The mansion was built in from 1900 to 1910 with a mixture of eastern and westerns architectural lines.

This Place is one of the most spectacular architectural works of the period. Richmond Castle was owned by a rich landowner turned philanthropist, Padikara Mudali Nanayakkara Rajawasala Appuhamilage Don Arthur of Silva Wijesinghe Siriwardena.

 Richmond Castle is a two-storey building with 99 doors and 34 windows, adorned with delicately designed glass panels portraying vines. Records indicate that two shiploads of teak were imported from Burma for their construction.

The whole building is characterized by complex sculptures. The wood remains as fresh as when it was built. A dance hall with a stage is another of its characteristics. The architecture shows a greater similarity with an English manor than by an old walauwwa.

The gardens that once boasted a richness of flowers have currently given thanks to trees like coconut, mangosteen, veralu, guava, mango, rambutan and various citrus fruits. The mudaliyar was a lover of nature and adorned his garden with marble statues, some of which remain standing. However, he was not happy in marriage, because they had not children. Having finished his marriage, he bequeathed his property to the Public Trustee for the well-being of the country's children.

The house sits on a hill 2 km from the Kalutara, adjoining the Kalu Ganga River at Palatota. 

Once a circuit home for high positioning officers of the British regulatory administration, today it is a famous tourist destination, and fills in as an instructive community for less advantaged offspring of Kalutara and the region.