Haputale’s Bloomsdale, perfect setting for blissful holiday
We turned off the A16 road on the way from Haputale to Bandarawela opposite the Adisham Farm Shop and took the steep, narrow road, signposted to the Bloomsdale Country House, heading uphill.
Haputale, where the main road through the town seems to disappear over a cliff revealing a fantastic view of cloudshrouded valleys, is usually ignored by tourists heading for the more popular Ella. Yet Haputale has more attractions for tourists than Ella has, such as the gothic Adisham Mansion and the unique Lipton’s Seat Viewpoint … and now, Bloomsdale.
As we climbed the twenty granite stone steps, like a stairway to heaven, leading to the Bloomsdale Country House, high above Haputale, we wondered what to expect. We reached the garden plateau at the top of the steps and saw that the house, although it resembles a typical tea planter’s bungalow with granite-block walls and green roof, has no tea bushes growing around it.
In fact, it was built for the Church Missions Society in the 19th century, and it was indeed heavenly, especially with a fresh breeze blowing in from the hills, rendering the air blissfully cool after the humid heat of the coast. Gradually, Bloomsdale revealed itself as a rambling colonial bungalow with verandah, parlour, dining salon, bedrooms and interior courtyards of lawns and flowers: perfect for a holiday for a family or friends away from city bustle.
Entrance is through the granite-walled verandah, inlaid with casement windows, at the top of the stone stairway. This verandah faces west so the setting sun shining through the windows inspires a cosy warmth there, in contrast to the chill of the evening. A long corridor with walls of exposed brick painted white, banishing the gloom, leads to the bedrooms, dining room and kitchen. At the end of the corridor is a floor-toceiling oil painting of an oriental dancer who seems to be prancing into the kitchen.
On one wall is the original title deed to the land, dated May 23, 1893 and signed on behalf of Queen Victoria. It begins: “Know Ye that for and in consideration of fifty five rupees (Rs 55) lawful money of Ceylon, to us paid by Rev. William Oakley, Secretary of the Church Missions Society, (the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged…”
The bungalow built on what is described in the deed as “waste land,” now has five bedrooms (each with attached bathroom) and is available for guests in its entirety for a holiday. There is a young cook on duty who produces delicious dishes, with local herbs complementing the supplies that guests bring for him to cook. He serves meals to guests at the long table in the dining salon which has a view through a glass panel in the wall of the adjoining kitchen. The crockery bears the Bloomsdale logo and the words “Since 1893”.
Valuable paintings, ancient photographs end even a map of Ceylon nearly 250 years old, adorn the white walls. Fascinating antique knickknacks, such as a duck in boots carved from wood, are everywhere. These add personality to the rooms, making guests feel at home, as though staying in a country house belonging to a friend who wants guests to enjoy his hospitality even though he isn’t there.
Guests bring their own refreshments and are left to their own devices. The cook will make tea when required and take care of the housekeeping. This inspires undisturbed relaxation in the blissful setting of Bloomsdale Country House, encircled by the hills of Haputale, proving how pleasant life can be away from coastal heat and city frenzy.