The photographs in the collection depict life around the plantation in the early years of the 20th century. They show elephants being used to build a road through the estate and the construction of a hospital. As well as views of the plantation landscape and workers on the estate, they also show significant detail on the rubber production process and factory workings. There are also a number of images of the Golledge family, their home and their attendance at social occasions.
This catalogue was produced with support from the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art.
George H. Golledge was a planter who managed the Gikiyanakanda Estate, owned by Lord Elphinstone, from 1904 – 1914. The 3200 acre estate had been acquired by the Rt Hon Lord Elphinstone in 1844, and was originally a coffee and tea plantation until the 1880s when experiments took place with growing rubber in Ceylon. By 1906 rubber production had significantly increased in the Kalutara area. Golledge and his wife had two daughters, Joyce and Nancy, who are pictured in the photographs as young children. They lived with their parents for the rest of their lives after returning to the UK in the 1930s.
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