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The Mystery of Kellie Castle. The Mystery of Kellie Castle.
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The Mystery of Kellie Castle Today I am going to talk about a rather extraordinary incomplete building. There are probably hundreds of abandoned projects throughout Malaysia, but Kellie's Castle stands out so strikingly that it has become one of the biggest attractions in Perak.
The Official Story A 30-minute drive south of Ipoh towards Batu Gajah will take you to the Kinta Kellas Rubber Estate. Amidst the lush greenery stands proud the ruins of the never completed dream castle of William Kellie Smith, a wealthy Scottish planter. Kellie’s Castle is the place where Bollywood shoots Hindi songs and films (It's also one of the set locations for Anna and The King). Construction on this grand architecturally distinct castle which began in 1915 came to an abrupt halt with the sudden death of its owner in 1926. An aura of mystery envelopes this romantic yet melancholic mansion.
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. Now 67 years later, these lingering rumours enhances the legend of the unfulfilled dream of William Kellie Smith.
Kellie Castle – The Facts Just as the Taj Mahal represented the undying love of a Moghul King, Shah Jahan for his wife Mumtaz Mahal, Kellie's Castle too has a tragic love story of its own. Kellie's Castle, built by a Scottish planter called William Kellie Smith as a castle of love for his wife. Smith himself was from a small town in Scotland known as Kellas. In 1890, at the age of 20, he arrived in the then undeveloped Malaya. Here, he met an estate owner called Alma Baker, who had won concessions from the state government to clear 360 hectares of forests in Perak. With the substantial profits made from his business venture with Alma Baker, Smith started planting rubber trees and dabbled in the tin mining industry. In time, he became the owner of Kinta Kellas Estate and the Kinta Kellas Tin Dredging Company. Now with his fortune made, he returned home to marry his Scottish sweetheart, Agnes, and brought her over to Malaysia in 1903. The following year, the couple was blessed with a daughter named Helen.
For many years after that, Agnes tried to conceive, but to no avail. William Smith desperately wanted a son and heir to take over his empire in the Malay Isles. After many years, Agnes finally gave birth to a son called Anthony in 1915. The birth of his child was the start of even greater success for William Smith. To celebrate Anthony's birth, William Smith decided to expand on his mansion. Smith started planning for a huge castle which he planned to call Kellas House, after his hometown in Scotland. Because of his fascination with the Hindu religion and the Indian culture, Smith's plans was for this house to share similar architecture to those of Madras, with all its bricks and tiles imported from India. He even employed a big group of Indian laborers to build his dream house, to keep the Kellas House authentically Indian. The mansion is accessible from the main road through a bridge running across a stream.
Because of his fascination with the Hindu religion and the Indian culture, Smith's plans was for this house to share similar architecture to those of Madras, with all its bricks and tiles imported from India. He even employed a big group of Indian laborers to build his dream house, to keep the Kellas House authentically Indian. The mansion is accessible from the main road through a bridge running across a stream. But it was not only the cost of importing material and laborers from abroad that made the house so fascinating to fascinate locals and travelers alike. Among the many amazing things about Kellie's Castle include an elevator (unheard of in Malaya in those days, the one built in Kellie's Castle is the first in Malaya) which connects right up to the top floor and the existence of two tunnels that run under the river nearby. One of these tunnels connects to the Hindu temple some distance away to the main house.
This was how the underground tunnel came about. Unfortunately for Smith, tragedies struck soon after the construction of the Kellas House begin. A virulent strain of the "Spanish flu" spread from Europe to Asia soon after World War I ended in Europe, killing many of the workers in Kellas Estate. Another seventy workers constructing Smith's dream castle also became victims of the flu. Smith, who has already spent a fortune on his house, lost a lot of money because of this. To appease his dead workers, he had a Hindu shrine built nearby, with a statue of himself placed within it. The underground passageways were then also constructed, one of them tunneling to the Hindu temple.
William Kellie Smith himself died of pneumonia during a short trip to Portugal in 1926. His heartbroken wife decided to pack up and return home to Scotland selling the estate and Kellie's Castle to a British company called Harrisons and Crosfield. He was said to have succumbed to pneumonia while on his way to take delivery of the elevator he ordered for his house. Another story claimed that his wife Agnes, tired of life in the plantation, had returned to her home country, and he was on his way to meet her. Yet a different story claimed that he was in Lisbon to negotiate a concession over Portuguese East Timor. However, there was no possibility now to verify these stories.
For some reason or other, Kellas Home, later known as Kellie's Castle or even Kellie's Folly to some, was never completed. Kellie's incomplete castle was left to the elements to deteriorate. However, despite more than eighty years of vandalism and neglect until the Department of Museum and Antiquities took action to restore it in 2000, the building remained a tourist attraction for many years prior to that. It was restored to the condition it was in when work stopped, so that it look abandoned and incomplete, as it awaiting its mater to return and finish the job.
I hope that you will have a chance to visit Kellie's Castle one day. It is located about half an hour from Ipoh and 5km from Batu Gajah. After visiting Kellie's Castle, do not forget to take a short walk to the Hindu temple constructed by Smith to appease the Gods after his workers died of the Spanish flu. The architecture of the temple is a curious mix of Moorish, Greco-Roman and Indian design. Encapsulated forever in a moment in time is the odd, misplaced figurine of Kellie in his planter's suit and topee among the sixty deities on the temple roof.
The windows spot distinctly Islamic architectural elements similar to the British buildings constructed in Kuala Lumpur..
If this part of the house makes you think of the Malayan Railway Station, that's because Kellie borrowed elements of the design.
During restoration, railings were fitted to the structure to prevent visitors from falling over.
Similar architecture to those of Madras View through the elevator shaft.
TRANSPORTATION: HOW TO GET TO KELLIE'S CASTLE By Car Take the Gopeng exit off the North-South Highway. At the Gopeng tol, take a right heading towards Gopeng town. Pass Gopeng, there will be signs directing you to Kellie's Castle. Down the trunk road, turn right into the Gopeng-Batu Gajah road. Along the way you will be able to see Kellie's Castle on your left. By Rail The closest station will be Batu Gajah. From here either grab a taxi or wait for an Omnibus leaving for Gopeng from the bus station. Tell the driver that you want to be dropped off at Kellie's Castle. By Bus There are a number of local buses that leave for Batu Gajah from the intrastate Bus Station. Tell the driver you want to be dropped off at Kellie's Castle.
