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| Wednesday, 1 September 2004 |
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Adisham The castle in the sky by Nimal Sedera Just two weeks ago I was fortunate to visit the much spoken "Adisham bungalow" in Haputale. Before speaking of the history of the building at the very outset it is better to state that this a religious location, a place where Benedictine monks are trained.
This is certainly not a place for fun-making but a great place unmatched for nature lover and those who wish to experience peace of mind. Driving a few kilometres off Haputale into tea lands on the hills in just a few minutes one would reach the compound of the "Adisham bungalow". For a first timer the sight would be something your eyes refuse to believe. The majestic rock building would appear before you with just the blue sky in the background and give you the feeling that "This is something emerged from the earth or a gift of God from the heaven". Selection of this sight for a massive "mini palace" above a small town Haputale located 4736 feet above the sea level itself is a great miracle. I wish to quote from a leaflet collected at the "Adisham bungalow" to state matters very accurately. "Adisham was originally the country seat of Sir Thomas Villers. The spirit of Tomas Lester Villers strongly pervades this stately house. Villers came to Ceylon in 1887 with 10 Sterling Pounds in his pocket. He was born in 1869 in Adisham rectory in Kent, the son of Montague Villers was a grand son of lord John Russell twice prime minister of Britain". "Villers received a public school education and instead of settling down for a business or political career in England chose adventure in the colony of Ceylon. Soon after his arrival he began life as a trainee planter on Elbedda estate, Bogawanthalawa. In 1896 he married the daughter of a tea planter and went to Brazil. He returned to Ceylon four years later and soon began his own tea estate-Dickoya group." This great bungalow constructed by him was designed on the "Tudor style" on the lines of the Leads castle in Kent. All the wood in this luxurious palace is nothing but "Burma teak" and English oak. He did the garden lay out too in the British style. He named his Dream building "Adisham" after the Kentish village where he was born. The beauty of the Adisham bungalow was soon known countrywide and worldwide. The elite locals and the elite foreigners loved to be invited to "Adisham". Lady Villers was a great lover of nature and was a nature painter. Her paintings are reproduced and sold even today at the sales stall in Adhisam as souvenirs. Sir Thomes Lester Villers returned to Kent after retirement and died in 1959. The roman catholic church acquired the building and the twelve-acre plot of land in 1961.
The church acted so wisely and sacrificed a major part of the building to be preserved for the future generations as it was used by the owner. The area we were allowed to view is a rare experience though the history goes back just only a little over one hundred years. The management of Adisham has been kind enough to give the nature loving public an opportunity to stay at Adisham. There is room for twelve guests only and a moderate fee is charged. Rev. Father Bernard Ramanayake father superior of the monastery is someone so much committed to the cause of the monastery and for the cause of Villers' dream. In the few hours Swarna and I spent in "Adisham", we realized his effort of sacrificing his strength and knowledge to keep the name and the fame of Adisham. Adisham is a castle. A master piece of architecture. It is a painting on the blank blue sky. It is more than a poem of Shakespeare. It is a divine gift to be there at least once in our lifetime. **** Back **** |
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