Adisham Bungalow

Adisham Bungalow is a stone country house in the forest near Haputale, in the southern hill country. It was built in the early 20th century for Sir Thomas Lester Villiers, a British planter and businessman, and named after Adisham, the village in Kent where he grew up. Since the 1960s, it has been home to the Adisham Monastery of the Benedictine order. Parts of the house are open to visitors.

What you see

• The house: designed in Tudor and Jacobean style, with stone walls, gables and wooden interiors. The original fittings and much of the old furniture survive.
• Rooms open to visitors: usually a living room and library, which show how the house looked in Villiers' time.
• The gardens: lawns, flower beds and orchards in an English style, with views across the hills.
• The monastery shop: selling jams, cordials and other products made by the monks.

The chapel holds a relic said to be of Pope Sylvester I.

How long it takes

About one hour.

When to go

The house is usually open to visitors only on certain days, often weekends, public holidays and poya days, at set hours. Check locally before going.

Getting there

Adisham is about 3 km from Haputale town, around 10 minutes by tuk-tuk, reached through the Thangamale forest. From Ella, it is about an hour by road.

Practical tips

• A small entry fee is charged.
• Dress modestly; it is a working monastery.
• Keep voices low near the chapel.

Combine with Lipton's Seat or Diyaluma Falls. See things to do in Ella and Ella hotels.

Prices are as of October 2026 and may change.