188 Hugh Low Street – The home I once knew
Does this building looked familiar to you? It was located right in the middle of new town, along busy Hugh Low Street. It faced the junction of Cowan Street and Jalan Yang Kalsom. Just opposite is the new town police station. Adjacent is Hume Street.
Yes, I knew it looked abandoned and in a dilapidated condition. It stuck out like a sore thumb but it held many childhood memories for me. It is my childhood home. I have spent 24 years living in it.
Standing from the road and looking up, you will see two stone lions playing with a globe perched on the roof. I always used to wonder who the designer of this structure is and what it represented. Anyone knows of a similar structure elsewhere in Ipoh?
In its heyday, this building sported whitewash paint with green colored wooden windows and doors. On the upper floor, there are 6 rooms, a kitchen and a bathroom. This is where my paternal grandma, aunt, uncle, cousins, elder siblings and some tenants lived.
According to my parents, among the tenants is a beautiful cabaret girl working at the nearby Jubilee Park along Cowan Street. She is a mixed Chinese and Thai girl called Ah Hung. Other tenants would stand near the window and watched her bade him good night. Later, her brother got a tin mine to operate and she herself migrated to England and did not come back anymore. I am not sure if she has any kin around.
On the ground floor is a front hall, a room, a kitchen, a bathroom and two toilets. This is where Mom, Dad and I stayed.
In the early days, we used the bucket system. Night soil collectors in an orange coloured truck used to come every other evening to collect the waste using black rubber buckets. We always covered our noses whenever they come! Mom even lighted up a cheroot to fight the lingering stench. Only in the late 70s it was converted to the flush system.
The staircase, room partitions and upper floorings are made from very solid timber. It is a spacious and airy place. Such a joy to live in except for the toilets!
As children, we would come out and play in the evenings. We liked to play hide and seek among the pillars outside. We also played hopscotch and tops along the corridors. Sometimes we used to cycle along the back lane behind the shop with kites in our hands. After a shower of rain, we would throw paper boats into the drain outside the shop or catch small fish. Once, I fell into the drain together with a bicycle when a boy next door pushed me as we fought over some marbles. I lost my two front teeth!
An unforgettable incident happened on Chinese New Year’s eve in 1972. Grandma woke up early that morning to find an Indian man who worked as a shop assistant next door, hanging from a pillar in front of our shop. He was already dead for a few hours. She screamed and fainted at the sight.
Only a few days earlier, his toddler son fell into the same drain in a very heavy downpour. Before anyone could do anything, he was swept by the strong current into the connecting monsoon drain that flows into Sungai Kinta. His body was never found.
Back in the 70s, Dad let out the corridor outside to an Indian barber called Subramaniam. Sometimes, his son Morgan would help out when business is good. And their business is good most of the time.
Every year, the Nine Emperor Gods procession will pass by the shop on its way back to the Tow Boo Keong Temple at Jalan Tokong. We have a good view from our windows as people crowded the street below jostling for a better view. Under the hot blazing sun they looked up at us enviously!
My family stayed here for a total of 55 years. It was only like yesterday but actually so long ago. I hate to see it being demolish someday…..
I am reading this in Turkey! What a great blog to find having not been able to get online for the last couple of days. I hope they were your baby teeth you lost rather than the set you have now.
A lovely piece of writing and it brings back feelings of nostalgia for me. It’s very sad though about what happened to the Indian man and his son. This is not the first accident that I have heard of children falling into monsoon drains and perished. I think that safety grills should be installed, particularly in populated areas, to prevent future accidents like this from happening.
Too bad about your two front teeth though and I bet I know what you wished for that Christmas.
‘All I want for Christmas
is my two front teeth,
my two front teeth,
see my two front teeth!’
Hi Ika and Gordy,good morning to you guys.Thank god I am about 6 at that time,so it was still my baby teeth! Hahaha….
Yes, and diagonally was the famous kari laksa shop, before it moved further down. Further along Hugh Low St was an aquarium shop that was one of my favourites. Also I remember in the 60s just along Jln Yang Kalson after the lane behind the house was a herbal tea stall that had a pretty girl selling (you could tell by the no of customers stopping on their motor bikes)
Of course she was a pretty gırl. All the pretty girls come from Ipoh.
Of course she was a pretty gırl. All the pretty girls come from Ipoh. Have you seen those at the Pomelo stalls ın Gopeng Road?
Hi Allan,yes,I too remembered back then there is a leong cha stall selling herbal drinks like boiled sugar cane,loh hon guo and chrysanthemum tea.There is also a type of herbal drink called wong lou kat.For extra kick,some bitter powder is added.These drinks are good to remove heat.
They are kept in big metal containers shaped like a gourd.The drinks are poured into glassess and arranged in a row and covered with metal lids.
Of course the selling point is the pretty girl!
Many of those sweet young things that work as sales promoters in the pomelo stalls along Jalan Gopeng are China Dolls. They are encroaching into Malaysian territory and some local women are up in arms. For a while there were rumbles that a turf war is in the offing.
I grew up playing computer games and PSP.I wish I could have a childhood like yours too – playing hide and seek,hopscotch and others.Too bad nobody knows how to play these anymore.SIGH!!!
Ipohgal, what a wonderful story! I didn’t know it was your former abode…..ever since I was a child, I’d been wondering whose shop/home it was!! When did you leave the place?
Hi Felicia,so you notice this shop too,don’t you? Yes,it was my home alright.My family stayed here from 1945 to 2000. But I stayed here from 1964 to 1988 when I left to work in KL.
Even until now,sometimes this place still appears in my dreams.My childhood days here is still very vivid in my mind.
It’s look similiar to some old building in Kuala Lumpur.
Normally you can find such alike structure in Jalan Petaling , Lrg Yap Ah Loy (used to be Cecil Road ) and Jalan Pudu area, but most of them have been torn down nowadays.
Sigh !
Those developers really lack of historical or heritage mind.
Those developers only thinking of modernise the city , so demolish most of the old buildings, but worst still some area in the city have some abandon high rise project.
Instead the modenisation become an ugly spot in the city.
Really Old vs New
老人与小孩
门前老树下 坐着老人与小孩
老人对我说 他的孩子都不在
他们都不乖 整天在国外
外国月亮比较圆 奇怪不奇怪
多少年以来 总是孤孤单单
我对老人说 我想陪你去看海
满天是云彩 满心是爱
老人握着我的手 眼泪掉下来
我是真心的朋友 真心的小孩
陪在你身边 永远不离开
你是最好的朋友 最好的依赖
像星星和月亮 老人与小孩
Wow !
Is this building still around ?
Next time when i go to Ipoh, I sure to have a look.
Yan Yan, hide and seek were for those below 7. Once we started school it was a different types of games (at least for boys and some tom boys) – marbles, kites (with ground glass glued to the lengths near the kite to cut other kites, top (all types of top game variations), throwing flat pieces of metal to try to hit the other person’s piece – thinking of it its actually quite a clever game as if you dont hit the opponents piece you’ll end up pretty close to his piece and its an easy hit for him. Only thing I cant figure out is who decides to change to different games during the year – we have the kite season, marble season, top season etc.
lol…Ipohgal, those were the days! It’s a pity your former place is abandoned now
Hi Felicia,this place is not totally abandoned.Last year,I paid a visit to video it.The picture above was taken at night during a trip downtown.
A few years ago,some minor renovations was done-the wooden windows and doors were replaced by glass.It is now a storage place for tyres and diesel for an express bus company nearby.However the large rooms upstairs were let out to the workers from the nasi kandar shop behind.The buidling was still intact overall albeit very old now.If I am not mistaken,it is almost a hundred years old and can be consider a heritage.
But I really like to find out who is the designer or architect of this row of shops.Anyone have any info?
Hi Wow,this building is still around,and yes,please do go and have a look before it disappeared like Pudu Jail in KL!
And KL boy,thanks for the tips.I will definately go and have a look at those similar shops in KL before they are gone forever!
You know those greedy developers-they don’t give a damn to heritage,all they can think of is $$$ in their pockets.
maybe we can keep a look out for similar designed buildings….it might help us to find out WHO the designer was. i wonder if it was built around the same time as Ipoh New Town….
For those who are not sure of the exact location, it is situated just behind Yong Suan Restaurant which houses the famous Nasi Ganja. Recent interview with the Nasi Ganja operator tells us that they’ve been operating there even before Merdeka. Maybe ipohgal can share some experience with us regarding their famous Nasi Ganja.
Sorry admin,about the Nasi Ganja.It was expensive stuff-beyond our means to eat that as a large family of 8 with my dad as the only breadwinner!We simply can’t afford to eat them.
Honestly,the closest we have is when Mom bought a bowl of plain curry(without anything inside)to go with our rice in lean times.As little kids,our mouth salivated each time we past by and saw those big chicken thighs,tiger prawns or sotong displayed in the glass cabinet and the aroma drifted into our nostrils.
But we heard the nasi ganja there is out of this world.Business is very very good.The proprietor is an old Indian Muslim man with a bald head.His son took over when he died.That was in the 80s I think but now I am not sure.
I remembered this nasi ganja proprietor was called “Lah Ja Mou” by the neighbours.It simply means dirty cat!
He rented the back portion of the shop next to us to prepare and cook the food.Many neighbours saw with their own eyes how it was done near the toilet,which uses the bucket system.The sight killed off your appetite.This is another reason why my family stayed away beside it being unaffordable.
wow….didn’t know that nasi ganja was expensive in those days!
Ipohgal, having 8 mouths to feed wasn’t easy. my mum and aunts used to tell me about their lives back then too – 7 siblings, plus the occasional visits from relatives (who also had large families!). the occasional ‘special dish’ from the nasi ganja shop must have been a real treat for you and your family!
Ah yes, the building is still there though in a dilapidated condition.
I grew up a few doors away down Jalan Yang Kalsom from the late 70′s to early 90′s.
Yes the back portion of 188 Hugh Low was used (I believe is still used) as a kitchen by the Nasi Kandar shop.
When I was a kid the name of the shop was Hameetha Banu while its bitter competitor next door was Rahim Raju. Their good is great and aromatic, just don’t look in the back kitchen across the back lane!
Every time someone walks down the street cries of “WANG GA! WANG GA!” would ring out from both the shops, enticing customers to come in to have lunch.
This scene still sticks to my mind. In fact this scene with the mamaks outdoing and outshouting each other was in one of Lat’s comic book though I cannot remember which one.
The junction of Hugh Low/JYK was a popular place to watch the annual Chingay procession but a better place was the T Junction of YJK/Hume. This is the Exact place where they would bring down the huge bamboo flag pole horizontally and swing it in a complete 360 deg arc. They couldn’t well do it at the Hugh Low/JYK junction due to the traffic lights.
ipohgal,
Does your family/you still own the place?
Why don’t you consider restoration?
I wish I own this place.
I would love the the front and upper structure with the guardian lions brought back to its original blazing glory.
Also for the original wooden windows to come back in, though with new materials, cost no object.
New cengal floor, new wooden rafters, new roof tiles.
New wiring, new plumbing, modern toilet.
Hack out the old cement render and put in fresh smooth cement and repaint to original colour.
Of course, all the wooden stuff, though oozes charm, would be a fire hazard, so I’ll have to throw in a coupla fire extinguishers, strategically located.
Then turn the whole place into a boutique restaurant cum hotel cum museum cum antique store. All Ipoh and everything Ipoh.
Hmmm… I think a coupla hundred K’s worth of agongs would do it, but more than this it would be a labour of love.
For sure IKA would love to set up office here.
Hmmmmm…. only if I own this place.
Hi Aaron,you really make my day!I am so excited to hear from someone who used to live a few doors away and shared memories so similar to mine.Which shop along JYK you grew up in?
By the way,do you know the meaning of this familiar word “wanga!wanga”?Thinking back,it is a waste that I didn’t stop by to ask them.When I was studying in MGS,I used to walk past these 2 shops everday to and from school.There is this elderly guy at Rahim Raju.He always wore a plain shirt and white sarong.My parents called him “Panjang” because he is very big and tall.Whenever he saw me,he would called me “Ah pong” and pulled my ponytail.I would quickly run back home!
You are right about the 9 Emperor Gods procession.Do you know that the junction infront of my home is quite haunted? Some motorists were killed on that spot. When the procession reached the junction,the devotees carrying the sedan chairs with the gods inside would stop abruptly and swing wildly.They refuse to proceed further,causing a bottleneck right infront of my home.A devotee would pulled out a dried snake skin and whipped the road around the junction with it.Next,some jossticks and hell bank notes were burnt and holy water sprinkled on the road.Once this ritual was done,the procession proceded smoothly towards JYK and back to Jalan Tokong.
My family does not own this place nor rent it anymore.It actually belonged to a rich Punjabi property owner who also owned some other shops along the same row.I am not sure whether he or his family still own this place now.We moved away when my Dad retired and my brother bought a house in Bercham many years ago.
According to my hubby,he saw many similar buildings in London especialy near the Trafalgar area.So we can assume it is a colonial style building.Yes,why don’t you buy it up and turn your dreams into reality? Think about it!!
Hi Ipohgal,
Just had lunch in town and visited your place.
Took the opportunity to take a few very very very clear and detailed photos of the upper structure as well. I’ll send them to ika asap and I’ll hope he will post the detailed photos.
I lived in the middle of the 1st block, next to the grocery store.
Yes I remember the tall elderly mamak too. I think probably he’s passed on already.
By the way, don’t you have any pictures of yourself in front of or inside the house?
Hi Aaron,Ha ha ha…you are just a terrific guy,acting so promptly!
Looking forward to see your photos in this site soon.
Sorry,I do not have any photos inside.My family does not have a camera at that time,so taking a shot did not cross our minds then.Too bad,right?
I hope you manage to take a clear snap of the lions and the globe. I am curious how they are doing now….
Whoops! A bit stuck here…. I have the hi-res pics, but how to send to you or ika? I don’t have your email addresses.
Hi Aaron,
You may send it to info(at)ipohworld.org
looking forward to receiving your pictures, Aaron!
OK I have sent the pictures to the email above. The originals are about 2.3MB each but have to resize them to 30% as the they got hung up on me when I tried to send the over.
By the way the building is prewar and dated 1931(?). The 3rd digit has almost broken off but I can just make out the “3″
Hope admin can post the pictures up for all to see and admire the ornate handiwork of artisans long ago. You just don’t see these kind of styles anymore.
The blue industrial metal roof is of recent vintage. Ugly as hell but then again I believe the owners don’t have much of a choice.
Hi Aaron,thanks for your efforts.I hope ipohworld will put up your pics for everyone to see and admire this wonderful piece of artwork.It is part of Ipoh’s heritage and we should all do our parts to preserve it.
Even better,let’s find out who is the designer and the craftmen and also what it symbolised.
I have been wondering since I am a young child and I hope someday I have the answers.
Hi everybody. just to confirm I have the photographs and we shall put them on the site ın a week or so when I get back to the office in Ipoh.
Aaron. we would ask you also to try again to send them to me in high resolution, I can normally receive up to 20Mb at one time.
I have been away from the net for a few days and am amazed by the large number of responses to so many of our blogs. Thanks everybody.
OK The hi-res pics are on the way.
OK All hi-res pics sent
Hi Ipohgal,
Indeed, some of the heritage houses in the older parts of Ipoh exemplify a distinct colonial influence and your hubby has a point when he said that your former home in Hugh Low Street resembles some buildings near Trafalgar Square. In fact, a number of older shop houses around Leicester Square, Covent Gardens and the West End area look rather similar to parts of Station Road, especially near Miner’s Arm and the Chartered Bank. Additionally, Lau Ek Ching Street, with its mellow townhouses, is also somewhat identical to the quiet, residential side streets of London. It is regrettable that many of these interesting buildings are demolished indiscriminately to make way for gleaming, glass and steel high-rise structures. Once destroyed, such relics are lost forever and needless to say, society is paying a high price in the quest for progress and development.
Hi Ken,you are spot on!
Sentimental souls like us at this blog here could see the beauty in such heritage buildings but sadly many could not.It is an innate thing. Unfortunately,we are in the minority group.
Hence,everywhere we went,we can see heaps and bundles of glass and steels.They are so cold,hollow and devoid of soul.But they said this is progress and trendy.Really,huh?
Who to blame? The inapt goverment and the greedy developers.
I have been to many places where I could see with my own eyes how heritage and progress can co-exist side by side and in perfect harmony.But this is not happening in our country.The mentality of preserving for the future generations is simply not strong here.
So,such historical buildings are fast disappearing one by one.The latest casualty in our country is the infamous Pudu Jail in KL….
Hi Ipohgal,
The demise of Pudu Jail is not surprising at all. Some years ago, the demolition of Bok House in KL created a massive hue and cry but to no avail. The wrecking ball came swinging mercilessly and the fabled house that was built by Chua Cheng Bok, the founder of Cycle and Carriage was lost forever. One after another, many cherished heritage buildings were decimated without even the bat of an eyelid. Destruction seems to be the norm while preservation and restoration are non-existent in the vocabulary of the city fathers. I reside in Chicago, which together with New York, is considered to be the birthplace of contemporary architecture. Here, pre-war and post war buildings blend together seamlessly to create a well-textured and interesting cityscape. The contrast between the old and the new accentuate the innate qualities and attractiveness of the varied designs that have evolved from different generations. Malaysia is blessed with a diverse, multi cultural heritage and there is a wealth of quaint and interesting buildings in many urban and rural areas. Surely, some of these buildings are worth preserving for reasons of posterity. Coming back to the Bok legacy, it is noted with some degree of consolation that the three story Chua Cheng Bok Building in Ipoh’s Horley Street is still standing proud and tall at this point in time.
Hi Ken. I remember reading about the Bok House being demolished. they never rally had a solid reason for demolishing it though…..sad….
yes, the three storey building at HOrley Street is still there – hope it stays that way too!
Hi Ken and Felicia,today is a sad day for those of us staying in KL. We just had the last glimpse of the infamous Pudu Jail. They actually opened up the place and allowed the public a last view of the cells inside. We went in for a free group tour. Many people were there.
Tonight NGOs are having a candlelight vigil outside at the main entrance. It will be demolished tommorrow morning at 10am. After this, the landscape of KL is not the same anymore.
A sad day for KL and Malaysia.
I visited Pudu Jail many years ago just shortly after they closed down and had the chance to examine close hand some of the graffiti inside the former cells that tells of tortured souls and lonely hearts.
It is sad to consider that this one and only historic structure will be demolished in the name of development, in order to build more high rises and shopping malls.
Last I checked KL is already filled to the brim with hotels and shopping malls. Ask yourselves honestly, do we really need more of these?
Can not the Pudu Jail be presevred and turned into something that will draw in the tourists? For example, one thing that came to my mind, how about a jail themed hotel where guests are called inmates and spend the night inside the renovated cells shepherded by hotel staff in period warden uniforms. Another part of the jail may be turned in to a museum, cum restaurant offering authentic jail good. A photo opportunity at the famous gallows perhaps? A try at “prison break” as one of its adventures?
With the historic Pudu Jail gone, KL would have lost another one of its major landmarks. If the propensity to keep demolishing historic structures like Pudu Jail and Bok Mansion and others, KL would wind up as nothing more than a concrete jungle without a shred of character or style.
Hi Aaron, thanks for your comment on Pudu Jail in KL. This is an issue regarding saving our national heritage for the future generations.
Although I am Ipoh born and bred, but I have stayed in KL for many years it is like second home to me. I used to pass by Pudu Jail everyday and it is a familiar sight for me. But tomorrow, after 10 am, it will be changed forever. The whole structure will be gone and the landscape will be very differrent from what I once knew.
Yes, today, this is happening in KL. But it will also happen elsewhere in our country, our beloved hometown included,as if this has not happened already.
You are right. KL does not need another shopping mall. Pavillion, KLCC and Times Square are pitifully empty on week days and so many of their tenants are struggling to survive.
Instead, like what you have suggested here, the authorities can easily convert the jail into a museum and hotel like what they are doing in countries like NZ and Britain. I am sure many tourist are interested to experience this.
Alas, they do not think along your line. They are hell bend on erasing colonial buildings in an attempt to erase our past and the developers are nothing more than $$$$$$$$$$$$$ devils without a soul.
This morning, as I sat in the cell and looking at the graffiti walls, I can’t help feeling, how come our heritage is so dirt cheap?
We are loosing them bit by bit….
What a sad …..sad…. day !
Pudu Jail, a worth conserved historical building , going to be 115 years old ,but end up totally be demolished after mid-nite.
A numbers of photographers from all circle of life have come to witness this building since this morning.
A big lost to the heritage conservation of the country.
To share with you all with some of the photos which I have taken this morning and tonite, please feel free to visit my blog http://riversidegrass.blogspot.com
Hi riversidegrass, glad to hear that you are there too! Throughout the day, endless stream of people were there to show their concerns and dissaprovals. Some protest by staging vigils and acts. But it is all in vain. In the end, the might of power and money triumphed.
This morning, the bulldozers were already stationed there and the whole place was sealed off. The work of pulling down the walls have just started.
115 years of history being dismantled brick by brick while we were all concerned with the bread and butter issue and the country was gripped by the world cup football fever.
How clever of the authorities to pull the carpet off from our feet!
sorry !….Heeee……
Ipohgal ,glad to hear that you are there too! Throughout the day, endless stream of people were there to show their concerns and dissaprovals. Some protest by staging vigils and acts. But it is all in vain. In the end, the might of power and money triumphed.
This morning, the bulldozers were already stationed there and the whole place was sealed off. The work of pulling down the walls have just started.
115 years of history being dismantled brick by brick while we were all concerned with the bread and butter issue and the country was gripped by the world cup football fever.
How clever of the authorities to pull the carpet off from our feet!
just wondering: once they demolish Pudu Jail, what are they going to use the land for? don’t tell me it’s going to be YET ANOTHER car park??
Hi riversidegrass, with sadness and a trouble state of mind, you got me mixed up!! Hahaha, never mind,I understand. Like you,I am sad too, sigh!!!
And Felicia,no,this is KL,not Ipoh. So they are not going to have another car park. It is something grander- say,another luxury shopping mall cum high class condominiums targeted to be completed around 2016.
All glassess and steels,as usual.
Development -1 Heritage-0
???? car park or mall, it’s still an insult to such a heritage treasure……
Felicia, this is not the first and not going to be the last case of demolishing heritage treasure.
From what I read in other sites, the next victim in line is none other than the Istana Negara, formerly a double storey mansion built by a Chinese millionaire called Chan Wing.
Just wait and see because the new and controversial palace, costing RM800 million is coming out at Jalan Duta. And the old palace will make way for other projects.
Hi !
Dear all,
It’s another similar type of concrete “Time Square” added in this concrete jungle again.
“Heritage” always a loser compare to “Modern object” in a concrete jungle.
Sigh !……..
No word to say !
“Men can know more than their ancestors did if they start with a knowledge of what their ancestors had already learned….That is why a society can be progressive only if it conserves its traditions.”
Quoted by
Walter Lippmann
US author & journalist (1889 – 1974)
Sad……..
Pudu jail, heritage of the people, has just wrecked into debris in seconds since 10.00pm ,21st Jun 2010.
Farewell , Pudu Jail, the heritage of the people.
115 years old wall wrecked into pieces in just seconds !
“The city’s suburban heritage buildings are as important as those garden villas in the downtown.”
Wu Jiang quotes
Hi riversidegrass, I heard that thousands of people were there tonight to see the demolition work. Many were very emotional about it and they jeered scornfully when the wall finally came crumbling down.
21st June 2010 @ 10 pm – 115 years old history came down in split seconds amidst jeerings and protests.
What a national shame and tragedy for all Malaysians!! Any photos to share with us on the latest developments from ground zero?
Yes….ipohgal
Many of them really show concern about it.
You can see many tried to snap as many photos as possible,some even videos it down for memories.
This is a history,a realtime happening for us and lifetime history for future generation(s).
I have also took many pictures of it, if you want to share the sad moment the fallen heritage, you are welcome to visit http://riversidegrass.blogspot.com
You are lucky, you have Ipohworld website to promote Ipoh of the past , as for Kuala Lumpur,until now I can’t see any.
Hopefully, no more destruction of any heritage, regardless anyway.
Hi Ipohgal. yes, i heard about the controversial Palace (let’s not go there, such abuse of public funds are heart-breaking…..)
i didn’t know the former palace was built by a millionaire – always thought it was just another construction by the local architects.
Riversidegrass, visited your blog. thanks for putting up the photos.
Regarding Pudu Jail, I was appalled to hear a Deputy Minister announce in Parliament yesterday that we were not proud of it and hence it did not qualify as heritage.
What a crazy way to look at one’s heritage.
Hi riversidegrass, on Sunday night when I was there with my family, we met some foreign tourists who were busy snapping photos of Pudu Jail. Many of them were visibly upset and they just kept shaking their heads and whispering ” What a waste” or “What a shame”. Some just scratched their head disbelievingly.
I saw many people young and old, of all races and walks of life coming out to have a last look and condemned the authorities. So, it is not just us the heritage enthusiasists but ordinary folks as well who valued a piece of historical treasure.
Pudu Jail is actually a Victorian era building, built almost at the same time with Victoria Institution opposite of it. Yesterday we have lost a national monument and it is a day of shame indeed.
Yes, Oscar Wilde put it aptly ” There is no sin except stupidity” and this is stupidity at it’s best.
Riversidegrass, thanks for sharing.
I have visited your blog too.
I was there last nite,the demolition started about 10.00pm,21Jun2010.
This was the first time in my life, witnesssed such rampage of people’s heritage.
I also met a few foreign Journalists there,they also feeling sorry to seee it.Some of them asking why ? No one protest ? I told them we KL folks have tried ways, but in vain,I felt real shameful.
True, you can’t find any blog or org. heritage site in KL,like Ipohworld in northern.
Maybe there are,anyone any idea ?
Yes, we shouldn’t allow more of such destruction of KL heritage building in any corner.
Ipohworld, I like your heritage site,you have done a very good job in keeping more memories for ipoh folks, us and also coming generations.I salute you
Ika, the guy who said it , a real fool of the century.
He should think and filter his words before saying it.
Shame, shame , shame on him.
No respect given to this guy….!
A prison is shameful and did not qualify as a heritage and therefore must be demolished,is it?
Then perhaps corruption is not shameful after all and should be declared a heritage and retained for eternity?
That is, going by this fella’s logic.
you’re right, Ipohgal…….with his ‘logic’, probably a lot more heritage would be demolished.
And that brings us back to why I said Oscar Wilde is right about stupidity.
But let me add this. There is no sin greater than stupidity that goes together with GREED.
Dear all, as at this morning, the entire 394 meters mural wall fronting Jalan Pudu, once the longest mural painting in the world according to Guinness Book of Records, was completely gone, reduced to heaps of rubbles and dust.
Demolition work has stopped. Read in the papers that due to overhelming public’s protests,the authorities decided to keep the arched gate at the jail entrance as a memorial. It has the word 1895 written clearly on top of the arch.
The other side of the wall is still intact but does not know for how many days more. Perhaps they will take us by surprise again, like they did a few days ago.
Brought home some red bricks from the torn wall and pieces of paintings for keep sake. Many people snapped them up as soon as the wall came crumbling down. Adieu Pudu Jail.
Pudu Jail – A Eulogy
As jails go, you might be notorious but you have fulfilled your task for society and the very reason for your birth, along with the city of Kuala Lumpur, for the past 115 years.
You have kept criminals and society outcasts behind your stout walls and iron gates, even ended the lives of some of the more heinous ones in the dark chambers of your gallows, and in that you served your part to bring the wrath of society’s punishment and the olive branch of merciful rehabilitation to those on behalf of us who live outside your walls.
As we pick up the pieces of your broken body, we only wish that they could talk and tell us of a thousand tales of love and loneliness, hope and anguish, fear and terror, regret & reconciliation, the yearn of freedom outside the confines and finally the promise of a new leaf, a new future.
And now, as you come to the end of your twilight years, you have earned your right to Rest in Peace and a place in the hearts of Malaysians, forever.
Goodbye, Pudu Jail.
Spirits of those who were hanged is now FREE to linger around
the city. Good bye Pudu Goal welcome spirits. Let the dogs bark
at them…!
It seems like everyone talking about the lost heritage in KL,but with mixed feeling.
Anyhow to introduce to those interested have some more info,you can surf to http://www.malaysiadesignarchive.org/?page_id=771
I have just found it yesterday nite.
There are more videos in http://www.youtube.com and i think more to come.
Hopefully, everyone can put more effort to suppot “Conservation of Heritage Building”
Aaron, thanks for your moving eulogy. I think if ever there is any lessons to be learnt from this episode, it is this – never take our heritage for granted again. Not only in KL but all throughout this country.
I admitted that all these years, millions and millions of us walked along it’s wall everyday without giving a thought of what is going on inside. To us, it’s just another wall, just another familiar sight and just another landmark. Always there for us.
It is not until we were told that it will be torn down that it finally dawned on us that something so familiar will be taken away from us forever. The morning after the demolition, standing among the bricks and sand and also the broken windows from the fallen watch towers, it seems so surreal. What was once a 394 meter wall is just an empty space, dusty and eerie. I felt the pain stabbing into my heart. I asked myself, how can our heritage be so fragile?
I hope this madness will stop here. No more demolition please. It is very heart breaking to see our heritage came crumbling down in split seconds….heritage hundreds of years old. It does not reflect well on us.
about that mural………if it has been entered into the Guinness Book Of Records, how is it that the authorities simply demolished the wall (without a second thought too)???
Hi Felicia, that is the hypocrisy of the ‘nothing to be proud of’ Deputy Minister.
We always read of silly endeavours to achieve the longest this or tallest that, using tons and tons of public fund and here we are, tearing down the one that actually made it into the Guinness Book of Records, simply because it is nothing to be proud of!!
This mural was done by groups of inmates with artistic flair, depicting beautiful scenes of nature, took almost 1 year and 2000 liters of paint in the 1980s. It was done under the watchful eyes of the wardens as part of community service.
I still remembered there was a picture of a watermelon and a flight of swallows which caught my eyes and I regretted I did not take a photo of these before the color faded off. Taking things for granted then.
The night before, we went inside the cells and saw many drawings and scribblings by the inmates lamenting their sorrow and loneliness. You will be amazed by their articulations despite them being social outcasts. They are humans too, with feelings of remorse and hopes for the better. Poems, potraits of loved ones and verses of prayers are clearly written on the wall for all to see.
Soon, these cells will be demolished in no time to make way for high rise buildings.
i guess the next thing we citizens can do is to make sure other such heritage places don’t end up like Pudu. can’t rely on people who feel that such heritage is “nothing to be proud of”
Sundralingam, there is no doubt that Pudu Jail is very haunted. Many Japanese PoWs and convicts were executed there, regardless of race and nationality throughout it’s 115 years of existence.
Rightly or wrongly, they died there in a horrible way. Not surprising if their defiant spirits will linger there forever and refused to leave eventhough the place is demolished and they are set free.
Who knows, they might linger on to haunt those who stay in the luxury condominiums, shop in the mega shopping malls, work in the posh offices and cruise along the underground tunnel?
Time will tell.
Hi riversidegrass, thanks for your link. Yes, there are a lot of youtube videos to watch, just type pudu jail to search.
These two or three days, there are many write ups about this latest assault on heritage. Some used the word ‘preserve’ while others used ‘conserve’. Any difference in these two words?
To Preserve is to maintain something in its original or present state.
To Conserve is to protect from harm or from damage by over-use.
Clearly some of the writers got it wrong!
Yes, there is different between these two words
‘preserve’ and ‘conserve’
Sorry, to tell you that maybe I have used it wrongly or maybe not in my last comment.
Some said that the correct one should be “Preservation of Heritage Building” but others not.
Very confusing.
Haaaaaaaaa……
According to what have searched from the web , and found out that
===============================================.
“From Wikipedia,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preservation
Preservation is to protect something, that might include endangered animals, to keep them safe or to preserve food, remaining fresh for longer periods of time. The word may also refer to:
Heritage preservation:
Historic preservation, of buildings, monuments, etc.
Preservation (library and archival science), of books, recordings, etc.
Conservation (ethic), of the natural environment
Conservation-restoration, of artworks
======================================================.
and also
What is the main difference between “conserve” and “preserve”?
*conserve energy
*conserve water
*preserve natural heritage
*preserve confidentiality
*preserve anonymity
=======================================================.
and also
http://www.english-for-students.com/Difference-between-preserve-and-conserve.html
What is the difference between preserve and conserve?
By Mr. Subi, North Korea – 30th April-2007.
Let us see the difference between preserve and conserve. When you conserve something, you ensure that you make use of it wisely. You make sure it is not wasted. There is a suggestion that if you do not make careful use of it, then chances are it will be impossible to replace the commodity. During the summer, the government always tells us to conserve power and water. It’s okay to waste them during the winter months, but not during the summer. When you conserve something, you do not wish to waste or deplete any of the available resources. You attempt not to change anything drastically.
• The Minister asked the people in cities to conserve water.
• The fast bowler conserved his energy by shortening his run up.
• During the summer, theatre owners conserve energy by switching off the AC.
Preserve, on the other hand, suggests that you make attempts to keep something as it is, without making any changes. In other words, when you preserve something you keep it intact. You keep it safe, protecting it from danger.
• Our government doesn’t do a good job of preserving our monuments.
• We must make an effort to preserve our forests.
• This is a beautiful old house. We must preserve it.
==============================================
It’s not important here if we talk about heritage.
Well, we as a younger generation should do to protect our heritage for ourslef and also coming generations.
I agreed with what Felicia has said “Don’t loose anymore like what has happened to PUDU Jail”.
“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.”
Quoted by
Edmund Burke
Irish orator, philosopher, & politician (1729 – 1797)
Ika,
Ipohgal,
Thanks , you are right.
The appropriate word should be “Preserve”.
“Preservation of Heritage Building”
Thanks Ika and riversidegrass for clearing up the confusion for me. So it is preservation of heritage, I will remember this.
Hi Ipohgal,
When I saw the photo of 188 Hugh Low Street, it triggers some memories of my schooldays. If I’m not mistaken an old classmate by the name of Leow Kim Pheng stayed a few shops away. Its opposite the police station. Next to her shop/house is a tailor and her parents owns a shop, can’t remember, but vaguely, could be a bird shop. Correct me if I’m wrong. I’m travelling back to +/- 1968. We were in Form 2 then. (RPS). Do u by any chance know her then or present?
Hi Elaine,
I think every Ipohite will recognise this building. It can’t escape anyone’s eyes because it was so stategically located in the middle of new town.
Sorry, I do not know your old classmate because in 1968, I was only four then, hardly knowing anyone except my immediate family. But I have been to her parent’s bird shop many times. Infact, it was a pet shop selling birds and fish. Later, whenever my paternal grandfather paid us a visit, he would bring me and my elder brother to this shop to buy some ‘fighting fish’ and I was about 6 or 7 then.
I could still remembered some of the shops along that row although I think much have changed since then. Opposite the police station beside Nam Foong Coffee Shop, you can find an Indian provision shop, a furniture shop, two dhobi shops, a tailor shop, a stationery shop, a tyre shop, your friend’s bird/pet shop, a mahjong parlor, a Chinese medical hall, a travel agency, a Punjabi provision shop and finally a photo studio. That was late 1960s and early 1970s.
But the original police station was given a major facelift in the 1990s. Today, you can hardly recognise it anymore except it was built on the same spot.
By the way Elaine, I have stopped writing for Ipohworld on a weekly basis due to time constraint. However, I still write sometimes on my own blog about growing up at 188 Hugh Low Street, Ipoh.
Hi ipohgal, it is good to see you back on ipohWorld. We hope that your own endeavour draws many people.
May I suggest that we provide a link to your blog and that you link to us in return.
Ipohgal:It’s really pity to see the old police station being demolished. It should have been preserved in Perak museum ( dismantle and put them back like lego), just like how the temple of Ramses in Eqypt was done when it was almost lost to the water dam..
Hi Ika,
Yes, please do feel free to drop by at my blog,
http://188hughlowstreet.wordpress.com
and link it if you like. By the way, I have already link ipohworld to my blog to share with my readers too. Keep up with the good work at your site! Let the good memories flow!!
And Jeremy, your idea was brilliant but sadly those in charge do not possess the same.
The new town police station was a beautiful wooden structure. It has a soul and identity. It’s replacement was just like any modern building nary a character.
And to Elaine, I wonder if you blog too? If you do, please share yours with us because you do have impressive memories of old Ipoh. It was a joy to read your reminiscences.
By the way Elaine, my blog is at
http://188hughlowstreet.wordpress.com
Feel free to drop by for some childhood reminiscence. If you have a blog too, do share with me.
Cheers !
Hi ipohgal,
I don’t have a blog, honestly time debit!! I’ve a very tight daily schedule and I only read blogs that are down to earth & with character NOT the 06:30 types that every Tom/Dick/Harry blogs. I like yr blog, perhaps we share the same wave length of what heritage means. I’ll drop my comments as I tag along OK. I’m glad that my memories of Ipoh are still vivid and kicking, even though I reside in the Netherlands for the past 23 yrs. Don’t need GINKGO yet…hahahaha
Regards!
I stayed at 178, Hugh Low Street since 1975 till 1985. So much has changed since then. It was still a 2-way street back then. My family were poor and we rented a room to house a family of 5 above a tailor shop. I remember there were fruit stalls along the walkway outside an Indian restaurant which is the 1st shop after the traffic lights though the shop has been demolished quite sometime ago.
When i was young, there would certainly be parades along Hugh Low street on certain occasions. Even the “9 Emperor God” parade would draw huge crowds along Jalan Yang Kalsom.
My grandma lived in Hume Street a.k.a. “The Coffin Street”. Below her house is used to be a gambling den/mahjong den. And right next the house is the “morgue”.
So many things has changed but the food still remains ….
Hi Mike,
Yes, so much has changed in Ipoh new town. I could hardly recognised it. Many old ones gone and new ones up. I think the Indian restaurant you mentioned was the Freedom Cafe where you can find fruit stalls along the walkway. It had been demolished for sometime. It was left empty even until now. Like a empty gap in the mouth after a tooth exraction!
The 9 Emperor God parade brought back memories but I heard they didn’t have one for a long time already.
Hume Street is an interesting place to stay but many people feared this place. Things changed but some good food remains and so does the good memories……
Freedom Cafe? can’t recall the name though but i can still remember that place is so dirty, you can see cockroach flying everywhere. And yeah food really comes to mind when thinking of that area namely the Nasi Ganja, the kacang putih stall at the “Rambutan” bus station, 5cents snowball with syrup. Wow i miss those stuffs.
People used to call my dad Kapitan or Ah Tan … though his surname is Chan .. i wonder why. Not sure if you knew him.
Hi Mike,
Sorry, I have not heard of your dad Kapitan. Do you used to stay around the vicinity of 188 HLS in those days? If yes, perhaps my parents knew him but they are no longer around, so I could not confirm on this.
Hi Mike again,
Ah, sorry, I have overlooked your previous comment dated Nov 26 2010. 178 HLS is just several doors away. Infact you are my former neighbour! But I have not heard my parents mentioned someone by the name of Kapitan. Perhaps you can share with us the story of your dad?
Dear Ipohgal,
I like your blog. It takes me down memory lane. Having lived in Chemor until my late teens, Ipoh was a sleek city. With your stories, now I can image how life was in the ” big apple”.
wow, you know what, i drive by this place all the time but never actually know there was these lions up there… just went by to check your blog… nice work ipohgal,
one more thing, when i saw the wedding foto of your parents in your blog… i was like OMG… i have seen these somewhere before… are you in anyway related to the lians from kampar? i have difinately seen this foto before…
rgds
Keathooi
Hi Chemor Boy,
Thank you. You are welcome. All is not rosy in a big city as some of my family stories will proved. I let them be my lessons in life.
And to ong,
Ah, now you knew about the two lions up there! A similar building can be found in Falim town along the main road.
As for relatives from Kampar, I do not recall having any from this town although I still have some in Gopeng and Batu Gajah. My parent’s wedding photo was a typical one of that era, taken around the early 1950s. I am sure those that you saw were taken around the same time too, thus you can feel the similarities.
Hi IpohGal
At least your childhood home is still standing. I visited Ipoh a few times since I relocated so many eons ago. My last visit was only last month, only to find my childhood home gone! The new owner must have torn it down & it is now rebuilt. In fact most of the neighbouring houses were torn down too.
Old Town has a special place in my heart; I grew up in Hale Lane, a stone throw from the library, the former post office, the railway station, the now gone Sun Cinema, the Ipoh Padang, Kong Heng coffee shop, Theen Chun coffee shop etc etc … playing on the banks of the Kinta River & on the old style swings in the Padang ….
But it is so sad to see Ipoh town in the present stage, many run down old buildings ….
Hi Val,
Yes, my former home is still standing but I don’t know for how long. All is not well with Ipoh – the old buildings are going one by one while many new ones comes up – we are slowly but surely, losing our unique identity.