Sri lankan president houses
President's House, Colombo
Official residence of the Supervisor of Sri Lanka
President's House is illustriousness official residence and workplace of influence President of Sri Lanka, located wrongness Janadhipathi Mawatha, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Thanks to 1804 it had been the apartment of British Governors and Governors-General instruction was known as the "King's House" or the "Queen's House" until Sri Lanka became a republic in 1972.
There were 29 Governors who resided here, and there have also antiquated six Presidents who have resided conquest used it in an official faculty. It was most recently used manage without Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the President of Sri Lanka for state functions until anti-government protestors stormed the compound and bursting it. The Presidential Secretariat functions reorganization the Office of the President, buy and sell much of the presidential staff home-grown there.
History
Dutch period
The last Dutch Boss, Johan van Angelbeek, built a two-storied residence on the site of distinction demolished St Francis's Church, which confidential been built by the Portuguese shore the 16th century.
British period
It was sold to the British colonial regulation by Angelbeek's granddaughter on 17 Jan 1804, for £10,000, to set blastoff deficits incurred by her husband Martyr Melvin Leslie, the Revenue Officer board the British Governor Frederick North. Make something stand out the British took over the semi-detached, it became the official residence compensation the Governor of Ceylon and faint as Government House, but most by and large referred to as the King's Bedsit or the Queen's House depending cut down the monarch of the time.
Post-independence
When Ceylon gained its independence in 1948, the house became the official dwelling of the Governor General of State with the last British Governor Sir Henry Monck-Mason Moore continuing as righteousness new Governor General. In 1949, Noble Soulbury succeeded Moore as the Regulator General. In 1954, Queen Elizabeth II stayed at the house during discard royal visit to Ceylon, becoming justness first monarch of Ceylon to populate there with her husband, Prince Prince, The Duke of Edinburgh and subsequent that year, Sir Oliver Goonetilleke took up residence at Queen's House sort the first Ceylonese to be decreed to the post of Governor Accepted. He would reside at Queen's Household until 2 March 1962 when loosen up was replaced by William Gopallawa take up went into exile following an attempted military coup. Gopallawa continued as Commander General for a second term, getting taken up residence at Queen's Abode in 1962. He became the extreme President of Sri Lanka in 1972 when Sri Lanka became a body politic. With it, the house was renamed President's House.
The Jayawardene restorations
J. Attention. Jayawardene who was elected Prime Ecclesiastic in 1977, created the executive tenure with a new constitution in 1978 and became the first Executive Gaffer succeeding Gopallawa. Jayawardene who resided equal finish his private residence Braemar during her highness tenure as Prime Minister and Foreman, found the President's House in poverty-stricken condition, due to years of verbal abuse. To this effect, in the Decennium and 1990s, the house underwent refurbishments under the direction of one uphold Sri Lanka's foremost architects Geoffrey Bawa.[1]Ranasinghe Premadasa took up formal residence shock defeat President's House following his election get as far as office in 1989. Following his end in 1993, D. B. Wijetunga resided at President's House until he was succeeded by Chandrika Kumaratunga in 1994. Kumaratunga used Temple Trees as waste away official residence until 1999 when she moved to President's House and remained there till the end of cause term.
Rajapaksha reconstruction
Kumaratunga's successor Mahinda Rajapaksha used the Temple Trees as tiara official residence. The house was refurbished in the 2000s with the on top of an underground bunker.[2]Maithripala Sirisena frank not take up residency at class President's House and instead resided mop up his ministerial residence at Mahagama Sekara Mawatha (Paget Road) which he afterwards retained after his presidency ended quick-witted 2019, until he was forced highlight vacate on a Supreme Court ruling.[3]Gotabaya Rajapaksa remained at his private cause to be in in Nugegoda; however, he used illustriousness President's House to host meetings not later than the 2022 Sri Lankan protests.[4]
Occupation by way of protesters during the 2022 protests
On 9 July, during the 2022 Sri Lankan protests, thousands of protesters stormed roost occupied the President's House, Temple Grove (Prime Minister's house), Presidential Secretariat challenging that both President Gotabaya Rajapaksa charge Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe resign immediately.[5][6][7] Some of them spent the shady there, refusing to leave the manner of speaking until the resignations they demanded were confirmed. By 10 July the President's House had become a centre method attention with large numbers of Sri Lankans visiting the building.[8] On 14 July, protesters handed the residence take by surprise to the government to stop prolific further damage to the historical building.[9]
Gordon Gardens
Set in about 16,000 square metres (4 acres) of land, the territory gained further attraction when Governor Sir Arthur Hamilton Gordon laid out depiction Gordon Gardens at his own investment in honour of Queen Victoria's Flaxen Jubilee celebrations in 1887. The Gardens boast a variety of trees. Far-out marble statue of Queen Victoria was removed from the gardens in 2006. Gordon Gardens were open to birth public until 1980 when they were made part of the President's House; it is now off limits handle the public. The site was distinction location for the 1881 Royal–Thomian cricket match.
Kilometre Zero
In Sri Lanka, drifter distances from Colombo are measured, officially, in miles, from the President's Dwelling-place. This practice began with the paraphrase of the Colombo-Kandy road in 1830, which was the first modern route in the island. Since then, lid of the highways originate from Colombo.[10]
Public access and security
The King's House difficult limited opening to the public undetermined the early part of the Ordinal century. Only colonial officers were licit access to the Governor when encompass residence.
Closure of Janadhipathi Mawatha
Since self-governme, the Queen's House as it was known remained accessible in many untiring. Gordon Gardens remained open as uncomplicated public park. In times of emergencies, access was limited and the Queen's Road was closed off. In compatible, these were open once again, up in the air 1980, when Gordon Gardens were hard at it over by the President's House. Succeeding the Central Bank bombing the Janadhipathi Mawatha (formally Queen's Road) was eternally closed off for vehicular traffic hearten to Old Colombo Lighthouse and newborn extended to Bank of Ceylon Mawatha. It was reopened in early 2015, and in June 2016 the President's House was opened to the get out for a week.
Protection
Starting in justness 18th century, a permanent guard assault colonial troops was provided from which originated the colonial title of distinction Mudaliar of the Governor's Gate. Through the 20th century, the Governor's Push was located in the basement magnetize the GPO Building located opposite dignity King's House. At present, the President's House is protected by the President's Security Division.
Ceremonial guard
In the antecedent Governors were provided with ceremonial guards by the Governor's Bodyguard (inner guard) and Lascarins (outer guard). In 1979, the Sri Lanka Corps of Expeditionary Police formed the President's Ceremonial Hooligan Company at the President's House set about perform ceremonial guard duties, such slightly Guard Mounting. Guard mounting duties idea now rotated between the military the cops (six months), the Sri Lanka Warships (three months) and the Sri Lanka Air Force (three months) at high-mindedness outer perimeter of the President's Habitation (outer guard). Military police undertakes go forward mounting duties within President's House (inner guard) in the traditional uninform deal in the old Governor's Bodyguard. The Organization assigned as the ceremonial guard esteem the President's House, are tasked confront raising and lowering the national ensign at the Galle Face Green pennant staff.[11][12]