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Baker's Ward is an historical hospital ward at the Nuwara Eliya General Hospital. It is a single-storey brick and tile building, built in 1885.

History

John Garland Baker (1822-1883), the brother of Samuel Baker, married Elizabeth (Eliza) Heberden Martin (1821-1896), the sister of Henrietta Ann Bidgood Martin (Samuel Baker's wife) at a double wedding in 1843. Samuel and John travelled Mauritius in 1844 to manage the family's plantations there, before moving to Ceylon in 1846 and in the following year founded an agricultural settlement, Mahagastota, at Nuwara Eliya, a mountain health-resort. In 1866 Samuel left Ceylon however his brother, John, and his wife, Eliza remained. John bred and trained race horses, constructing the Nuwara Eliya Racecourse in 1875. On 29 December 1883 John died after a brief illness. His wife helped raise funds to build a complete hospital ward and gifted it to the hospital in 1885 in remembrance of him. The ward was solely for the use of planters and other Europeans. In October 1929 the issue was raised in the Legislative Council by V. S. de S. Wikramanayake, the member representing the Southern Province Eastern Division, leading to the inclusion of Ceylonese patients.

Recognition

On 6 February 2009 the building was formally recognised by the Government as an Archaeological Protected Monument.

In 2016 following the opening of a new Rs 7 billion, six-storey district general hospital (which included 660 beds, an intensive care unit, accident ward, pharmacy, dialysis unit and nursing housing quarters), the Hospital's administration decided to convert Baker's Ward into a museum. In March 2019 a foundation was established to accomplish that goal.

Further reading

• Baker, Samuel (1855). Eight Years' Wanderings in Ceylon. Chicago: M.A. Donohue & Co.
• de Silva, G. P. S. Harischandra (1978). Nuwara Eliya, the Beginnings and Its Growth. Department of Information.

See also

• List of Archaeological Protected Monuments in Nuwara Eliya District

References

1. ^ "Eliza Baker". Art Ceylon. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
2. "Sir Samuel Baker". South Africa Books. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
3. R. K. Radhakrishnan, R. K. (15 April 2012). "Colombo shifts to Nuwara Eliya as season begins". The Hindu. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
4. Anderson, Roseanne Koelmeyer (30 March 2008). "Nuwara Eliya Comes Alive! – Celebrating the 122nd year of the Governor's Cup". Sunday Observer. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
5. ^ Hettiarachchi, Shelton (5 September 2016). "Baker's Ward to be converted into a museum". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
6. Urban Development Authority. Greater Nuwara Eliya Development Plan 2022-2032. Ministry of Urban Development and Housing. p. 8.
7. Uragoda, C. G. (1987). A History of Medicine in Sri Lanka: From the Earliest Times to 1948 (Centenary publication). Sri Lanka Medical Association. p. 140.
8. Legislative Council of Ceylon (1927). Debates in the Legislative Council of Ceylon. p. 1572.
9. * "PART I : SECTION (I) — GENERAL Government Notifications" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. 1588. 6 February 2009.
10. "New district general hospital opened at Nuwara Eliya". The Sunday Times. 15 July 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2024.

• Archaeological protected monuments in Nuwara Eliya District
• British colonial architecture in Sri Lanka