Established in 1817, just after the British captured the Kandyan Kingdom this cemetery was used to bury British Nationals who died in Ceylon. The cemetery has about 163 graves of people who have died due to various causes like elephant attacks, jungle fevers, sunstrokes, malaria or cholera. However due to a ban of burials within the city limits of Kandy the cemetery was closed in 1873, and afterwards only relatives of those interred were allowed to be buried here. It is still well-maintained by the British, and the Diyawadana Nilame of the Temple of the Tooth managed the land. It was recorded that Prince Charles visited the cemetery in November 2013.