Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Old Parliment

Gall Face Hotel

Municipal Council Colombo


National Museum






































Colonial Buildings of Sri Lanka

The Town Hall
             The Town Hall of Colombo, built in front of the Viharamahadevi Park, is the head quarts of the Colombo Municipal Council and the office of the Mayor. It is the meeting place for the elected Municipal Council, and today it houses the administrative staff of the council. Its garden is the venue for many rallies and concerts all year round.
            The plants for the Town Hall were put out on competition and the winning design was design was submitted by Mr. S.J.Edwards. Mr.T.Reid laid the foundation and construction work was commenced in 1942 by Messrs. A.A. Gammon and Co. and the building was occupied in May 1928. Mr.H.E.Newnham, the Mayer during this period, was largely responsible for the smooth and expeditious completion of the work.The Town Hall When completed , was regarded as the best building of its kind in the East and helped to give a new look to the municipal administration of the City.
            The main building stands prominently and commands pleasing views from all angles. The connecting roads are well laid out. The length and the breadth of the building are 354ft and 168ft respectively. The total height of the building equals its width. The elevations are very dignified and refined. The perspective view shows a very impressive group of buildings crowned by a dorm and tower of fine proportions. On the ground floor the corridor are straightforward, direct and well lighted. The council chamber is a magnificent apartment, with ample accommodation for the public provided in abs elevated gallery.

The Gall Face Hotel
            The Gall Face Hotel is a 148 year old Hotel which has been in continuous business from its inception in 1864. It is considered to the oldest purpose built Hotel East of Suez Canal, originally catering to the guests of the then Colonial Governor whose residences was situated across a leisure park (The Gall Face Green) – and is today the Residence of the President of Sri Lanka.
            This 160 room property situated in the City Center Of Colombo derives its name from the picturesque promenade it face called the Gall Face Green which was a creation by the British Governor at that time, Sir Henry Ward. Designed and built to British Colonial Architecture the Hotel is known as Sri Lanka’s Heritage in Hospitality.
            The Gall Face Hotel was conceived and incorporated as a Hotel in February 1864, by three British Businessmen. To date it is Colombo’s only Seaside Hotel and still continues to be the most prestigious Hotel in the City. Though being a City Center Hotel, it has all the attributes of resort with its Sea frontage and even a Sea water swimming pool.
            This precious Hotel which has been patronized by world leaders and celebrated over the years has been refurnished many times and mordent facilities have now been installed while its colonial architecture and character ha seen minted. The Hotel has been in continuous business since 1864 and in the recent past has won many prestigious Awards including the First and only Presidential Awards in 2009 and the Pacific Asia Travel Association Award in 2011 for Heritage Hotels.

The Colombo National Museum
(1st January 1877)
            The desire of the Ceylon Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society to have a permanent home in 1854, took in 1872 the from of more serious agitation for a public museum culminating in a deputation edging led before Governors Sir William Henry Gregory by colonel A.B. Flyers , the President of the society . The Governor being a man of erudition and scholarship himself, was quick to appreciation this request and as subsequent events show was almost entire responsible for obtaining the approval of Ceylon Legislative Council to this proposal, electing a cite for advice on the plans of the building.
            The motion to include a sum of Rs. 50000 under new public works for a museum was moved by Governor Gregory as the president of the legislative council on Wednesday 25th September 1872 and the speeches made by him both on this occasion as well as at the closure of the debate are particularly significant not only did he make a strong plea for a museum, but also out lined it’s role in life of the nation.
            The buildings of Colombo Museum to be construed was designed in the Italian architecture style by James G.Smith the architecture of the Public Works Department. It is a two storied building with open verandahs, arches and pillars with ornate capitals and moldings. A porch with a balcony is provided at the entrance. Construction of the building was probably commenced in 1874 and the work completed in 1876 at a cost of Rs. 119993.93 The building was surrounded by Seven are pieces of land over looking Albeit crescent in the heart of Colombo, known as Cinnamon Gardens. It is said that constructional work was personally supervised by the Governor. The constructors were the late W. Marikkar and S.M. Perera in the building construction in 1876 the ground floor consisted of two front verandahs and two more verandahs, are on the Easton and other on the Weston side.

The Old Parliament
            The President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is the Head of the State, the Head of the Executive and of the Government, and the Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. The office of the President “Presidential Secretariat” provides the administrative framework for the exercise of duties. Responsibilities and powers vested in the President by the Constriction of Sri Lanka.
             The Present Presidential Secret is housed at the Old Parliament building at Gall Face This magnificent edifice which represents a most important instructional landmark in our country’s political progress was built 82 years ago an “Ionic style”, one of the five architectural orders. Parliament building in appended resembles the Parthenon, the chief temple of the Greek Goddess, Athena, on the hill of the Acropolis at Athens.
            The building was declared open on 29 January 1930 by the Governor, Sir Herbert Stanley as the Legislative Council. On this occasion, Sri Herbert Stanly said:

   “It is the hope and payer of US all that the deliberations which will be conducted within these walls may serve to weld the several communities and classes of the population together into an organic unity of national life and national progress, not by the suppression of varying  traditions but by their co-ordination on a basis of mutual respect”.
            (Legislative Council Debates (1930), vol.1)
           
            With the advent of constitutional reforms and consequent changes in the name of the Legislature. The building was accepted as the State Council (1931-1947); the House of Representatives (1974-1978); the national State Assembly (1972-1978) and shifting the Parliament of Sri Lanka (1978-1982). After shifting the Parliament to the Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte. This historic building was re-named as Presidential Secretariat on 8 September 1983.
            The project for construction of this building was originated by His Excellency Sir Henry McCallum, Governor of Ceylon, in 1912. The site selected was the reclaimed land at the northern end of Gall Face between the military barracks and the ‘Beira’ Lake:
            Special precautions were taken with regard to foundations owing to the natural of the soil and entrance structure is carried on heavy reinforced concrete piles. The Council building is placed in a commandinding posting on the Gall Face road facing west. The building has been arranged so as to have an open outlook and to have the benefit of cross breeze; the council chamber itself has been located on the east side of the building away from the notice of the sea and sheltered from the afternoon sun and strong South-West breezes.
            The materials used in the external elevations on the ground floor are stone from a specially acquired quarry at Ruwanwella; above this there is a plaster treatment. The plaster being specially blended in color to suite the stone facing on the ground floor. The structure is fine-proof throughout; steel farming supports the well, concrete columns. The entire buildings are carried on concrete piling. Crock carpet and linoleum have been extensively used on the floors so as to rninirnise noise inside the building; the corridors as well as the entrance hall are covered with thick rubber matting in blended colors. The chamber has received special attention in order that reverberation and echo may be reduced and the acoustic properties rendered as prefect as possible. Walls and ceiling are covered with “Celotex”, which a patent absorbent boarding is made from the refuse fibers of sugar cane.
            The fittings to doors and windows throughout are of bronze and the electrical fittings are also of bronze. The Chamber is paneled in its lower portion with molded teak paneling, staned dark and wax- polished. The upper portion of the Chamber is felted up entirely in figured satinwood. The Chamber is now renovated into a Conference Hall and is presided over by H.E. the President for his official meetings. The floor of the Conference Hall is fitted up in figured satinwood in the year 2011. Air is also circulated to the galleries entering through openings at the back of the seats. The necessity for overhead fans, which so much interfere with the audibility and cleanness of public speaking, is obviated. Electric lighting through the building is indirect and secluded, in most cases the fittings being completely hidden. The upper portion of Conference Hall is illumined by means of reflected light from floodlights fitted outside the topmost windows.
            Internally the building is gorgeous , with a fine blending of color in the different halls, with splendid aoudad acoustic propitiates, and revealing an attention to detail which reflects the greases credit on the Public works Department and its Chef Architect, Mr. A. Woodeson. Every effort has been made to afford the maximum of comfort to all who will work in the building, while the system of ventilation and lighting are excellent.
            The annexd building to this historic building was built few years back for the purpose of administrative office for Presidential Secretariat.

Details of the Issue

Date of Issue: 11th  September, 2012
Denomination: Rs. 15.00 x 4
Stamp Designer: Vasantha Perera
First Day Cover Designer: Vasantha Perera
Stamp Size: 60 mm x 30mm
Format: Horizontal
Printing Process: Offset Lithography
Sheet Composition: 50 stamps per sheet
Perforations: 14 x 13½
Printers: Department of Government Printings, Sri Lanka
Colours:  4 process Colours
Paper: 102 gsm. Security Stamp Paper
Gum:  PVA
Quantity Printed: 1000000 x 4

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