Built as a hospital by the Dutch, it has been used for several different purposes, over the years. The Dutch established the Galle hospital to look after the health of the officers and other staff serving under the Dutch East India Company. The hospital`s close proximity to the harbour allowed it to serve Dutch seafarers. The hospital was constructed on the site of the Portuguese mint between the Black Fort and Aurora bastion.[2]
During the 17th Century, the Dutch constructed a two-storey hospital on the eastern side of Galle fort. It was designed with long colonnaded verandas on both sides and floors of the building. The Dutch used cabook coral stone for the masonry work, with granite paved floors and thick plinth walls. Later, the masonry work was plastered over and white washed. After the British captured the fort in February 1796 they extended the building towards the north along the same ground plan. They used bricks as building materials and introduced glazed windows and glazed fanlights to this section. They also built a subsequent extension towards the sea starting from the middle of the existing building. Whilst built at different times the construction and design make the building appear as a single entity.
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