Brief Garden

Bevis Bawa, Geoffrey's older brother, took a rubber estate in the 1920s and turned it into a garden of terraces, pools, walks and green rooms over the following fifty years, quite different in temper from Lunuganga: denser, more playful, filled with his own sculpture and with work by friends. The house holds his collections and a mural by the Australian artist Donald Friend, who stayed for five years. The estate's name comes from the legal brief whose fee paid for it, and on Bevis Bawa's death in 1992 it passed to his staff, who still run it.

What you'll find

• The terraced garden - green rooms, pools and walks down the hillside.
• The sculpture - Bevis Bawa's own work placed through the grounds.
• The Donald Friend mural - a large painted wall in the house.
• The house collections - furniture, art and objects left as they were.

When to go

December to March is the driest. Tours run through the day and the garden is small enough not to need booking. Mornings are coolest.

Practical notes

The garden is smaller than Lunuganga and the house is dark and crowded with objects. Guides vary in how much they explain. The access road is narrow.

Nearby

Lunuganga is south, and Beruwala is west on the coast.

Key facts