Queen's Hotel |
Queen's Hotel is a British Colonial-style luxury hotel situated in the city of Kandy, Sri Lanka. It is considered one of the oldest hotels in the country (Rajapakse, 2016).
History
The original building of the present Queen's Hotel was occupied by the British rulers shortly after the fall of the Kandyan Kingdom in 1815 (Abeywardana, 2004; Rajapakse, 2016). The building was later converted into a mess complex for the Ceylon Rifles Regiment which was named Malabar House in 1840 (Abeywardana, 2004). It was then operated as a Royal boarding house.
In 1879, the ownership of the building was passed to the hands of Miss. Piachaud who converted it as a popular spot for visitors to Kandy (Abeywardana, 2004). In 1895, the building was acquired by Kandy Hotels Company Limited.
The Building
The four-storied hotel building mainly shows British architectural features belonging to the 19th century. Some new features have been added to the building subsequently, to accommodate the requirements of the hotel.
The old mess building of the Ceylon Rifles Regiment is today used as the banquet hall of the hotel (Abeywardana, 2004). Also, the section used as the main dining room is said to be once a residence known as Dullewe Walawwa (Rajapakse, 2016).
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References
Books
1) Abeywardana, H.A.P., 2004. Heritage of Kandurata: Major natural, cultural and historic sites. Colombo: The Central Bank of Sri Lanka. p.52.
2) Rajapakse, S., 2016. Pauranika Sthana Ha Smaraka: Mahanuwara Distrikkaya (In Sinhala). Archaeological Department of Sri Lanka. ISBN:955-9159-34-8. pp.25-26.
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Attribution
To Whom
1) Divurumpola by Amila Tennakoon is licensed under CC BY 2.0