This is a long narrow stretch of land that is lined with palm trees next to the coast. It is always full of sound and activity as children play and fly kites while adults go for leisurely walks. There are plenty of food stalls and refreshments available for a quick snack while you enjoy the fresh breeze and caning scenery.
History
Galle Face Green originally extended over a much larger area
than exists today. Records indicate that it was bounded to the north by Beira
Lake, the ramparts of Colombo Fort and the city’s cemetery, to the west by the
Indian Ocean, whilst to the south by the Galle Face Hotel (established in 1864,
although the original building on the site was a Dutch villa) and to the east
by St Peter's Church (consecrated in 1821). The Galle Face Green was initially
laid out by the Dutch as a means to enable their cannons a strategic line of
fire against the Portuguese. One version of how the name Galle Face is derived,
is that it is from the original Dutch name for the fortifications, in that the
gateway which gave access to the Colombo Fort was called the Gal Gate, as it
faced southwards to Galle and faas means front, so it literally means in front
of the fortification that faced toward Galle. Another version is it is a
corruption of the original name for the area's rocky shoreline, Gal Bokka, Gal
being the Sinhalese for rock and that Gal Gate actually meant rock gate.
In 1856 the then Governor of British Ceylon, Sir Henry
George Ward (1797–1860) authorised the construction of a 1 mile (1.6 km)
promenade along the oceanside of the Galle Face Green, for ladies and children
to saunter and ‘take in the air’. The promenade was subsequently completed in
1859.
