Manor House
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Kandy Kandy |
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This stately and impressive home was built by the Nugawela family in 1884 and has much of the showy opulence of its "Victorian" times. It really is one of the most magnificent architectural homes that we have enjoyed in Sri lanka. Welcomed in a traditional Buddhist fashion, each guest is invited to light the burning oil lamps. Relax with a cool fresh juice on the verandah and Originally standing in 9 acres of land, surrounded by paddy fields, family inheritance laws saw this reduced this to just 1 acre. Following the death of the patriarch, who held important office as the Guardian of the Temple of the Tooth, the house sadly passed through various hands, falling into disrepair as the years progressed. The once silk carpeted floors became tattered and stained, polished mahogany floors became dusty, dull and decaying and peeling paint everywhere resulted in a very sad picture of decrepitude. The recent sensitive and radical restoration work aimed at maintaining the Brittish colonial architecture and the aura of the Walauwa, yet introducing the comforts and technology of the 21st century. Many of the rooms have completely changed their function. The new billiard room was once a grain store for the paddy fields, the new kitchen was formerly a cow-shed and the original out - door kitchen has become an attractive barbecue venue in the gardens.
Boutique style has been achieved by restricting the conversion to quality rather than quantity. Just 10 bedrooms, including 4 suites, are individually named and furnished.
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then prepare to be amazed by the magnificently restored copper ceiling of the siting room.
The public rooms glow once more with the richness of the mahogany floors and the magnificent stairway which ascends in stately twists and turns through the open centre of the building. An unusual copper ceiling canopies the the ground floor area, which then leads through graceful archways into a formal dining room, where you may choose a small intimate table or sit with a large group at a banqueting table. You can almost hear the rustle of long silk skirts and smell the starch in the gleaming white shirt fronts of yesteryear!
Seating in the lounges is formal rather than cosy with French style brocade chairs, much open space and almost overwhelming drapes and fabrics - a perfect film set for a Victorian drama. Some accents are delightful, such as the brilliant chandeliers lighting the immensely high ceilings and exquisitely carved open work panels topping the majestic teak doors.
The verandahs and gardens have undergone a similar structural upgrading, with great care taken to restore the charm and shade of the stately old trees.
The Eastern flavour has been maintained in the Ayurvedic Beauty Spa; while modern facillities such as internet access and satellite t.v. are available in each bedroom. A visit to the library or small gift shop could fill any spare moments or rainy days. After a day of enjoying the many interesting sights around Kandy relax with afternoon tea in the peaceful central courtyard, which is cooled by an elegant fountain. The symmetry of the terraces, pillars, lawns and planting is reminiscent of an old university quadrangle. 
