About 30 minutes drive from Ipoh, near Batu Gajah, stands the ruins of Kellie's Castle. Kellie's Castle was meant to be a home away from home for Scottish Planter, William Kellie Smith in the 19th century in Perak. Being far away from home, Kellie desired his new residence to be reminiscent of his home back in Scotland. The castle is perched on top of a hill of what used to be a rubber estate.
William Kellie Smith was an interesting man who was popular with his South Indian workers. Kind at heart, he erected a Hindu shrine for his workers on the castle premise. As a token of appreciation, his workers in return erected a statue of Kellie complete in a white suit and hat.
Construction of this fine architecturally one-of-its-kind castle begun in 1915. However, it came to an abrupt halt with Kellie's sudden death in 1926. The ruins of the uncompleted orange-coloured castle stand in isolation and undergrowth struggled to find a foothold on the stones. In the pale moonlight it takes on an aura of a castle caught in the timelessness of a fairy tale.
Recently, efforts have been made by the Perak State Government to rescue this magnificent structure from the encroaching foliage. Besides being haunted, the castle is believed to have hidden rooms and secret underground tunnels.
Front view
Ground floor corridor
Back of castle
William Kellie Smith was an interesting man who was popular with his South Indian workers. Kind at heart, he erected a Hindu shrine for his workers on the castle premise. As a token of appreciation, his workers in return erected a statue of Kellie complete in a white suit and hat.
Construction of this fine architecturally one-of-its-kind castle begun in 1915. However, it came to an abrupt halt with Kellie's sudden death in 1926. The ruins of the uncompleted orange-coloured castle stand in isolation and undergrowth struggled to find a foothold on the stones. In the pale moonlight it takes on an aura of a castle caught in the timelessness of a fairy tale.
Recently, efforts have been made by the Perak State Government to rescue this magnificent structure from the encroaching foliage. Besides being haunted, the castle is believed to have hidden rooms and secret underground tunnels.
Front view
Ground floor corridor
Back of castle
1st floor corridoor
Roof top
No comments:
Post a Comment