'Bethshan' - Ipoh - 1920s
Green Ln, Ipoh.
This private home is a wonderful example of the exuberant Straits-Eclectic style of architecture favoured by Chinese towkay tycoons in Malaya during the 1920s. Like the homes along Penang's Northam Road, the ostentatious architecture of the homes combined both European and Chinese styles and were intended to trumpet the success of the owners, frequently rags-to-riches Chinese-born miners who had struck lucky in the Kinta tin mines.
This was the home of SH Goh. Although somewhat worn and requiring a lick of paint, its elegance is timeless. The huge mango tree to the right obscures the view of the hexagonal corner of the building - at the time, I was trying to avoid photographing the two high-rise hotels which loom over the house from behind.
'Bethshan' - Ipoh - 1920s
Green Ln, Ipoh.
This private home is a wonderful example of the exuberant Straits-Eclectic style of architecture favoured by Chinese towkay tycoons in Malaya during the 1920s. Like the homes along Penang's Northam Road, the ostentatious architecture of the homes combined both European and Chinese styles and were intended to trumpet the success of the owners, frequently rags-to-riches Chinese-born miners who had struck lucky in the Kinta tin mines.
This was the home of SH Goh. Although somewhat worn and requiring a lick of paint, its elegance is timeless. The huge mango tree to the right obscures the view of the hexagonal corner of the building - at the time, I was trying to avoid photographing the two high-rise hotels which loom over the house from behind.