ellooooooooselamat pagi sumer..:)
longgggggg senyummmmmm after longgggggg holiday kan..hihihi
yup
hubby ang wifey off to PERAK wif mama & ayah..:)
KELLIE CASTLE'S
16 DISEMBER 2011
For your information, Kellie's Caste ialah istana zaman kolonial yang dibina antara 1905 hingga 1926.Ia dibangunkan atas lambang cinta William Smith kepada isterinya, Agnes.Ia diperbuat daripada batu bata merah dan marmar setinggi enam tingkat diimport dari India.Mempunyai 24 bilik tak termasuk bilik rahsia dan sebuah terowong.Juga mempunyai sebuah lif yang dikenali sebagai lif pertama di Malaysia.
my lovely heroes..:)hubby and ayah..ni tyme kami atas bumbung kellie's..:)
sampai ke langit hubby bw wifey nie..
pemandangan yang sangat indah..;D
i wish dat we had a big house like this but not the one yang full of tragedy la kan..:) tp full of love and happiness..:)..suke ayah naek atas nie..boleh nampak sume ladang getah dari atas ni tau..sejukkkkkkkkkk je atas nie..tp horror gak laaa..hehehhe
some of the monument..:)
masih gagah dan tersergam indah istana nie..:)
kalau siap mesti cantek..
we inside the castle..:)
ni terowong rahsia...:)pandai btol orang dulu2 buat laluan rahsia tau..:)
ayah tgh kusyuk membaca sejarah..:)
ayah tgh kusyuk membaca sejarah..:)
ni kami singgah masa ondeway nak lik umah tok..ingatkan daujung tahun ni xde vacation dah..rupenyer sampai ke perak lagi kami berjalan..tenkiuuuuuu hubby for the holiday..;D..lurv u!!!
jom kite baca history ISTANA ini ok..;D
History…
William Kellie Smith, born in Dallas, North-Eastern Scotland to a farmer and his wife on 1st of March, 1870. At the tender age of 20, he traveled to Malaya (old name of Malaysia) to seek for his fortune. This had proven to be a wise choice, since he was soon engaged by an estate owner, Alma Baker to help in the construction of public roads in South Perak and gathered some fortune from his share of the venture’s profits. With this capital, he bought over nearly 1000 acres of jungle land in the Kinta District, and cleared it to become rubber estate named. Followed by his success in rubber plantation, the Smith brought over his family to stay at his first mansion in Malaya, Kellas House which built in 1905 as symbol of his prospering rubber estate venture. Later in 1915 with the birth of a son and hier, Smith decided to build the Kellie’s Castle (just in front of the Kellas House). It is believed to be a gift for his wife or for the birth of his son – Anthony.
Because of his fascination with the Hindu religion and the Indian culture, Smith’s plan was for this house to share similar architecture to those of Madras, with all its bricks and tiles imported from India. He even employed a big group of Indian labourers to build his dream house, to keep the Kellas House authentically Indian. The mansion is accessible from the main road through a bridge running across a stream. But it was not only the cost of importing material and labourers from abroad that made the house so fascinating to locals and travellers alike. Among the many amazing things about Kellie’s Castle are an elevator (it was the first in Malaya) which connects right up to the top floor, and the existence of two tunnels that run under the river nearby. One of these tunnels connects to the Hindu temple some distance away from the main house. On the second floor, Smith planned to build an indoor tennis court- an ambitious project even by today’s standards. On the highest floor, there is a rooftop courtyard for parties. This castle was to be the hub for entertaining wealthy colonial planters who had settled in Malaya. His house was so unique that it was even mentioned in the London Financier newspaper on 15 September 1911.
Unfortunately for Smith, tragedies struck soon after the construction of the Kellas House began. A virulent strain of the Spanish flu spread from Europe to Asean soon after World War I ended in Europe, killing many of the workers in the Kellas Estate. Another seventy workers constructing Smith’s dream castle also became victims of the flu. Smith, who had already spent a fortune on his house, lost a lot of money because of this. In the end, Kellas House, later known as Kellie’s Castle or even Kellie’s Folly to some, was never completed. William Kellie Smith himself died of pneumonia during a short trip to Portugal in 1926. His heartbroken wife decided to pack up and return home to Scotland selling the estate and Kellie’s Castle to a British company called Harrisons and Crosfield.
Kellie’s Castle Restored…
Today, visitors can still “meet” William Kellie Smith and his two children at Kellie’s Castle. Sculptures of them are still standing on the exterior wall, but the one of his beloved wife fell off some years ago. For safety reasons however, the tunnels have been sealed off. Apparently, one of Kellie’s car is parked somewhere in one of the tunnels! Despite the ravages of time and neglect, the entire estate oozes with romanticism of the colonial era in Malaya. After visiting Kellie’s Castle, do not forget to take a short walk to the Hindu temple constructed by Smith to appease the Gods after his workers died of the Spanish flu. The architecture of the temple is a curious mix of Moorish, Greco-Roman and Indian design. Encapsulated forever in a moment in time is the odd, misplaced figurine of Kellie in his planter’s suit and topee among the sixty deities on the temple roof. Few temples around the country actually owe their existence to a colonial expatriate like this insignificant temple in the outskirts of Batu Gajah. And obviously the Hindu temple held enough fascination for William Smith to build a secret tunnel connecting the temple and his house.
History…
William Kellie Smith, born in Dallas, North-Eastern Scotland to a farmer and his wife on 1st of March, 1870. At the tender age of 20, he traveled to Malaya (old name of Malaysia) to seek for his fortune. This had proven to be a wise choice, since he was soon engaged by an estate owner, Alma Baker to help in the construction of public roads in South Perak and gathered some fortune from his share of the venture’s profits. With this capital, he bought over nearly 1000 acres of jungle land in the Kinta District, and cleared it to become rubber estate named. Followed by his success in rubber plantation, the Smith brought over his family to stay at his first mansion in Malaya, Kellas House which built in 1905 as symbol of his prospering rubber estate venture. Later in 1915 with the birth of a son and hier, Smith decided to build the Kellie’s Castle (just in front of the Kellas House). It is believed to be a gift for his wife or for the birth of his son – Anthony.
Because of his fascination with the Hindu religion and the Indian culture, Smith’s plan was for this house to share similar architecture to those of Madras, with all its bricks and tiles imported from India. He even employed a big group of Indian labourers to build his dream house, to keep the Kellas House authentically Indian. The mansion is accessible from the main road through a bridge running across a stream. But it was not only the cost of importing material and labourers from abroad that made the house so fascinating to locals and travellers alike. Among the many amazing things about Kellie’s Castle are an elevator (it was the first in Malaya) which connects right up to the top floor, and the existence of two tunnels that run under the river nearby. One of these tunnels connects to the Hindu temple some distance away from the main house. On the second floor, Smith planned to build an indoor tennis court- an ambitious project even by today’s standards. On the highest floor, there is a rooftop courtyard for parties. This castle was to be the hub for entertaining wealthy colonial planters who had settled in Malaya. His house was so unique that it was even mentioned in the London Financier newspaper on 15 September 1911.
Unfortunately for Smith, tragedies struck soon after the construction of the Kellas House began. A virulent strain of the Spanish flu spread from Europe to Asean soon after World War I ended in Europe, killing many of the workers in the Kellas Estate. Another seventy workers constructing Smith’s dream castle also became victims of the flu. Smith, who had already spent a fortune on his house, lost a lot of money because of this. In the end, Kellas House, later known as Kellie’s Castle or even Kellie’s Folly to some, was never completed. William Kellie Smith himself died of pneumonia during a short trip to Portugal in 1926. His heartbroken wife decided to pack up and return home to Scotland selling the estate and Kellie’s Castle to a British company called Harrisons and Crosfield.
Kellie’s Castle Restored…
Today, visitors can still “meet” William Kellie Smith and his two children at Kellie’s Castle. Sculptures of them are still standing on the exterior wall, but the one of his beloved wife fell off some years ago. For safety reasons however, the tunnels have been sealed off. Apparently, one of Kellie’s car is parked somewhere in one of the tunnels! Despite the ravages of time and neglect, the entire estate oozes with romanticism of the colonial era in Malaya. After visiting Kellie’s Castle, do not forget to take a short walk to the Hindu temple constructed by Smith to appease the Gods after his workers died of the Spanish flu. The architecture of the temple is a curious mix of Moorish, Greco-Roman and Indian design. Encapsulated forever in a moment in time is the odd, misplaced figurine of Kellie in his planter’s suit and topee among the sixty deities on the temple roof. Few temples around the country actually owe their existence to a colonial expatriate like this insignificant temple in the outskirts of Batu Gajah. And obviously the Hindu temple held enough fascination for William Smith to build a secret tunnel connecting the temple and his house.
tpt ni berhantu kan...hehehe
ReplyDeletedengar2 camtu gak yang..:)
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