Accessible to the public: Garden Villa on Jalan Dr Nazrin Shah (Jalan Gopeng) Ipoh is now leased to the Kinta Heritage Group.THE century-old Garden Villa, a magnificent heritage building in Ipoh, is now open free for use to hold activities that promote Perak’s nature, culture, art and history.
Kinta Heritage Group chairman Jek Yap said the group wanted to “save” Ipoh, which he claimed, lacked activities and opportunities in those fields.
“Ipoh is lacking behind other cities in terms of vibrancy for years. Even a town like Sungai Petani seems to have more life than Ipoh,” he said in an interview.
Garden Villa, located at No 5, Jalan Dr Nazrin Shah (Gopeng Road), was one of the bungalows in the state belonging to multi-millionaire businessman Eu Tong Sen in the early 1900s.
The Anglo-Malay architectural style villa was originally designed as an annex to Eu’s palatial residence Forest Lodge situated in Chateau Garden nearby.
Yap said Garden Villa was used as a private clubhouse by Eu and his rich friends in the early days.
The villa has only two rooms used for storage, a spacious hall, a loft and toilets. A Japanese colonel occupied the villa during the Second World War.
Yap said the local residents used to collect their rice rations from the Japanese in the villa’s compound.
The Japanese, he said, even built a shelter under the floorboards and wooden bars on the windows in one of the rooms in case of attacks.
He said the villa was later sold to a prominent family in Ipoh.
The patriarch of the family then presented the villa as a wedding present to his daughter who now resides in Singapore.
Yap said the villa had been used as a kindergarten and a church in recent years.
Kinta Heritage Group now has a six-year lease agreement with the owner.
Occasionally, the Malaysian Nature Society, Perak branch, uses the villa for meetings. A martial art group also uses the villa for lessons three times a week.
Yap said the villa was now open for use by any association or group involved in the promotion and preservation of culture, nature, history and art of Perak.
The villa can be used free of charge to conduct talks, exhibitions and gatherings for not more than 10 days at any given time.
“Commercial bodies can also make use of the villa but they have to pay a fee according to market rates,” he added.
Those interested can call Magis at 05-2417055 or e-mail kintaheritage@gmail.com.
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