iSee No. 1 Pansodan

The pastel green domed building at the southern tip of Pansodan Street used to be the office of the British Accountant-General. One of Pansodan’s first buildings, it was Burma’s financial centre, the colony’s beating heart. All government taxes were collected here: levies on opium, teak, salt, rice but also proceeds from the railway, postal and irrigation companies. The building is now occupied by the Yangon Divisional Court.

The building is a bit worn, but beautiful inside with the ornate wooden spiral staircase intact. Originally there were three wings, but during World War II, a bomb destroyed one entire wing and it was never repaired; the ruined brickwork laced with weeds, remains an evocative memorial to the fierce battles fought over Rangoon.