Richmond Castle is a beautiful example of Indian and British colonial period architecture. Originally a spice plantation mansion, the house is now open to the public. At Palatota, a little inland, is located Richmond Castle, a fine country house in a 42-acre fruit garden estate. Built in 1896, it originally belonged to landowner turned philanthropist NDA Silva Wijayasinghe, the local Padikara Mudaliyar and was used during the British period as a circuit bungalow for officials. This magnificent hybrid of Indian and British architecture was originally a spice plantation mansion, built for the Padikara Mudaliyar, a wealthy regional governor, who copied the plans of an Indian Maharaja's palace designed by a London architect. The audience hall has intricately carved pillars and beams (two shiploads of teak were brought from Burma for its construction), and a spiral staircase leading to a gallery of some fascinating photographs from the time. The house and grounds are open to the public. It makes a good canoeing or bike track with a riverside picnic.