Kellie’s Castle in Perak
You’ll never have a dull day in Ipoh with the long list of things to do there. Standing amid the scores of food haunts and must-visit spots in Perak’s capital city is an unexpected historic gem nearby that warrants a visit: Kellie’s Castle.
Nestled in Batu Gajah, the colonial mansion stands as a captivating yet unfinished landmark that brims with tales of ambition and adversity – and, some say, tales of the supernatural.
Who owns Kellie’s Castle?
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The history of Kellie’s Castle can be traced back to its owner, William Kellie-Smith. Born in 1870 in Kellas of Moray Firth, Scotland, he would move to then-Malaya at 20 years old.
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The Scotsman would begin his career as a civil engineer in Perak. Along with Charles Alma Baker, he took on the task of clearing vast forested areas in Batu Gajah. This proved to be lucrative, as he made a fortune and acquired 1,000 acres of forested land, which he used to plant rubber trees and step into the world of tin mining and dredging.
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This new land would be christened Kinta Kellas, after his farm in Kellas called Easter Kellas. In 1903, he brought his newly-wedded wife, Agnes, to live with him at the estate after returning briefly to Scotland to marry her there.
What is the history of Kellie’s Castle?
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The seeds of Kellie’s Castle were officially sown in 1910 with the construction of Kellas House, one of the structures whose remains you can still see at Kellie’s Castle today, though much of it has since been destroyed in World War II.
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Following the birth of his son, Anthony, in 1915, Kellie-Smith sought to expand the house even further. He planned to build a massive 4-storey mansion with 14 rooms, the first elevator in Malaya, a tennis court, a rooftop courtyard, and a wine cellar, along with more brow-lifting features like clandestine tunnels, secret chambers, and hidden stairways.
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To achieve his vision of a grand castle that merged Scottish elegance with Moorish and Indian aesthetics, Kellie-Smith enlisted 70 artisans from Madras, India, to work on his home and even imported quality bricks and Italian marble. In an era without cement, the bricks were ingeniously adhered using duck egg whites, sand, chalk, brown sugar, and honey.
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Tragedy strikes Kellie’s Castle
The road to finishing Kellie’s Castle was met with its first setback in 1918, when the Spanish flu took the lives of several workers. In a bid to seek divine protection, the surviving craftsmen convinced Kellie-Smith to build a temple near the castle. This temple, honouring the deity Mariamman, even has a statue of Kellie-Smith standing among other Hindu deities, which was erected by the workers as a symbol of gratitude.
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In a final, tragic turn of events in 1926, the 56-year-old Kellie-Smith succumbed to pneumonia while on a trip to Lisbon, Portugal. Overwhelmed with grief, his wife returned to Scotland with their two children. The castle was never completed and later sold to the British firm Harrisons and Crosfield. During World War II, the land suffered damage.
Now an attraction in Perak
As the castle is a sight to behold, the Malaysian government has since restored and unveiled the site of Kellie’s Castle as a tourist attraction. As of 2000, visitors are welcomed to tour the castle in all its unfinished glory for a small fee.
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Take your time to admire the different castle finishings, with elaborate bricked arches and plastered ceilings some of the architecture marvels here. Some highlight spots to look out for are the rooftop courtyard, which overlooks the surrounding jungle and open skies, and the hallways, as there have been rumoured sightings of apparitions here.
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With how beautiful the structures are at Kellie’s Castle, the Perak landmark was used as a set in the 1999 film, Anna And The King.
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A colonial masterpiece in Perak
Though incomplete, Kellie’s Castle remains an intriguing piece of history in the state of Perak. It’s also one of the few places in the country that lets you explore the magnificent ruins of a colonial structure.
The entrance fee to Kellie’s Castle is priced RM10 for adults and RM8 for children. MyKad holders can enjoy slightly cheaper tickets, at RM5 for adults and RM3 for children.
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Cover image adapted from: @skorokhodova.elena, @herman_fm, @kerolizwan via Instagram