The first two-storey building was built by the last Dutch governor, Engel Beek, at this sea-breeze location next to Colombo Harbour.
Before that, the St. Franciscan Church was located here.
There was a graveyard in the bush next to the church.
It is said that King Don Juan Dharmapala was cremated in this place during the Portuguese period.
Accordingly, this is a royal mansion built on a cemetery.
It is said that even when the British conquered the Colombo Fort, the Dutch governor Engelbeek did not leave this house.
Later this mansion belonged to his granddaughter Jacomina.
She was married to George Melvyn Leslie, a civil servant of the English government.
When he held the position of Chief Revenue Officer, he had to pay ten thousand pounds to the government due to a financial irregularity in the settlement of accounts.
He had to give the mansion he got from his father-in-law (Engle Beek) to the government to settle the amount. The English government valued it at £35,000.
Then the house was handed over to the British rulers on 17 January 1804.
After the government took over, Governor Frederick Noth came to live in this mansion.
After North, Governor Thomas Maitland chose to reside there. At that time, it got the name King's House.
During the English rule, various additions were made to it and the building was also enlarged and constructed. The original Old Holland building is not seen today.
Today we see a mansion with British architectural features.
After the reign of Queen Victoria of England (1837-1901) began, this mansion was called Queen's House.
It became the Queen's House again when Queen Elizabeth reigned again during George's reign. Since Sri Lanka became a republic on May 22, 1972, this is known as the President's House.
William Gopallava was the first Sri Lankan President to visit the Presidential Palace.
He lived there from 1972 to 1978. In 1978, the executive president J. R. Rajawardena did not settle here
After that, Ranasinghe Premadasa, who became the president in 1989, used it only for official purposes.
President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga and President Mahinda Rajapaksa dedicated this mansion and the Araliyagaha mansion as their residence.
Paintings and furniture belonging to the British era, many souvenirs gifted by the heads of state can also be seen in the President's Chamber.
This booth is not used for exhibition, but it was opened for public exhibition for a week in June 2016.
Common people have curious thoughts about the palace because they usually don't get a chance to see it.
However, 2022.07.09 is a day that will go down in history because the President's residence became the property of the people... Our people experienced the pleasures enjoyed by the politicians enjoying the country's money like never before...
Our people, who could never even touch the gate of the President's cabin, slept inside the cabin...
The day 2022.07.09 will undoubtedly be written in gold in history 😍😘
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