Colombo Pettah Old Town Hall: British neoclassical cast-iron architecture and municipal museum?

The Old Town Hall in Pettah, completed in 1873 by British architect J.G. Smither, was the headquarters of the Colombo Municipal Council before being relocated to Cinnamon Gardens in 1928. Constructed in Victorian neoclassical style, it features cast-iron columns, arched sash windows, and an ornamental central timber staircase. The ground floor displays antique municipal steam-rollers, vintage gas streetlights, and manual fire-hose carriages. The upper council chamber preserves original mahogany tables, brass inkwells, and life-size wax effigies of colonial councilors seated in a meeting.