Imperial Bank of India - Colombo - 1928
Prince St, the Fort.
Although Ceylon was not part of the British Raj and was governed as a separate Colony from 1815 to 1948, it was always influenced by events across the water and many commercial ventures from British India found their way to Ceylon. One such entity was the Imperial Bank of India which had been formed in 1921 by the merging of the former presidency Banks of Bengal, Bombay and Madras respectively. The new bank took on the triple role of a commercial bank, a banker's bank and a banker to the Government of India.
This grand building was designed by prominent Colombo architects Messrs Walker & Adams and is located in the heart of Colombo's financial district, the Fort. The architecture is a mix of neo-classical and Palladian and conveys a very British air of solidity appropriate for an imperial bank. The bank chambers to the right of the photo continues to be used by the Imperial Bank's successor, the State Bank of India. Walking inside the bank chambers is like stepping back in time; tiled floor, vaulted high ceiling, original fittings and IBI adornments and is very similar to the the interior of bank buildings of the 1920s from London to Shanghai. There is the architect's impression of the building hanging in a side-room of the main chamber identifying the firm of Walker & Adams.
In common with all buildings in the Fort, the requirement for a covered street level arcade can be clearly seen. Municipal building regulations mandated that all buildings be linked together by a continuous ground floor pedestrian arcade which provided shelter from rain and the sun.
The other half of the building is now occupied by HSBC and its interior is a real let-down for architectural buffs; it is all modern fixtures and fittings, false ceilings, corporate branding and modern lighting with little if any trace of its origins.
Imperial Bank of India - Colombo - 1928
Prince St, the Fort.
Although Ceylon was not part of the British Raj and was governed as a separate Colony from 1815 to 1948, it was always influenced by events across the water and many commercial ventures from British India found their way to Ceylon. One such entity was the Imperial Bank of India which had been formed in 1921 by the merging of the former presidency Banks of Bengal, Bombay and Madras respectively. The new bank took on the triple role of a commercial bank, a banker's bank and a banker to the Government of India.
This grand building was designed by prominent Colombo architects Messrs Walker & Adams and is located in the heart of Colombo's financial district, the Fort. The architecture is a mix of neo-classical and Palladian and conveys a very British air of solidity appropriate for an imperial bank. The bank chambers to the right of the photo continues to be used by the Imperial Bank's successor, the State Bank of India. Walking inside the bank chambers is like stepping back in time; tiled floor, vaulted high ceiling, original fittings and IBI adornments and is very similar to the the interior of bank buildings of the 1920s from London to Shanghai. There is the architect's impression of the building hanging in a side-room of the main chamber identifying the firm of Walker & Adams.
In common with all buildings in the Fort, the requirement for a covered street level arcade can be clearly seen. Municipal building regulations mandated that all buildings be linked together by a continuous ground floor pedestrian arcade which provided shelter from rain and the sun.
The other half of the building is now occupied by HSBC and its interior is a real let-down for architectural buffs; it is all modern fixtures and fittings, false ceilings, corporate branding and modern lighting with little if any trace of its origins.