99-Door Mansion in Penang
Nestled in the midst of a lush oil palm plantation in Penang, stands the captivating Caledonia House. The structure, now left abandoned for several decades, echoes with tales that can be traced back to its mysterious nickname – the 99-Door Mansion.
Read on to discover the history of this mysterious mansion that’s riddled with alleged hauntings and murder.
What is the history of Caledonia House?
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Originally called Caledonia House, the 99-Door Mansion – as it’s more commonly referred to among locals – was built in the 1840s, courtesy of the affluent British Ramsden family. They weren’t just tycoons in the British East India Company but also pioneers in managing vast Malaysian estates.
The Ramsdens were believed to have focused on sugar cane when they first arrived in Malaysia. They would later shift to rubber, and eventually oil palm estates in the 1960s.
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John St Maur Ramsden would be at the helm of it all, acting as managing director of the Penang Rubber Estates Group. However, his promising journey was abruptly halted in 1948 when he was shot twice with a gun by an unknown suspect on the mansion’s staircase. Some speculate that a jealous competitor or Communist guerillas had killed him, but his murder remains unsolved to this day, leading to rumours of hauntings in the abandoned building.
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Others in the Ramsden family are said to linger in the crumbling mansion too, alongside apparitions of Japanese soldiers who once commandeered the premises during World War II.
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The story behind the nickname, 99-Door Mansion
The mansion’s unofficial name, the 99-Door Mansion, comes naturally due to its distinctive design. There are around 10 rooms peppered within the home, each uniquely boasting five to six doors.
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The unusual layout of the home departs from the usual cosy family abode, likely to cater to administrative functions and serve as leisure quarters for estate managers. Within the mansion’s walls lies a dance hall, a balcony, and the maze of rooms.
The current state of Caledonia House
Despite its rich tapestry of stories, the privately-owned Caledonia House has been left neglected since the 1960s. The now languished mansion sees foliage overtaking much of its structure.
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Two calamities have struck the mansion in recent history, including a devastating fire in 2020 and a crane calamity in 2024. The latter incident saw a crane, said to belong to a local film production company, falling and destroying parts of the walls and roof of the house. The incident prompted the Seberang Perai City Council (MBSP) to issue the owner an order to mandate restoration aligned with heritage norms.
Image credit: Malay Mail
The Penang Heritage Trust has also helped shine a light on the mansion’s plight, with calls for it to be gazetted as a heritage site. However, private ownership casts shadows over these efforts – while Caledonia House is listed as a heritage building by the MBSP, its owner would have to submit an application to have it gazetted.
The mystery of the 99-Door Mansion in Penang
The 99-Door Mansion is a silent yet important witness to Penang’s opulent past. Whether a history buff or someone simply intrigued with the supernatural, the mansion is a fascinating and intriguing site to know about in Penang.
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