Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Just north of the lighthouse, you won't be able to miss this bombastic white dagoba (stupa)
perched about 20m off the ground on huge, incongruous curving concrete 'legs' so that
sailors could see it from offshore.
Clock Tower
LANDMARK
The clock tower at the junction of Chatham St and Janadhipathi Mawatha (once Queen St)
was originally a lighthouse that was built in 1857. It's now right at the heart of officialdom
and you can expect a few watchful guards.
Central Point
HISTORIC BUILDING
Chatham St is seeing a lot of renovation of old buildings, one of the grandest being the old
colonnaded 1914 Central Bank building called Central Point. The beautifully restored in-
terior is a riot of Greco-Roman detailing and features the tallest chandelier in Asia. There's
also a museum of local money that's worth the time simply for the display on why barter-
ing a cow for fish was a bad idea, thus leading to the invention of currency.
Lloyd's Buildings
HISTORIC BUILDING
Sir Baron Jayatilaka Mawatha has the grandly restored Lloyd's Buildings. Several other
imposing colonial piles on the street are also being renovated, recreating the regal air of
when this was the fiscal heart of Ceylon.
Cargills Main Store
HISTORIC BUILDING
Local retail giant Cargills once had its main store on York St. The now mostly empty or-
nate 1906 red building still shows its faded elegance in its long arcades with old store sig-
nage such as the one noting 'toilet requisites'. Ground-floor colonnades like those found
here were once a feature across colonial Colombo, allowing people to get around sheltered
from monsoon deluges.
