Galle Face Green
Galle Face Green | |
---|---|
Type | Urban park |
Location | Colombo in Sri Lanka |
Area | 5.0 ha |
Operated by | Sri Lanka Ports Authority |
Status | Open all year |
Galle Face is a 5 ha (12 acres) ocean-side urban park, which stretches for 500 m (1,600 ft) along the coast, in the heart of Colombo, the financial and business capital of Sri Lanka. The promenade was initially laid out in 1859 by Governor Sir Henry George Ward, although the original Galle Face Green extended over a much larger area than is seen today. The Galle Face Green was initially used for horse racing and as a golf course, but was also used for cricket, polo, football, tennis, and rugby.
History
Galle Face Green originally extended over a much larger area than exists today. Records indicate that it was bounded to the north by
In 1856 the then
Horse racing
Horse racing began in Galle Face in the early 1820s, during the time of the then
In order to view the races a pavilion was erected at the highest point of the green, it was circular in shape, with wooden framework and a thatched cadjan roof. As the years went by, the pavilion building was improved, with wooden walls replaced by bricks and made larger. A more spacious building, known as the ‘Race Bungalow’, was subsequently built on the same spot. In September 1870 a viewing gallery was added, which came to be called the ‘Grand Stand’. Later a two-storey grandstand was built for members. In 1871 the Race Bungalow became the venue for the Colombo Club and since then it was referred to as the Colombo Club building. This building still stands today, with all its colonial grandeur, and is now the Crystal Ballroom of Taj Samudra Hotel.
Golf
In 1879, a number of British expatriates introduced golf to Ceylon playing on the Galle Face Green. It was there that they inaugurated the Colombo Golf Club without a clubhouse or a proper golf course. The club had its first Annual General Meeting on 13 March 1880 at the Colombo Club. in 1896 Galle Face was becoming more and more crowded and the golf club faced with having to share the ground with numerous other sports and the general public moved to its present location in Borella.
Rugby
On 30 June 1879 the first official rugby match in Ceylon was played at Galle Face Green between the newly formed Colombo Football Club and a rest of the world team. Rugby matches were then regularly played in the center of the Colpetty race track, an area shared with the golf club.
Cricket
The first
Current use
The Galle Face Green is currently a 5
The Galle Face Green was administered and maintained by the Urban Development Authority of Sri Lanka until 2014 when the management was transferred to the Sri Lanka Ports Authority. Since 2016 the park is being maintained by Sri Lanka Port Management and Consultancy Services, a government-owned entity operated under the Ministry of Ports and Shipping.
On 25 December 2016 it hosted the world's tallest artificial Christmas tree.
Occupation of Galle Face Green by protestors
Galle Face Green was converted into a temporary protest camp by Sri Lankan protestors during
During the Black Monday attacks on protestors, the temporary protest camps in Galle Face Green was attacked by Pro-Rajapaksa partisans of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, at least 8 protesters died and 100 protesters were injured.[5][6]
References
- ^ "The Courier". The Hobart Town Courier. Tas.: National Library of Australia. 19 September 1834. p. 2. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
- ^ "The photographs of Galle Face Green, September 2018". Independent Travellers. independent-travellers.com. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
- ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
- ^ Rutnam, Easwaran (10 April 2022). "Occupy Galle Face protest continues". Colombo Gazette. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
- ^ Service, Tribune News. "Death toll in Sri Lanka violence rises to 8, over 200 injured in violence". Tribuneindia News Service. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
- ^ "Shocking details on Sri Lanka's black Monday revealed". EconomyNext. 15 May 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
Further reading
- Tennent, Sir James Emerson K.C.S., L.L.D. (1860). Ceylon: An Account Of The Island, Physical, Historical, And Topographical With Notices Of Its Natural History, Antiquities And Productions.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Fernando, Pam; Kadirgamar, Sam J; Candappa, Reggie (1979). Royal Colombo Golf Club - 100 Years, 1879-1979. Royal Colombo Golf Club.
- Perera, SS (1981). 100 Years of Rugby Football in Sri Lanka 1879–1978. Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union.