In the middle of Perak’s towering limestone hills is one
historical landmarks that once symbolized a huge power, elegance and wealthiness
– the Kellie’s Castle. Kellie’s Castle is a grand mansion with a six – storey tower. The Moorish
style mansion is meticulously designed with grand columns, wine cellars and walls
arches inspired by Greco – Roman design. It was built by a Scottish planter by the name of William Kellie Smith on 1915 but the building was never to be completed, the work halted in 1926 because of the sudden death of Mr. Smith, thus wife decided to sell the mansion to a British company.
It is located on a ridge beside a
meandering river in Batu Gajah – Jalan Gopeng, approximately 20 minutes away
from Ipoh, the capital city of Perak. From Kuala Lumpur it is 2 to 3 hours away
north.
Today, the Kellie’s Castle is open to the public and
still exudes an appeal of dignity and majesty. The local state exert effort to
bring back the glory of the castle by enhancing and preserving its structure.
Rumors spreading as of to date, as we went there that
there’s still spirits wandering in the castle, along corridors and rooms. Some
says that these spirits were the workers died during the construction and during
the World War II. Our credible tour guide, one of the Perak’s best tour guide
cited that there was actually an incidence of alleged possession of a spirit to
a paranormal expert who visited to examine the reports. The spirit is said to
be an Indian laundryman.
No, I'm not the wandering spirit. |
The highlight of our visit here is when we climbed the
rooftop, the view is spectacular. I really enjoyed the sight of the limestone
hills of Perak plus the cold breeze touching my skin.
Kellie's Castle
Address: Chalet Mdkb Kellie's Castle, Jalan Gopeng, Batu Gajah Perak, Malaysia
Entrance Fee: Foreign Tourist - MYR 5
Adult - MYR 4
Children/ Students - MYR 3
Visiting Time: Everyday 9:00AM - 6:00PM
Disclosure: This is sponsored tour by Tourism Malaysia in partnership with Gaya Travel Magazine in promotion of Visit Malaysia 2014 and Celebrate 1Malaysia Truly Asia.
Love the old architecture!
ReplyDeleteFrom the rooftop photos, I could see that the castle is surrounded by a big park? I bet the view was amazing from up there :-)
I was in Ipoh 2 weeks ago but missed this place. After seeing your pics, nahihinayang ako! Hahaha
ReplyDeleteDid you also explore the Ipoh old town?