottish community that helped shape Sri Lanka’s modern history.
Hidden behind foliage, near the Ramada Hotel and next to the Freemasonic Temple, lies one of the oldestchurches of Sri Lanka. Initially built in Kabook in 1864 and rebuilt in cement in 1898, it was designed by British architect R. W. Edis for the Church Missionary Society.
Lying along Kumaran Ratnam Road in Slave Island, Hotel Nippon is one of Colombo’s most historic landmarks. Originally named Manning Mansions, the building was constructed in 1882 with 14 apartments intended to house members of the British military. Its fame spread internationally when it appeared in the classic film Bridge over the River Kwai, which was shot in Ceylon.
Lying between Mudalige Mawatha and Chatham Street and facing York Street in Colombo, the Australia Building today houses Laksala, the state-owned handicraft marketing organization. Erected in 1900, this structure stands as one of the many colonial-era commercial landmarks of Colombo Fort.
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.
One of the most eye-catching colonial buildings in Colombo Fort is the former headquarters of Lankem Tea and Rubber Plantations. Built just before the iconic Cargills building, this striking structure dates to around 1860 and shares a surprising resemblance in design to Cargills. With its terracotta and white brick finish, the building portrays neoclassical architecture.
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 Mackinnon Mackenzie Building, earlier known as the Victoria Arcade and later the York Arcade, was constructed in 1860 and originally belonged to the Earl of Inchcape. Ideally positioned on the Colombo harbor front, right next to the Grand Oriental Hotel, this was one of the first major commercial complexes a visitor would encounter upon arrival to the island.
Chatham Street in Fort is home to number of colonial buidings constrcuted in late 1800’s and early 1900’s. The De Mel Building exibiting British colonial, with Renaissance classical details is one of the buildings built toward the end of this boom. It was constructed in 1921 and is over 20,000 sq ft in extent, and consists of a basement and three floors.
Constructed in 1878, this historic two-story Neoclassical building lies at the intersection of Hospital Lane and Chatham Street in Pettah. It can be accessed either from the Economic History Museum side or from the rear of the Dutch Hospital precinct.
Completed in 1910, the Prince Building on Sir Baron Jayathilaka Road (formerly Prince Street) is a five-story landmark originally built for Harrisons & Crosfield Ltd., London. Despite being constructed on a relatively small plot, it stood out as a pioneering design in Colombo. Unlike the prevalent neoclassical style of the era, this concrete monolithic structure broke tradition, introducing a more modern aesthetic to the city’s skyline.
