COLOMBO history

The canal – though often mistakenly called ‘Dutch’ – was in fact built in 1874 by the Briton C. P. Layard, Government Agent of the Western Province, as a flood outlet.

The National Museum of Colombo first opened in 1877 with only 800 exhibits showcasing some aspects of the history and culture of Sri Lanka.

Image - Galle-Face in 1880's Source - lankapura.com

In 1883, one of the first to buy close to the canal was the Wellawatte Spinning and Weaving Mills.

A fragment of a much-damaged map from around 1892 shows that further work on the canal was discussed: a widening to 40 feet in the last leg before it reached the sea, as well as a direct connection to the Kelaniya River.

In 1894, in protest at the changes on the coast, fishermen laid their boats across the railway-line that linked the port to the plantations of the hinterland where tea was grown.

In 1920, the government purchased “Regina Walauwa”, now named “College House” on the recommendation of Sir Edward Denham.

The University College was formally opened on 21, January 1921.

The old Royal College buildings were taken over in 1923 and the library moved from College House to the Villa Venezia an Observatory provided in the College grounds.

On the recommendation of the College Council, the Government declared land in Buller’s Road, Colombo, as a University site in March 1924.

There was then a parting of ways in 1933, when a Wellawatte Worker’s Union was formed under the Marxist Colvin R. De Silva, which led to the founding of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP). Later, the Communist Party of Ceylon-Peking was active at the mills.

Marrs, the first Principal who gave nearly eighteen years of his life to the development of the College and the creation of the University of Ceylon, retired in July 1939.

The University of Ceylon was established by the State Council in April 1942.

By 1950 the University of Ceylon had a reputation as an important centre of excellence in the Commonwealth.

First discovered in 1962, it runs northward along the 90° E meridian (hence its name) for 2,800 miles (4,500 km) from the zonal Broken Ridge at latitudes 31° S to 9° N and can be traced farther under the sediments of the Bay of Bengal.

1 of 1972 all universities were brought under one umbrella and made Campuses of a single university established as the University of Sri Lanka.

16 of 1978 all Campuses of the then single University became independent Universities.

When the site finally closed in 1984, the mill workers found themselves without legal title to their long-held residences.

The Institute of Computer Technology (ICT) was established in 1987.

The Sri Palee Campus of the University was established by a Gazette notification in 1996.

During the 2000’s, further investment in the Port led to more development, and today the Port of Colombo is one of the most well-known top ports in the world.

One moment when it suddenly arose in my consciousness was in 2017, when The Excellency – a multi-storied ‘banquet hall’ built on its banks – suddenly collapsed ‘like a pack of cards’, killing three people and bringing the waterway, bleached green in pollution, to view.