LIFE ABROAD - Part 23:
SRI LANKAN LOSS – ARABIAN GAIN
After the evacuation of residents during the Second World War there
had not been any habitation at Hyde Park Gardens, West London, except
for a row of stables. Subsequently, Sri Lanka (Ceylon) High Commission
moved to No.13 Hyde Park Gardens, followed by the German Ambassador (to
No.14) as Sri Lanka’s neighbour.
The whole of the Hyde Park Estate was later acquired by an Architect
named Donald Hamilton who refurbished buildings and disposed of them
through (his) David Hamilton & Co. It was presumed that he ran into some
personal or financial difficulties later and committed suicide by
hanging himself at No. 1, Hyde Park Gardens!
Progressively the whole area was owned by the Church Commission in
the UK and Charltons, The Estate Agents, took over the management for
Church Commissioners.
Students’ centre
The Ceylon Students Centre had been initially established at 21
Addison Road, Kensington for the welfare of Sri Lankan students in the
UK. Some years later the base moved to No. 7 Clarendon Place, London W2,
only a stone’s throw away from the Sri Lanka High Commission building.
Sir Oliver Goonetilleke lived in an Apartment at the Albion Court,
facing Hyde Park and the Basewater Road, within a walking distance from
the High Commission and the Students’ Centre.
‘The Ceylon Students Centre’ which became a household name for the
bourgeoisie families in Colombo was a cynosure for all Sri Lankans in
the UK. The Victorian building once owned by a Lord of Austrian origin
had changed hands from Donald Hamilton Company to Church Commissioners,
who in turn leased it to the Sri Lanka government on a long term
agreement.
The building consisted of seven bedrooms with a basement which the
Student Centre used as the kitchen. The dining area was located on the
ground floor along with the sub-warden’s office, a Library room and a
toilet. A grand piano which was part of the furniture helped lonely
students to chill out.
The Sri Lankan government’s subsidy to maintain the Centre was
believed to be 75,000 British Pounds per annum with a full time staff of
a sub-warden and two cooks. A diplomatic officer (usually the First
Secretary) assigned by the High Commission carried out the
responsibilities of overseeing administrative and financial functions of
the operation as the official Warden.
Room charges initially started with 7 Shillings and 6 (old) pence per
night with Bed and Breakfast. A three-course meal cost students 2
shillings and 6 (old) pence which seemingly got increased with the
rising cost of living. The meals served on to plates from the kitchen
were lifted up to a hatch in the dining area with the aid of a special
hoist. Students were allowed to have a second serving without any
additional cost and a large pot of milk tea stood without supervision
for self service.
An East London Indian wholesaler (Ghandi Stores) provided provisions
for catering needs of the Centre in bulk quantities such as 100 kg bags
of rice at five Pounds a bag! The kitchen staff consisted of Podi
Appuhamy and Shelton Silva who turned out delicious rice and curry
meals.
Cooks didn’t spoil the soup
Podi Appuhamy (popularly known as ‘Podi’) worked at the Student’s
Centre for nearly 20 years. He had an added advantage of doing an extra
job in the mornings at the Supreme Headquarters of American Allied
Forces in Europe at 7, Grosvenor Square, London (Consultation Room).
Podi had been introduced to the Americans by one Bala Subramanium who
worked for the Americans as a Chef.
Podi and Shelton had an amicable agreement, that he (Podi) cooked the
breakfast in the mornings at the Students Centre before going to
Grosvenor Square to prepare lunch for the staff at the American office.
Shelton took over the responsibility of managing the lunch on his own at
the Students Centre, and in the night a combined effort prepared dinner
for students.
Wardens
Rev. James Karter, once a former Principal in a reputable College in
Ceylon, assumed duties as the first warden at the Ceylon Students Centre
in London. He was succeeded by a German called Frderick Richter.
Subsequently in a series of Sri Lankan sub-wardens, a former Government
Agent, Gunawardena, dropped dead on the Victoria British Rail Station
platform while he waited for the Gatwick bound train to arrive, enroute
to Gatwick Airport to catch a flight to Sri Lanka on a holiday.
Beginning of the end
Batches of Sri Lankan students who were studying in Moscow
Universities arrived in London at times during their summer vacation in
search of work in the UK and stayed at the Student Centre for short
intervals. The main allegation about some of them was that they managed
not only to stay at the students centre scot-free without paying a
single penny for their board and lodging but in addition, vandalised the
place, broke into the telephone kiosk and plundered coins from the
telephones boxes as well.
Apparently dark clouds started to gather around the Student Centre
during the High Commissioner Gunasena Soysa’s time when agitations and
protest marches became a frequent occurrence followed by a temporary
close down of the Centre.
After a short spell, when the Centre was re-opened, it had become
evident that its life span was diminishing as a direct consequence of
inefficient management and the lack of overall supervision.
Apparently no proper accounts had been maintained, an auditor had
never sighted the place and the place was in shambles and running at a
loss which ultimately went into bankruptcy.
In the midst of such a hullaballoo, rubbing salt in the wound, Public
Health Inspectors visited the Centre and declared that the building was
not habitable for human occupation due to unhygienic conditions that
prevailed from the kitchen up to bedrooms!
Consequently an official order from the Health Authorities made it
compulsory for the Students Centre to close down until such time the Sri
Lankan authorities conformed to British regulations under the Health and
Safety Act.
A well maintained Victorian building occupied by The Ceylon Students
Centre at 7, Clarendon Place once had over the years transformed into a
dilapidated, unhygienic house condemned by the UK Health Authorities as
'uninhabitable'! The estimated figures to refurbish the place to bring
up to legally acceptable level was considered as 'beyond the limits of
allocated funds' by the government.
During such turbulent times it was alleged that many valuable items
including the Grand Piano and an expensive painting done by Ivan Peiris
also had disappeared from the Students' Centre!
In the meanwhile, the Church Commissioners offered the free hold
status of the building to Sri Lanka government at a nominal price of
British Pounds 70,000, being sitting tenants for a long time.
Sri Lanka High Commission always maintained their official current
account with the National Westminster (Natwest) Bank, at the Paddington
Branch, despite having a branch of The Bank of Ceylon at Moorgate, East
London. However, high profile negotiations that took place at rocket
speed between the Diplomats and Bankers had managed to arrange the
requisite loan from the Natwest bank to take over the Freehold status of
the property but to the disappointment of many and mainly due to some
political and diplomatic melodrama, Sri Lanka lost a golden opportunity.
Ultimately Sri Lanka's loss became an Arab's gain when the
prospective buyer 'grabbed' the free hold property for British Pounds
70,000. It was rumoured that a Saudi Arabian Princess bought it over
from the Arab subsequently, refurbished the whole place, built a
swimming pool on the top floor and was valued at British Pounds 5 - 6
million. After the purchase of the building by the Saudi Arabian
Princess not only has the ownership changed, but the house number also
been changed from No. 7 to No. 8 Clarendon Place, London W2.
"A whip does not make a horse smart, nor does a bridle help an ass;
neither will a rod give wisdom to a fool" - A proverb
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