Brief Garden Bentota - Walk through nature and time at the Brief Garden

To enter the Brief Garden you need to pass through many paddy fields, villages and then follow a small road that used to be a footpath. You are away from the hustle and bustle of the city life and any stress that is bothering you. The approach to the garden itself is a very serene and calming tour as you are merged into a surrounding that is pure nature and everything that blends with it.

Born in 1909 Bevis was not an architect by profession. Since he was born to an elite family he was given the opportunity to study art in England, but he declined the opportunity as he wanted to explore the path on his own. He wanted to become a planter but changed his mind and joined the Ceylon Light Infantry which was a gentleman's regiment. Since he was able to impress everyone, he was made the Aide-De-Camp to the governor of the island. He managed to hold that name for several years which lasted across four different governors. It was only after his mother left Brief for him that he started exploring landscaping and gardening physically. Even though he had a knack for it and wrote articles about it, his first experimental project was brief. Bevis and his brother are considered to have contrasting approaches however, their outcomes were quite similar to one another's creations. Both of them combined have contributed to the outcome of several Boutique Hotels. Sri Lanka was fortunate to be exposed to that era which set a completely different path for those who looked up to them.

The land was initially a rubber plantation when it belonged to Bevis' mother. It has been in the Bawa family for many years and the mother gave two different lands to the two children. Bevis had a practical approach to everything in life and it was the same with landscaping. He looked at the least producing rubber trees in the land and decided to build the house there. One of the main features in his approach was how he wanted to balance the infusion of the garden into the surrounding of the rubber plantation. He was adamant not to make it seem as if the new house and garden looked out of place.

If you are staying at a location such as the Saman Villas they are able to arrange a guided tour for you. There are guided tours that are held at the Brief Garden on a daily basis. The garden is open from 9 am -5 pm daily and it is open for adults and children over 5 years. If you wish to roam through the garden without a guide you are free to do so and there are leaflets and other information provided to those who do not opt for the guided tour.