Dutch Stables Ambalangoda

  

Dutch Stables Ambalangoda is an old dutch building in Galle District, Sri Lanka. Presently it stands adjacent to the land where the old Ambalangoda rest-house was located.Evidence is there to show that this building is a work of the 18th century. A plaque fixed on the front wall of the building reveals that this was constructed in 1750 by a Dutch named Adriaan Ootdyk Ranchagoda, 2015) Built by Adriaan Oostdyk, under-Koopman, Superintendent of the Galle Corle, 1750.

Adriaan Oostdyk was a high official in the Dutch East India Company (VOC) at the time when the church was built. For his duties, he had to visit places in Ambalangoda, Kosgoda, and Bentota and he used the old rest house in Ambalangoda as his temporary residence Lewis, 1913) Initially, the building was used as a village church and the services were regularly held in Sinhala by the schoolmaster proponents and in Dutch during their church and school visitations by the clergymen from Galle. It is said that the floor of the church was paved with several tombstones but none of these are now to be seen as the floor had been filled with earth later, the building was used as a stable and as a court-house.

This ancient inn was operated at the beginning of this century, but later it was closed and the building where the inn was housed was completely demolished in 2008.