PRESERVATION OF PRIVATE HOUSES

The National Trust – Sri Lanka conducts monthly lectures generally on the last working Thursday of each month. The lectures are open to the members and the general public

These houses, an integral part of the historic landscape of the Fort, were designed based on the socio-cultural contexts of past eras. They have been arbitrarily modified, leading to the diminishing historic character of the Fort. 

Many public buildings in the Historic City of Galle were preserved with the patronage of the Department of Archaeology and other funding agencies. However, there was no attention given to the preservation of private houses, which played a vital role in the built environment of Galle Fort, leading to natural deterioration. These houses, an integral part of the historic landscape of the Fort, were designed based on the socio-cultural contexts of past eras. They have been arbitrarily modified, leading to the diminishing historic character of the Fort. The majority of these houses belonged to the 19th and early 20th centuries and have been drastically modified, deviating from their historic character and endangering the inherent cityscape of Galle Fort and its distinctive characteristics. In 2007, the Central Cultural Fund and the Galle Heritage Foundation decided to allocate part of the Netherlands Cultural Grants to curb the chaotic modifications of private houses that contributed to the historic character of the Fort of Galle. Furthermore, there are a few dungeons beneath the bastions of Galle Fort that have been sealed with no records, rendering them unrecognizable. The Galle Heritage Foundation attempted to restore them for adaptive reuse. The preservation efforts for private houses with generic plan forms and the dungeons concealed under the ramparts and bastions were based on empirical findings and were intended for the preservation of heritage for future generations.

Emeritus Prof. Samitha Manawadu currently serves as Professor of Architecture at the University of Moratuwa and Senior Professor of Architecture at Sir John Kotelawala Defence University. He is a Fellow of the Sri Lanka Institute of Architects, a member of the ICOMOS International Scientific Committee on Cultural Itineraries, the Architectural Institute of Japan, and the Royal Institute of British Architects. He was awarded the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Merit Award for the Conservation of Private Houses in Galle Fort.

The National Trust – 

Sri Lanka conducts monthly lectures generally on the last working Thursday of each month. The lectures are open to the members and the general public.

Further information can be obtained from the Trust Office Tel.0112682730/ 0719566929

Lecture by Prof. Samitha Manawadu

The Monthly Lecture Series No: 169 of the National Trust Thursday 27th March 2025 at 6.00 pm

at the Auditorium 

of the College 

of Surgeons of Sri Lanka,

No. 6, Independence Avenue, Colombo 7. (For those who join online: https://youtube.com/live/Pc_5y4Yb_6I?feature=share)