Nicholas Jennings (our donor) tells us that: the boy standing on the running board is his uncle Nigel (the third son of J A S Jennings). At the wheel is Eric Jennings (the eldest son), and seated beside the driver is Rose Winnifred (Freda) Jennings. In the background is the family home (No. 50 Gopeng Road) – which Jennings called “Midhurst”. Can our car enthusiasts identify the model of the car?
Since this fountain was erected, many Ipoh-ites have posed for pictures at this very roundabout. I suppose it was possible back then when there wasn’t much traffic – imagine doing photo shoots here in this day and age!
And what about those buildings in the background? Any idea what they are?
Warned that something was “up” in Gopeng Road I dropped by this afternoon. But nothing was “up” however – quite the opposite – No 62 was on the way “down”.
Yes, the Ipoh demolition team were at it again. So I dropped in on the Chinese foreman who seemed to agree with me that it was a terrible shame, but a job is a job! Well, the front still looked pretty OK.
But the back is a different story, where work is well advanced, both inside and out.
Then I noticed the left hand end and from inside saw this beautiful round room with open air designs to the garden and wondered why they had left it intact. Could they be going to rebuild and not demolish after all?
And I wondered – is this the second Iversen building to be destroyed in less than one week or do the owners have some other plan? What do you think?
We had a request for a picture of the famous Rose Villa. Here is one taken around 1982 (to see what it looked like inside, click here).
This mansion was once owned by Towkay Leong Tian – a miner and philanthropist. Sadly, the mansion (which was along Gopeng Road) is not there anymore. After it was demolished, the area became the site for 6 new houses.
Some of you might remember this bungalow – at No.50, Gopeng Road (also known as Midhurst). The bungalow belonged to J A S Jennings (Editor of the Times of Malaya).
These pictures (below) were sent to us by Jennings’ grandson Nicholas. We were told that this bungalow was built in the late 1920s. After Jennings’ death, it was sold to the Perak State Government in 1937. It used to be the residence of the State Secretary of Perak, and the land behind it was the Istana (Perak Sultan’s Palace).
The driveway leading to the house.
Jennings outside his home.
We thank Nicholas for the pictures and the little details.
But as you probably guessed this was Sam Poh back in the 1960’s, not long after the big renovation of the 50’s. No doubt many of you would have been dragged along by your parents to visit and pay respects.
According to legend, the cave was discovered in 1890 by a Mahayana Buddhist monk from China who was passing through Ipoh; he decided to make it his domicile and a place for meditation. He remained there for 20 years until his death.
Until today, nuns and monks who dedicate their lives to Buddha still occupy the Sam Poh Tong. There are 246 steps will leads to an open cave with what used to be an excellent view of Ipoh and its surroundings, but much of this (view) has, in my opinion, been spoilt by development.
If you would like to read more about the temple or see a short video of it please click here
Here is one way of restoring and using a heritage building…..
Garden Villa is located at No.5, Jalan Raja Dr Nazrin Shah (Gopeng Road), Ipoh. It was originally an annex to Eu Tong Sen’s mansion (Eu Chateau-Forest Lodge). Now, this place is managed by Kinta Heritage group. This Anglo-Malay architecture can be a venue for gatherings, exhibitions, talks, seminars, etc. – given it’s suitable location (Gopeng Road), which is not far away from the city centre!
Any group or association interested should call Magis at 05-2417055 / email: kintaheritage@gmail.com
Note: the sketch on this poster was done by Amiruddin Mohd Daud (an Ipoh-born artist); he was featured in one of our previous posts.
STOP PRESS For the convenience of those who prefer Bahas Malaysia rather than English:
Somewhere in the late 1960s, this was part of a low-cost housing scheme in Sungai Rokam (off Gopeng Road), in Ipoh. These houses were constructed mainly of timber, following the traditional Malay-styled home. There were about 410 units of such houses which covered over 100 acres of land. The houses were raised on timber columns, resting on concrete bases, and had tie beams which also served as floor joints.
Are they still around today? Or have they been replaced by modern brick houses / flats?
This little girl is standing by the famous Sultan Yussuf Fountain. This fountain is at a roundabout; which connects Brewster Road, Tambun Road, Gopeng Road and Hugh Low Street. The fountain was donated by the Turf Club, as part of their attempts to beautify Ipoh. The Turf Club also came up with the Japanese Garden – which is along Tambun Road.
This old picture of the temple elders is said to hang in one of the Chinese cave temples in Gopeng Road, Ipoh. Does anyone know which temple please?