Victoria Memorial Eye Hospital (Colombo)

Victoria Memorial Eye Hospital (Colombo)

Victoria Memorial Eye Hospital, Colombo (Photo credit: Google Street View) Victoria Memorial Eye Hospital  (Sinhala: වික්ටෝරියා අනුස්මරණ ඇස් රෝහල) is an eye hospital located facing the Lipton Circus in Cinnamon Gardens in Colombo, Sri Lanka. History The idea to build a hospital in memory of the late Queen Victoria (1837-1901) was suggested by Lady West Ridgeway, the wife of the British Governor Joseph West Ridgeway (1896-1903), who with the support of others including Muhandiram N. S. Fernando, Charles Pieris and H. J. Pieris able to lay the foundation stone for the hospital on 6 August 1903 (Manathunga, 2016; Wright, 1999). Designed by Edward Skinner, the hospital building was constructed by the Public Works Department (Manathunga, 2016; Wright, 1999). The completed hospital was opened on 2 April 1906 (Denham, 1912). The building The 2-storied red-brick building bears a blend of Hindu, Moorish and Victorian architecture styles (Manathunga, 2016). At the time of its construction, the buildin…