The Portuguese captured Galle from the Sinhala Kings in 1587 and built a Fort named ‘Santa Crusz”
In 1640, the Dutch, with twelve ships under the command of Whilhelm Jacobz Coster laid siege and after four days of severe fighting captured the Fort. The Fort expanded and flourished till 1790 when the British took over Galle. The Galle Fort stands today as a "World Heritage Site’

Klossenburg (Citadel on which the sea roars) was an island in the Galle harbour on which the Dutch in 1719 built a Fortalice with a battery of two guns, (the Sinhalese called it ‘Aluth Kotuwa' or New Fort)and after the British arrived in 1790 the Fortalice lay abandoned.

In 1842 the P&O ship ‘Hindostan’ called at Galle initiating a regular service with Europe.

Captain Francis Bayley was the P&O agent and he acquired Closenberg island and built a magnificent mansion in 1860 and named it ‘Villa Marina’ after his wife. The P&O used as its device the ‘Rising Sun ‘ which is used as a feature in the building.

Colombo took over as the principal port in Ceylon and in 1882, P&O moved its headquarters from Galle to Colombo. Closenberg was sold in 1889 to Simon Perera Abeyewadene who was a close friend of Captain Bayley.

Closenberg has remained in the Perera Abeyewardene family and is today preserved as a Colonial Hotel for the enjoyment of its many visitors.