The drivers
Front View 1
Front View 2
Back View
Leaving the old town
Stopped by the Pamelo shops
Parading the Swift once again
Journey to Kellies Castle. Passing by a dead town
Parked under the trees
Posing with the castle behindThe below story is copied from the pamphlets given out by the ticket counter. Entrance fee is RM 4.oo per adult.
Kellie's Castle- A Castle long in the making.
It was intended to be the hub of social life for the area's wealthy colonial planters and administrators. A grand mansion with a six storey tower, wide cellar, stately columns. Moorish arches and walls embellished with Greco-Roman designs. There was to be a rooftop courtyard for parties and even an elevator, the first of this kind in the country.
But the building was never to be completed. Work halted in December 1926 with the sudden demise of its owner, William Kellie-Smith. The estate on which it was situated was sold and the unfinished mansion soon surrendered itself once to the jungle. Today, the rediscovered mansion, popularly known as Kellie's Castle, still stand, having survived the ravages of time, it reflects the pioneering spirits of the early colonialist and the romanticism of the bygone area. Who was Smith and what prompted him to construct this palatial building??
Born in Dallas North-eastern to a farmer and his wife on March 1, 1870, William Kellies Smith traveled to Malaya, at the tender age of 20 to seek his fortune. Kellies was his mother's name. Smith was engaged by an estate owner named Alma Baker to help in the construction of public roads in South Perak. With his share of profits from the venture, he bought 960 acres of jungle land in the Kinta District, and cleared it to plant rubber.
He later names the estate Kinta Kellas, after his home farm, Kinta Kellas, in 1909, Smith built his first mansion, Kellas House- a symbol of his prospering rubber estate venture. Five years later, with a birth of a son and heir, Smith that proved to be his ultimate follie. Kellie's Castle was to surpass his estate bungalow. Seventy tough workers, mostly from Madras, were employed. The bricks and marble were imported from Italy. But during the construction, tragedy struck.
A mysterious illness broke out, killing many of Smith's workers. The superstitious Smith was told that a temple must be built to appease the gods. He immediately transferred his workers to build a Hindu Temple nearby.
Work resumed after the temple was completed but the estate was never to be realized. Tragedy struck again. On a visit to Lisbon, at the age of 56, Smith died of Pneumonia. His wife, sold the state, and the passing of time, and the end of colonial rule, the castle soon faded into memory.
Located on a ridge beside a meandering river near the town of Batu Gajah-Jalan Gopeng Road. Etched against the blue sky, much of the structure is still intact. Over the years, the sturdy castle appears to have waged battle against the undergrowth. Although once creepers sprout from its interior and gnarled tree roots fill the compound, the interior is undamaged. Only the spiders and insects make home of the empty rooms.
Despite signs of decay, the castle exudes, a certain air of dignity and grandeur. Moving from room to room, one can imagine the rich furnishing that would have filled the stately structure, had it been completed. As a wander around the castle, there is a eerie feeling of being watched. Sunlight streams through a series of arches on the two main floors, casting ghostly shadows on the veranda running the length of the building.
Perhaps there is some truth to the local that the spirits of Old Man Kellie still wanders along the corridors.
Kellie's Castle- A Castle long in the making.
It was intended to be the hub of social life for the area's wealthy colonial planters and administrators. A grand mansion with a six storey tower, wide cellar, stately columns. Moorish arches and walls embellished with Greco-Roman designs. There was to be a rooftop courtyard for parties and even an elevator, the first of this kind in the country.
But the building was never to be completed. Work halted in December 1926 with the sudden demise of its owner, William Kellie-Smith. The estate on which it was situated was sold and the unfinished mansion soon surrendered itself once to the jungle. Today, the rediscovered mansion, popularly known as Kellie's Castle, still stand, having survived the ravages of time, it reflects the pioneering spirits of the early colonialist and the romanticism of the bygone area. Who was Smith and what prompted him to construct this palatial building??
Born in Dallas North-eastern to a farmer and his wife on March 1, 1870, William Kellies Smith traveled to Malaya, at the tender age of 20 to seek his fortune. Kellies was his mother's name. Smith was engaged by an estate owner named Alma Baker to help in the construction of public roads in South Perak. With his share of profits from the venture, he bought 960 acres of jungle land in the Kinta District, and cleared it to plant rubber.
He later names the estate Kinta Kellas, after his home farm, Kinta Kellas, in 1909, Smith built his first mansion, Kellas House- a symbol of his prospering rubber estate venture. Five years later, with a birth of a son and heir, Smith that proved to be his ultimate follie. Kellie's Castle was to surpass his estate bungalow. Seventy tough workers, mostly from Madras, were employed. The bricks and marble were imported from Italy. But during the construction, tragedy struck.
A mysterious illness broke out, killing many of Smith's workers. The superstitious Smith was told that a temple must be built to appease the gods. He immediately transferred his workers to build a Hindu Temple nearby.
Work resumed after the temple was completed but the estate was never to be realized. Tragedy struck again. On a visit to Lisbon, at the age of 56, Smith died of Pneumonia. His wife, sold the state, and the passing of time, and the end of colonial rule, the castle soon faded into memory.
Located on a ridge beside a meandering river near the town of Batu Gajah-Jalan Gopeng Road. Etched against the blue sky, much of the structure is still intact. Over the years, the sturdy castle appears to have waged battle against the undergrowth. Although once creepers sprout from its interior and gnarled tree roots fill the compound, the interior is undamaged. Only the spiders and insects make home of the empty rooms.
Despite signs of decay, the castle exudes, a certain air of dignity and grandeur. Moving from room to room, one can imagine the rich furnishing that would have filled the stately structure, had it been completed. As a wander around the castle, there is a eerie feeling of being watched. Sunlight streams through a series of arches on the two main floors, casting ghostly shadows on the veranda running the length of the building.
Perhaps there is some truth to the local that the spirits of Old Man Kellie still wanders along the corridors.
Kellies Castle
The castle tower
The old castle
Storage room
Living Hall
The door shape
Storage room for pillows, blankets etc
Spiral staircase leading to the underground dungeon that maybe use as hideout for William and his family
The elevator
The bedrooms
Helipads rooftop, and also the rooftop was build to have parties
View of what remains of the first house. The round well is actually an air weld for the underground tunnel
The corridor of old house
It reads, "The spirit of William Kellie Smith is still believed to be wandering along this corridor".
Ground floor corridor
Top floor corridor
The side view of the house
What do you see here??? A found mystery of a tree facing the castle. The tree trunk somewhat displays a bear like shape climbing the tree watching over the castle.
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