Colombo Racecourse or Colombo Racecourse Sports Complex (Sinhala: කොළඹ තුරඟ තරග පිටිය), is located in Cinnamon Gardens in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
History
The racecourse stadium was built at this place by the Ceylon Turf Club in 1893 after the racecourse at the present Galle Face Green was closed (Manathunga, 2016). During the period of the Second World War (1939-1945), the ground was used as a temporary airfield. The horse racing events were conducted at this place till 1958 and after that, the stadium building was used by various institutes for their activities (Manathunga, 2016).
In 2012 the ground was redeveloped by the Urban Development Authority as the Colombo Racecourse Sports Complex to become the first International Rugby Union ground in the country.
The stadium building
The three-storied stadium building has a pavilion sloping towards the ground (Manathunga, 2016). The portico, the corridor with arches on the ground floor has been built according to the Victorian Architectural style (Manathunga, 2016).Attribution
References
1) Manathunga, S. B., 2016. Pauranika Sthana Saha Smaraka: Kolamba Distrikkaya (In Sinhala). Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka). ISBN: 955-9159-39-9. p.56.
Location Map
This page was last updated on 3 July 2023