Sirisena in bid to salvage Nuwara Eliya President’s House

ABritish mansion, once known as Queen’s Cottage (and also as The Lodge), was the home of colonial governors responsible for Ceylon, now Sri Lanka.

Located at Bambarakele in Nuwara Eliya, also known then as ‘ Little England’, the mansion, a protected monument under the Antiquities Ordinance, may go into rack and ruin if not repaired immediately.

Moving into arrest the situation is Pre s i d e n t Maithripala Sirisena. The building and its environs are now the President’s House. Since Independence in 1948, it became the vacationing residence of the Governor General of Sri Lanka. It changed to President’s House in 1972.

President Sirisena is seeking approval of Rs. 120 million to carry out urgent repairs. In view of financial constraints faced by the Government, he wants the money in four yearly instal- ments – Rs 20 million in 2017, Rs 70 million in 2018, Rs 20 million in 2019 and Rs 20 million in 2020. The Sri Lanka Navy’s engineering division personnel will carry out the repairs resulting in a saving on payment for labour. Work will be carried out from January to April next year, the period when there is the lowest rainfall in the area.

President Sirisena has pointed out that a notable feature at the British built mansion is the use of wooden tiles made of Burma teak. They have decayed due to lack of maintenance. Rotten tiles will now be replaced but those in good shape are to be retained. He has pointed out that in 2014 repairs have been carried out to a small section of the roof where the Burmese teak wooden tiles have been replaced.

President Sirisena has insisted that the antiquity of the building should be preserved when the repair work is conducted.