Identify Photographs | IpohWorld's World

advertisement courtesy of: Nicholas Jennings Philco Radios were around as early as 1928. However, the company almost went bust and was later bought over by Ford Motor Company (in the 1960s). These radios must have had a special place in their owners hearts – Ron Ramirez even has a book dedicated to this radio! (more […]

Nicholas Jennings (our donor) tells us that: the boy standing on the running board is his uncle Nigel (the third son of J A S Jennings). At the wheel is Eric Jennings (the eldest son), and seated beside the driver is Rose Winnifred (Freda) Jennings. In the background is the family home (No. 50 Gopeng […]

I don’t know the actual name of this dish, but I do know that many enjoy eating it – especially for a late supper! Our photographer visited this stall in Taiping. Apparently, the dish he ate (right) cost him RM 11. I’m sure there are similar stalls in Ipoh which sell this treat. So we […]

We received the following email from Kong Khen: “Recently, I found a class photograph of my dad taken in 1940. I’ve identified it as the remedial class of English lesson, from what was mentioned by my dad. Could IPOHWORLD help to confirm if the teachers were from ACS school. Dad mentioned that he attended English […]

…the Papan Mosque? Initially I thought this was part of a typical kampung house, but was sorely mistaken! It is in fact a mosque. This Mandailing-styled mosque was built in 1888 by Raja Bilah. It was later restored and reconstructed by the National Museum (Muzium Negara) in 1999. Has anyone seen it?

We thank Ruth Iversen Rollitt for this gem. We estimate the year was 1925 – yes, it was that long ago folks!

picture from: Rosemary Palmer At first glance, I thought I was looking at the entrance of the Ipoh Club. This building however is the Kinta Golf Club, in Batu Gajah! But then again, you can’t deny the similarities, can you? I wonder when this club came into existence…

picture from: Larry Sawyer I don’t remember this design on our Malaysian planes (long before my time anyway 😉 ) but I’m sure some of you out there do remember this. I’m curious to know what image that is – on the nose of the plane. Is it some kind of bird? Or just a […]

I dare say that apart from the Ubudiah Mosque, the Royal Palace is the next famous landmark in Kuala Kangsar 😉 This picture here, courtesy of Ruth Iversen Rollitt, shows a different view of the palace – probably before the renovations were done. Could anyone help us with a rough date?

Larry Sawyer sent this to us. It looks like the inside of that famous power plant (which caught everyone’s attention on the blog!). What we don’t know is: Who are these people in the front row? Could it be the Manager and a guest (with their respective wives)? I’m also curious to know who the […]

Ever wondered what happened to this famous Gopeng Landmark? Well, wonder no more! Thanks to our photographer Charlie, we have these pictures for your viewing pleasure! As the State Government once promised, a section of one of the pipes on its original structure has been saved and turned into a sort of a memorial to […]

If you happen to drive by Persiaran Bercham Selatan 1 (just behind 7-11), you might see this man hard at work! He may not be as vigorous as the famed ‘Spiderman’, but I’m sure his dish has its own unique taste. Here’s a closer look (picture below) Our photographer told us that this dish – […]

We don’t mean to confuse you again, but here’s another photo of a local market 😉 This one isn’t in Ipoh….it’s actually in Batu Gajah (according to our donor Wendy Lewis). Notice the shape of the roof – quite unique for a market building, don’t you think? Any Batu Gajah folks around? Perhaps they could […]

picture courtesy of Ruth Iversen Rollitt We’ve featured this Club on our blog before, but here’s a different view of it. Notice the structure on the far left. I wonder what’s happened to it. And if your eyes are sharp enough, note the vehicle on the far right too!

Wendy Lewis tells us that this holiday resort was in Pangkor Island. Back then (probably the 1950s) there was no air-condition – only fans and mosquito nets! I wonder if this resort is still there….perhaps it has been upgraded with more modern facilities (besides air-condition, perhaps free wi-fi too?). Any frequent visitors to Pangkor? Do […]

I know we’ve featured this house before. But this photo (from Larry Sawyer) is a coloured version- yes, it’s the same beautiful house which is now (sadly) abandoned along Tiger Lane. The Sawyers lived here for a while, from what Larry told us.

The man wearing a hat is none other then the famous Dr Tweedie. The lady next to him is the wife of B M Iversen. This photograph was taken in 1966, in Sungei Siput. In the background you can see the beautiful hills of the Kinta Valley. We thank Ruth Iversen Rollitt for this photograph.

From what we were told by the donor of this photograph (Larry Sawyer), this man was something of a side-attraction at the Ipoh Swimming Club – way back then 😉 Does anyone remember seeing him there? Apparently, the manager of the Club was not too happy about this man’s ‘business’…..

This is NOT in Ipoh, but do take note of the shape of the building – reminds me of our Ipoh New Market! We believe this to be part of the Taiping market. Dear Taiping-folks, has this place changed much over the years? picture courtesy of Larry Sawyer

Fellow Foodies will be very familiar with this restaurant. On our food blog today, we’d like to feature an all-time favourite snack – the tasty, crispy Yau Char Koay (or Chinese crullers, as some may call it). Yes, for those who didn’t already know…there is a stall in New Hollywood which sells Yau Char Koay, […]

Larry Sawyer sent us this – showing part of Kuala Kangsar under water due to the floods. From similar photographs we have in our database, I’m guessing that this was taken around 1967. In the far end seems to be the famous clock tower, which is near the Kuala Kangsar Post Office. [I can’t believe […]

Larry Sawyer tells us: “Pangkor was our choice of holiday spots. This photo shows the boat landing at the island. The road across the other side was mud. The waterfront was reputed to have been a opium haven.” Well, anyone from that side of Perak care to tell us more? I’m sure the jetty looks […]

I wonder if anyone out there remembers this young man (first picture). These pictures were part of an article which appeared in the Star (26th July 2014); according to the writer, this white van (second picture) was usually parked under a tree (around Canning Garden) while the many customers waited in line to be served. […]

This is not an “artist’s impression”…it is the real thing 😉 This is indeed the Ruby Cinema – all done up for a recent advertisement by Petronas. For those of you who didn’t know, this is what the Ruby Cinema used to look like once upon a time. Also take note of the old movie […]

Since we’ve had such a rousing discussion on the Malim Nawar post, here is yet another rare photograph from the years gone by 🙂 Our donor, Larry Sawyer, tells us that this was a pumping dredge at Kuala Dipang. The date is about 1950s. We’ve never seen a dredge like this before. Have you?

Imagine my surprise when I saw this matchbox….I never knew there was such a place in Kampong Simee. According to the address, it used to be opposite the Perak Stadium. Does anyone remember this place? I don’t remember ever seeing Penthouse Lounge.

When we talk about meeting up with old friends, more often than not we end up at a local cafe/restaurant. Can’t help it, we Ipoh folks love our food, don’t we? 😉 Hence, we at ipohWorld also decided to start a little ‘food-section’…to highlight some all-time favourites which are both tasty and affordable. We’ve decided […]

We thank the Caldwells for this photo. Have any of you heard of (or visited) the Nova Scotia pool? If I’m not mistaken, it’s probably somewhere in Teluk Intan (formerly Teluk Anson). We’d love to know more about this place, if you could help us.

The only ‘Cathay’ I know is the former cinema hall along Cockman Street. Did YOU know this other business of theirs? ipohWorld does not own this image. Many months ago we wrote to the owner requesting permission to use it, but no longer have the correspondence. If the owner would like to contact us we […]

(click to enlarge) Here’s another group photograph – this time from Anderson School, Ipoh. This was taken back in 1955. Recognise yourself somewhere in the group, Anderson Alumni? Fortunately, we also have the back of this photograph…filled with the signatures of those in the above photo.

Since Hari Raya is almost here, some of you might be thinking about your Kampong – this photo (from Michael Ho) may not depict your actual kampong, but I’m sure it may bring back some fond memories of life back then. For those of you non-city folks, what was life like back then in your […]

picture courtesy of Alison Cotterill (nee Caldwell) Yes, this is a driver’s licence, issued by the Federation of Malaya Government (back then). I wonder when it changed from this little booklet to the present card we have today. Maybe some of you history-buffs could share your knowledge with us 😉

Love it or hate it, this beauty is regarded the King of Fruits in this part of the world. The durian may have a strong odour which puts people off, but once you get past the smell to taste the creamy flesh – well, need I say more? 😉 Leong (our photographer) managed to capture […]

We hope those familiar with Kuala Kangsar can help us out with this – is this a past or present depiction of the Kuala Kangsar Post Office? This was taken off a souvenir postcard, issued by the local post office. We also have a 1967 picture of this building (on our database) to compare with, […]

Quite sure many of you know which park this is. But what we’re curious to know is: what are those buildings in the background? picture courtesy of: Angie Yeow

I’m just making a guess here – I think this picture was taken in the 1950s, but I could be wrong. Date aside, what we’d like to know is who are these people in the picture. If anyone can translate the words at the bottom, we’d love to hear from you. click to enlarge

picture courtesy of: Michael Ho That’s what the small signboard on the left (on the palm tree) says. We don’t know if this is Ipoh, but the car facing the camera is definitely from Perak. The number plate reads as A 9462. Was there a Peel Avenue in Ipoh?

(click to enlarge) Have you heard of the ‘Kinta Weed’? These plants usually grow in tin mining ponds (they are probably hard to find now). The funny thing is, this ‘weed’ doesn’t really grow in the water; they actually perch on top of other aquatic plants – preferring the sun rather than the shade! Have […]

These two cars were at Falim House when it was sold. But the owners gave them to the caretaker – as part of his retrenchment package rather than selling them with the house. We do not know which of the Foo family they belonged to but we believe the oldest one was actually owned by […]

According to the address, this restaurant was behind the Star Theatre. But is it still there? Or, perhaps the name has been changed. Judging from the phone number on the matchbox, this wasn’t that long ago…

No, it’s not a fossil. This is an example of tin money – which was once the common currency used in this part of the world. We estimate this tin-gecko (above) was used in the mid 1800s. For those of you who didn’t know, a long time ago Malayan folks traded with tin money before […]

picture and story from: Bonhams Auctioneers, UK Yes, folks…this is indeed the Rolls-Royce 20hp Sports Tourer once owned by Chung Thye Phin! Chung Thye Phin bought it way back in 1925. A year or so later, this same car was lent to the Duke of Gloucester when he was touring this side of the globe. […]

Deep inside Kampung Tanjung Bangkung (Malim Nawar) was once a Japanese Carbide Factory. The picture above is that of the former guard house. It is said that the factory was part of a complex that manufactured armaments for the Japanese – which were then sent to Burma. All that remains of this factory now is […]

Some of you out there may remember this restaurant. I wonder if it’s still there….or, perhaps it’s been replaced by another business? According to the images on this souvenir matchbox, Tai Seng Restaurant had two branches within Ipoh – one at Theatre Street and another at Green Lane. If anyone know more, we’d love to […]

According to our donor, Angie Yeow, these girls were in Form V back in 1960. Recognise any of them? Notice the old-style uniforms? 😉

We received this from Ruth Iversen Rollitt. Based on previous pictures, I’m guessing that the girl on extreme left is Ruth herself. The children seem to be playing with make-shift bows and arrows.I confess trying to make one too, when I was a kid…this was after reading about Robin Hood – The bow didn’t quite […]

No, we’re not talking about those jungle-cats…we’re talking about the inflatable ones from Esso (see below). We also have a little story about this on our database – it’s not this (above) ‘tiger’ but of a similar one. So, like we mentioned in the title: Did any of you own such a toy? I don’t […]

No prizes for guessing what this man is up to! I’m sure some of you are already salivating at this picture. Yes, folks…this is the one and only Cendol! Perhaps not the most famous one in Ipoh, but this stall is quite popular – judging by the crowd (see below). What we’d like to know […]

Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Seri Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah Ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Yussuf Izzuddin Shah passed away today at the National Heart Institute (IJN) in Kuala Lumpur. Raja Permaisuri Perak Tuanku Bainun and the sultan’s children, including the Acting Raja Perak Raja Dr Nazrin Shah, were by his side when he passed away. The […]

Does anyone remember this? I was surprised myself when I saw it – the Planta Margarine I know always came in plastic tubs 😉 Perhaps someone out there remembers this brand of margarine – when it used to come in tins.

That’s what we’d like to ask you experts out there – especially the St Michael’s Institute Alumni. Was this the First School Badge? Take a closer look (picture below). So ‘experts’, what do YOU have to say? We’d love to hear from you 🙂

Our donor Mano told us that: “The three wheeler is the Piaggio Ape. Unfortunately, it’s not a full picture of the scooter with the ‘Ovaltine’ as the subject was the toddler, my brother. The photo was taken in 1965. He had recently wrecked his tricycle and rolling one of it’s wheels, ‘parked’ it against the […]

This 1958 photograph was sent to us by Alison Cotterill (nee Caldwell). Seated in the front are Alison’s parents – Joy and Roddy Caldwell. This is not exactly Ipoh, but does anyone remember this team? Perhaps you might know one (or more) of the players. Any little bit helps 🙂

(click to enlarge) We thank Ruth Iversen Rollitt for these photographs. On the left is the Lima Blas Estate Manager’s bungalow built by B M Iversen for his brother Werner as referred to in the earlier post below – just as it was in those days. On the right is the same bungalow (photo taken […]

Those of you who remember them, did you cheer for the B Team? Or, perhaps someone reading this was one of the members of the B Team 😉 On that note, who was the gentleman in white (extreme left) – was he the Teacher-in-charge or maybe the team’s Coach? We thank Chooi-Hoong Foong for this […]

In one of our old posts about B M Iversen, someone suggested that the city council should name a road after Iversen. Then, we received a recent e-mail from his daughter with a picture of a CLUB named after him 😉 Yes, there’s an Iversen Club at the Lima Blas Estate – this is what […]

Situated at 2A Market Square, Taiping, this is the project of Tan Kok Siew (Kapitan Antiques) who has leased this old house and filled two floors with antiques and collectables from days gone by. Entrance is RM5.00. The museum is opem every day from 10.00 am to 7.00 pm. Apart from the items on display, […]

Chooi-Hoong Foong’s father was one of the Volunteer Police back in the 1950s (see picture below). Do you recognise the handsome young men in the above photograph? Any former members of the force reading this, we’d love to hear from you – especially if you have the names of the gentlemen above 🙂

This is one dessert Ipoh has long been famous for……Tau Foo Far for those feeling a little peckish, and Soya Bean Milk for those who want something cold on a hot day. We wonder if Funny Mountain’s tau foo far is as good as the one Ipohgal’s father used to make 😉

Yes, believe it or not THIS (picture below) was the Main Street of Simpang Pulai back in 1936! 🙂 (click to enlarge) We thank our donor – Mohamad Sharizan bin Mohd. Supian – for this picture. The discoloration is probably due to water. The Chinese words roughly state that this was taken at the funeral […]

It’s not there anymore, but those of you who remember it are probably grinning at these pictures. These were taken in 2011 (by Charlie Choong) – yes, this is the same house near the Polo Ground. Does anyone know the story behind this unique looking abode? Perhaps someone knows the architect? We’d love to […]

Yes, this is indeed a Malay Funeral procession. This was taken, with kind permission, from the Imperial War Museum London. The photo was taken from a colour transparency, back in the 1950s. If you look closely you can see the Ipoh East Post Office in the background – that should give you a clue about […]

Some of you may have met me before. Some of you may remember me ‘singing’ during the war. Some say my ‘voice’ made quite an impression on the young ones too! For those of you who don’t me, I’m a WW2 Civil Defence Siren 😉

At first glance, it probably looks like a stool. But it’s really an ice shaver – look closely and you can see the blade 😉 An ice block is run over the blade repeatedly while the shavings are collected into a bowl underneath. Have you seen your ABC / Cendol seller use this? Or, have […]

No, there’s no grammatical error in our title 😉 We’re talking about this shop at Panglima Street (click to enlarge pic). We were told that their Pork Noodles are quite tasty. So, dear Foodies….what’s your opinion?

Mr Wang Min-Hua is. This was taken in October 1981 on the day he retired. From what we know: The car a 1954 Ford Popular Saloon registered number AA 8835, was bought new by his father and first registered in Ipoh on 8 April 1954. It has received loving care from both father and son […]

I’m sure some of you know this one. The next thing we’d like to know: Is Kooi Kee Fresh Fruits still in business today?

YK Choong sent this to us. He’d like some help with ‘When’ and ‘Where’ this picture was taken. ps: YK Choong thinks it’s 1966…so there’s a little clue for you Anderson Boys!

We were told by our donor (Angie Yeow) that she thought this was part of the Japanese Garden. But, when you take a closer look…it seems to be part of a cave temple. Now we’d like to know which cave temple this is 😉 Anyone care to guess?

I’m sure some of you have seen this shop….some of you may be regular customers too! This shop, located at Jalan Mustafa Al Bakri, is said to be famous for its Kaya Puff – a light and fluffy pastry with egg-jam filling. Ideal for those with a sweet-tooth, don’t you think? Have you eaten one […]

Study the picture below….carefully….. 😉 A signboard was supposed to have been erected above the shop house – 147, Brewster Road. Our question for YOU is: did the signboard go up at all? If so, what did it advertise?

Take a good look the postcard below 😉 Could this be the old Ipoh Market? I’ve never seen the old market, but I know some of you out there remember what it looks like.

That’s what our donor Graham Barton said in his description of this photo (see below). Well, what do YOU think? On that note, see the hill in background? Could that be part of that famous hill along Tambun Road?

We were told by Ruth Iversen Rollitt that these houses were designed by her father B M Iversen. click to enlarge Yes folks, these houses are STILL THERE – at the compound of the Perak Hydro Power Station in Malim Nawar! Those of you who once lived here, do you see YOUR former home in […]

As mentioned previously, we have a postcard with ‘Ipoh East’ stamped on the top left corner. The date is stated as 1934 – meaning the Post Office concerned has been around for some time. When did they close then?

According to Nick Band (our donor), the caption for this 1957 photograph reads as Post Office, Brewster Road, from the Eastern. If you zoom in on the ‘Pejabat Pos’ signage, the smaller street sign (left) reads as Cockman Street. THIS is what’s confused us 😉 Ipoh-experts out there, can you help us? Is this really […]

This photograph is from Ron Lee (from Australia), sent through SK – who then forwarded it to us. (click to enlarge) So, Cator Avenue boys…do you see yourself (and/or your friends) in this photograph? Do you remember the teacher? I can’t help but admire her sense of fashion…she must have been quite a character too […]

Mano asked if we could start a food blog page and after discussing it we have decided to intersperse our traditional style heritage photos with some food photos and invite comments on certain well-known local foods. If there is sufficient enthusiasm from our readers this will become a regular feature of ipohWorld’s World. So what […]

If you’d asked me before these photographs arrived, I would confess to not knowing what a pegboard was. In fact, now that I’ve seen what it looks like, I’m still wondering what they were used for. Well, for those of you who are still clueless about WHAT a pegboard looks like, take a look at […]

This Malayan Chinese Association Membership Certificate was issued in 1961 and is now in the possession of IpohBornKid. The person who owned this card has passed on and she was a member of the Menglembu (a town adjacent to Ipoh) Branch. This card was issued in Kuala Lumpur at the MCA headquarters. There is much […]

Anyone remember Wah On Theatre? (see below) Nick Band tells us that this theatre was in Batu Gajah. This photograph was taken in 1957. Does anyone know what’s happened to the theatre? Has the theatre been taken over by another establishment (as how furniture shops have taken over theatres in Ipoh)?

Anyone remember this parade? Can you guess WHO the children are waving at? I’m sure this was not too long ago… We thank Alison Caldwell for this photograph.

Here’s a close-up of a bucket dredge – for those of you who’ve seen an actual dredge bucket, you can imagine the size of this machine! We thank Alison Cotterill (nee Caldwell) for this photograph. From her emails, we think that this was probably part of the Keramat Tin mine in Bidor (if we’re wrong, […]

This barge won the 3rd prize in the competition. To what we know, this barge was decorated by the Royal Engineers. Do you remember this lake carnival?

(picture courtesy of Nicholas Jennings) Whenever I see someone smoking a pipe, I keep thinking about Sherlock Holmes (perhaps it’s because I’m a fan of Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous detective). 🙂 The man in this photograph is actually Eric Jennings. This was taken in Ipoh, sometime in the 1930s, when Eric worked with his father […]

Mano sent us this photo recently. The first two glasses (left and centre) are Merdeka souvenirs, while the one on the right is a Hari Raya special. Mano also told us that these were a present from Mrs Helen Ross, whose parents were based in Changi. Helen’s parents probably obtained these during their tour of […]

We thank Ruth Rollitt for sending us this photo of her and her brother Per. According to Ruth, this was taken in 1950. The siblings are wearing local national costumes. I’m sure there’s an interesting story behind this. On that note: what did you and your siblings get up to in your younger days?

(click to enlarge) Yusof sent us these wonderful photos. From his email, we know that he lived in Greentown from 1969-1981. Yusof also had this to say: “The house is one of six detached govt quarters surrounding a palm tree lined field within a circular lane off Jalan Iskandar, named Lorong Said Tauphy. As depicted […]

I’ve never been to Teluk Anson (or Teluk Intan, as it is now called). Wouldn’t know if the market looks the same now, perhaps some of the Teluk Anson folks could tell us more 😉 Special thanks to Alison Cotterill nee Caldwell for these photographs.

We thank Taffy Owen for this one. I’d like to draw your attention to the unique signboard – this was taken around 1997 (according to Taffy); note the spelling of the word ‘workshop’. Also take note of the mountain in the background – yes, folks….it looks like Gunong Panjang….or could it be another mountain?

Graham Barton (our donor) calls this the “Dobie Woller”. We locals call him the “Doby Man” 🙂 Looking at the lines of laundry (far right), I’m reminded of the famous ‘doby man’ who ran his business along Silibin Road. I wonder if the Silibin Road laundryman is still in business….anyone knows more about it?

(click to enlarge) KC sent us this cute one via Facebook. We thought we’d share it with all of you – especially with the Cator Avenue Alumni 🙂 KC shared a little bit about this photograph with us: This photo was taken when I was in Standard-2 at Cator Avenue Primary School. Some of us […]

Most photographs of dulang washers show the ladies almost knee deep in water, while they rotate their dulangs. This photo here (from Alison Cotterill nee Caldwell) shows the dulang washer in a field instead! This area was probably near Kramat Tin (Bidor). Notice the 1 cubic ft box (bottom left), and the white bowl (above […]

Here’s a cute one from Sally Everist. According to her, the Japanese lady is John Friedlander’s nurse. Do you recognise anyone else in this photograph?

This was among the lot sent to us from Nick Band. His father Albert Roy Band was part of the Malay Tin Dredge Co. in Batu Gajah. He had two stints there: 1954-57, where he stayed at Bungalow A11 & 1958-61, residing at Bungalow A13. As Nick explains, his father was known as ‘Roy’ and […]

Ever come across an oval-shaped dining table? Well, this picture (from Sally Everist) shows the late John Allison‘s dining room. Unique isn’t it – since most homes have either long, rectangular tables or round tables in their dining rooms 🙂

Familiar? Well this is none other than the Veterinary Research Institute, Ipoh. This 1953 photo is from Ruth Rollitt. Recognise the building? I wonder if the facade has changed over the years….

Calling all Tarcisian Convent (Ipoh) Girls! Remember what your school library looked liked in the 1960s? Well, here’s a little clue for you. I’m sure much of the interior has changed over the years. For the present generation of Tarcisian Girls, DO tell us about the ‘new additions’ to your school library 🙂

We received this from Alan Steel, with the words Wilkinson Rd from the back seat of a bus. Do any of you know WHERE Wilkinson Road is? Since many road names in Ipoh have been changed over the years, I wonder what the new name is. Or, perhaps I got it wrong…and this place is not […]

Remember these seats? All you movie buffs out there, especially those who visited the old cinemas (not the modern cineplexes), I’m sure you’ll recall sitting on similar chairs.

We thank Graham Barton for sharing these pictures with us. Do you remember such Hairdressers? Do they still use those(ever sharp!) razors/blades and ‘Good Morning’ towels? Looking at these pictures, I couldn’t help but think about the famed Star Barber – who once ran their business at Belfield Street 🙂 On that note, how much […]

(Picture 1: Run Run Shaw) (Picture 2: Runme Shaw) We pay tribute to Run Run Shaw, of the famed Shaw Brothers, who passed away in Hong Kong yesterday. The Shaw Organisation began in 1924, with operations in Singapore screening their own brand of silent movies. Frustrated by local distributors, they set up their own cinema, […]

We thank Alan Steel for this picture. It shows the camp and gates of the 12th Inf. at Gunong Panjang. I’m just making a guess and putting this location at Tambun Road (though I could be wrong). Is this place still called ‘Gunong Panjang’? Or, perhaps the camp has relocated? Hope those familiar with the […]

[ Warning: the picture below may cause some of you to drool excessively 😉 ] We thank Alison Cotterill (nee Caldwell) for this one. To what we were told, this was taken at a wedding – and yes, folks…the guests are eating on banana leaves! So, fellow Foodies…when was the last time YOU had a […]

The long-awaited Part 6 of Ipohbornkid’s series! Happy Reading 😉 The Schools that Chong Soon Fan Built – by IpohBornKid (The picture above shows the generous donors for Wan Hwa Public Schools) Many Chinese schools were built after World War II during the tin boom in the Kinta Valley, especially in Ipoh and surrounds in […]

You guessed right! It IS Hugh Low Street…and on the far right is the row of shop houses which today have been painted in 7 different colours. Also note that Hugh Low Street was once a two-way street – minus the traffic jams 😉 We thank Alan Steel for this photograph from1956.

According to the donor of this photograph (Alan Steel), those posing here are: Chan Sai Yu, Foo Kim Lim (nicknamed ‘Lofty’), Lau Weng and Yip See Chee. Anyone know where they are now? Based on what Alan told us, this was taken somewhere in the mid 1950s – either 1955 0r 1956. They were working […]

Here’s something to put you in the Christmas mood! We thank Alison Cotterill (nee Caldwell) for this one. According to Alison, this was taken in 1962 at the Lower Perak Club in Teluk Anson. On the far left is Trisha Caldwell, holding Fiona. Well folks, it looks like Santa arrived on foot instead of coming […]

For those who didn’t know, Chung Thye Phin once had his own currency! No, I’m not joking….take a look (see below). We thank Jeffrey Seong for sharing this with us. If YOU had your own currency, what would it look like? 😉

We thank Alan Steel for this candid picture of Kid Pancho (on a WD Matchless). Besides being a boxer, Pancho was also a drummer at the Jubilee Park; and also a mechanic at the 12 Infantry. Did anyone of you out there see him in action?

We’re hoping some alumni from Sam Tet, Ipoh, would be able to help us out with this photograph (see below). This was taken from the 90th Anniversary Magazine of St Michael’s Church (which is next to Sam Tet School). Does anyone remember when this photograph was taken? We don’t seem to have a caption for […]

This one is a mystery to us. This was found at the famed Falim House (before the present developing company took over) some time ago. We’re wondering WHO are the people in the photograph. Care to take a guess? Could it be someone from the Foo family?

We thank Sally Everist for this rare gem. Although it is a low-resolution photograph, you can see most of the Planter’s Bungalow in the background. The man sitting in the garden is none other than the late John M Allison – General Manager of Sungei Siput Rubber Plantations Ltd (back in 1946).

We received these from Vince Cooper. Taken in 1948, these are scenes from the Taiping Jungle Pool. Do any of you remember this place? We’d love to hear from you – especially the Taiping folks!

We got this from Charlie Choong some time ago. Was this a dance competition? Was it part of some school event? Well, if any of you can remember this, do tell us. (We’d also like to know WHERE this event took place)

Some call it Perak’s version of “The Leaning Tower of Pisa”. I’ve never been there, but from recent pictures it does seem like it’s leaning a little to one side. However, here is an early 1900 picture of the same water tower in Teluk Intan (see below) – and it seems rather STRAIGHT to me […]

Yes, this is indeed a beautiful pair of beaded slippers. So, ladies…do any of you own such a pair? Or perhaps, you know someone who (still) makes such pretty footwear? These Baba-Nyonya style slippers were once a rage – are they still in fashion? You tell us 🙂

From the second picture, we know that this building is about 105 years old! So, Buntong folks (and those familiar with the area) do you know WHAT this building used to be? We thank Alexandar for submitting these photos.

The picture may not be that clear, but it’s obvious what it is…yes, even in those days we had pretty girls posing with sports cars! This was taken from a Triumph Owners’ Club Magazine. The picture is said to be from the 1970s. Can the car lovers out there guess what car this is? […]

Remember when Elastoplast came in a tin….a RED tin at that? From what we know, this tin shown here is from the 1970s. Do they still come in tins? Or, perhaps in sealed plastic bags?

We’ve had comments about certain products having souvenir mugs/glasses/plates/t-shirts and so on. So, today we’re featuring an F&N tray 😉 Anyone collected similar trays? Did any other softdrink company have such souvenirs?

Yes, folks…this is none other than the Philips Mechanical Engineer Construction Set! Did you have one of these? Or, perhaps you saw it on display in the shops and wished that some day you could own it? Do tell us YOUR childhood ‘toy-story’ 😉

Foo Pak Khean (Standard 1 C) and Foo Leong Khean (Primary 2 A) built this model of the Shum Cheong Fook Circus. These students of ACS Ipoh built this as part of a school project back in 1949. Does anyone remember this circus? Did this circus frequent our shores yearly?

This was taken off a postcard, stating that this is somewhere in Hugh Low Street. I don’t recognise it at all, but do YOU? Does someone out there know where along Hugh Low Street this is?

Here’s a picture (taken off a postcard) of Au Kong Foundry. From what we know, this foundry used to be at Lahat Road. Is it still there? Also, if anyone out there could translate the Chinese words for us, we’d be really grateful 😉

I remember passing this building quite often on my way to St Michael’s Institution. But I never really paid attention to what it was. All I know is that this is the Sri Perak building. Any idea what’s inside? Was it one of those government offices? Or, was it like the present UTC (former Super […]

This photograph (from Charlie Choong) was taken in the early 1960s. We think it was at one of the car shows by the Triumph Car Owner’s Club. Do you remember the car show? Do YOU own a Triumph? This is the Triumph that Dr Jeya was referring to. We are not normally into car sales […]

It looks a bit grainy, but you can see without a doubt that this is the famous mail train. This is an early 1900s photo taken from the book ‘Twentieth Century Impressions of British Malaya’. Of course, now we are privileged to have LRTs and Monorails. Still, nothing like a little nostalgia now and again.

Remember this group photo? It was taken in 1972, when the Superior General visited St Michael’s Institution. Do you recognise the smiling faces? We thank Charlie Choong for this photo.

Although this picture was not taken in Ipoh, we’d like to share it with all of you anyway. Can you spot the antique typewriter? Anyone care to guess what model it is? Did any of you own such a model before? Have a good, long look… 🙂

…that there once was a cinema in Buntong? Don’t believe me, then take a good look at the picture below 😉 Does this bring back any memories? Can anyone guess the year this was taken? I do wonder what’s become of this place…

Yes, folks…this seems to be the Standard 3 Class of Cator Avenue School. Do you see yourself in the photograph? Do you remember your class teacher’s name? Was he a much feared, strict man…or a warm friendly mentor? Be it fond or horrific, we welcome all sorts of recollections – and we’d also like to […]

One look and most of you can already guess what this iconic building is. Of course, so much has changed now: the small field in front of this cinema is no longer there; instead there’s a row of food stalls. Also, right next to the cinema is one of the entrances of Sam Tet School. […]

…St Bernadette’s Convent (in Batu Gajah) had a charity event for the victims of the Turkish earthquake? Here’s a photograph to jog your memory (see below) We were told that this replica of the Malaysian flag was made entirely of JELLY! Can anyone tell us more about this event? Do you recognise the official cutting […]

We have here a 1951 photograph (courtesy of the Kinta Valley book) showing the Pusing Police Station. The guard is standing by a protective fence consisting of coconut tree trunks and 50 gallon oil drums! Anyone here from Pusing town? Do tell us what the police station looks like today 😉

Have you been to the Perak Emporium? Was it one of those high-end places like Whiteaway Laidlaw? Did it have an escalator/elevator? We’ve had Readers talking about this place, now we’d like to know MORE 😉 Picture courtesy of Stex Stev.

….this was Kampar Town back in 1907! Just wondering: is this the main road? Are those shop houses (in the background) still there? Kampar born people, we’d like to hear from you 😉

Don’t worry about the markings on this photograph. They are for a proposed signboard for the realty company. Where do you think this building was? Anyone remember the name of the street? I’m sure there are sufficient clues for you to guess 😉

According to Tony Ooi, this is the Std. 4 class from Cator Avenue School. Like we mentioned in the title of this post – where are there boys now? Any of you in this photograph? By the way, Tony if you’re reading this….do you remember the teacher’s name?

As can be seen in the photograph below, the Ipoh Boys are just as stylish! According to the donor of this photograph (Nick Coffil), these boys were apparently going home for the holidays. Well, Readers…..are YOU somewhere in this photograph? 😉

Here’s another one from Stex Stev’s collection of matchboxes. Your ‘mission’ (should you choose to accept it) is to tell us MORE about this place – Latin Quarter. Was it a bar? A Hair Saloon? Perhaps a tailor? Good luck, folks! 🙂

One look at this photograph and you will notice that not only were the Ipoh Girls pretty, they also dressed in style 😉 If you look close enough, you can probably deduce where in Ipoh Town these buildings are. But we’d like to draw your attention to the sign behind the lady with the handbag […]

For a change, we thought we’d feature a coloured picture from 2010 instead of the usual black-and-white ones. This was taken outside a temple in Old Town. Recognise the location? On that note, anyone know why these folks are seated by the gate?

According to our donor (Tony Ooi) this photograph shows the Form 4 Class of Anderson School. Anyone remember who the class teacher was? Was this the Science or Arts class?

We guess that this sub-branch photograph was taken at Taiping. Then again, we could be wrong. Does anyone recognise some of the faces in this group?

Truth be told, I have never seen nor met a snake charmer. But I’ve always wondered HOW he makes those reptiles ‘dance’ to his music 😉 Have YOU seen/met a snake charmer? Since the above photograph was not taken in Ipoh, we have another one – a different snake charmer but this time from […]

Remember him….your friendly neighbourhood Postman? He used to go around on a bicycle with a large brown bag full of mail. Take note of his uniform too! What else do you remember about him? We’d love to read your comments and memories – especially those (like me!) who are more familiar with electronic mail 😉 […]

The photo may not be that clear, but I’m sure you notice the wire fence in front of the station. This is similar to the perimeter fencing which was a common sight at the New Villages during the Malayan Emergency. Those of you who are familiar with Tapah – is this building still there or […]

This photograph is from Ko-Chi Wai. Do you recognise the building in the background? At one glance, I’m guessing it’s probably a school, but which school is it? And to the motorbike experts, correct me if I’m wrong – but is this young lady riding a Vespa?

The picture is not that clear, but this is what the Kampong Simee Police Station looked like back in 1948. Kampong Simee was one of the Chinese villages which came about during the Malayan Emergency as part of the New Village programme. Just wondering: is this the same police station which is now next to […]

Remember this visit? From what we know, this was back in the early 1970s. Does anyone recall Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s visit? Were you one of the fortunate individuals to have met this royal couple in person? Similarly, do you recognise the building in the background?

For those of you who’ve already guessed this building, give yourself a pat on the shoulder. Yes, this is none other than St Michael’s church – which is along Brewster Road, behind the former Odeon Cinema. What I’d like to point out is the road leading towards the church itself. Notice how it seems almost […]

“Sited at the key junction of Hugh Low Street, Gopeng Road, Tambun Road and Brewster Road it welcomes travellers to Ipoh from all directions.” Yes, we’re talking about the Sultan Yussuf Fountain (see picture below). While many of you have interesting stories about this unique landmark, we’d like to draw your attention to the plaque. […]

No, I’m not referring to the famous cowboy series. I’m talking about this row of shops along Hugh Low Street. At present, seven of these shops have been painted according to the seven colours of the rainbow. This picture however was taken back in the 1950s. We’re not offering any prizes for guessing, but all […]

Ring any bells? According to Richard Lee, these were NTPS Prefects. Not really sure which year though. Maybe some of you out there might recognise yourself/your friends? We’d love to hear from you.

This isn’t a hard one to guess. Yes, it’s another photograph of Ipoh Motors Ltd. What I’m curious about is the street vendor – far right of this photograph (click to enlarge). What was he selling at that time? Can you also spot the petrol pump (below the sign Fargo Truck)? This photograph is part […]

This was Jubilee Park then….when they first started business. Later, the Shaw Brothers gave it a ‘facelift’ (see picture below). Today, a night club has opened at the corner of Brewster Road and Cowan Street. But this side of Jubilee Park still remains. Anyone knows what’s going on inside? Are the stalls still there? We […]

According to Wendy Lewis (the donor of these photographs), her father Alfred Simon (left) was the Superintendent of the Perak Hydro Power Station in Malim Nawar. On his right is none other than the Sultan of Perak. These 1966 photographs bring back lots of memories – especially for Wendy and her sister, since they stood […]

Does anyone remember this band? They used to entertain the patrons of the Ipoh Club at one time. I’m sure some of you out there recall the songs they used to play – perhaps you might have known the band members too! We thank Ruth Rollitt, the donor of this photograph.

Here we have a cigarette vendor somewhere around the Ipoh Market. This photo was taken back in 1972 by Cheang Kum Seng, ARPS, a local professional photographer who has kindly allowed us to publish it. Do you recognise this man? Perhaps someone out there has seen him back in the 70s. I wonder what’s become […]

Anyone remember the ‘Hai Heng’ Bar? The building does look familiar, but then again most of the shop houses in Ipoh had roughly the same design 😉 Perhaps someone out there frequented this bar… This photograph is from John McAuley, a former British serviceman who served in Ipoh from about 1956-1957.

“Hi. I’m the bicycle standing at the bottom left of the picture. I usually know my way around the streets of Ipoh – since I ALWAYS follow my owner around 🙂 But this time….I think I’m lost! Could you tell me which street I’m at?”

I know it’s not even close to December yet…but all the same, I’d like to share Ruth Rollitt’s photo with you. This was taken at St John’s Hall back in 1958. According to the programme, those on stage were probably from the Ipoh Musical Society. The singers were accompanied by the band from the 13th/18th […]

Not that I’m suggesting anything (from the title), but this picture may just tickle the interest of some of our fans. We’ve had some mention about certain cinemas having an open bar, where patrons hung out before the show or during the intermission. Take a closer look at this one… Know where this is place […]

…no, we’re not talking about UFOs! Look closely at the shop house in the middle. Yes, the shop that says ‘Chop Thong Heng’… Are those petrol pumps? I’ve never come across such a scene before. Does anyone remember these? On another note, does anyone recognise the row of shop houses or the street? This was […]

We’re pleased to have received a nice set of photographs from John McAuley – who served with the British Army in Ipoh from 1956-57. The picture below is from his collection. Take a good, long look at it and tell us if you recognise this place. The only clue John gave us was that many […]

This picture, courtesy of Ruth Rollitt, was taken in 1979. We’d like to draw your attention to the white building (far left). If you squint, you can make out the words ‘Good Luck’ on the wall. Anyone have any idea what this building was? Take a closer look…

picture 1 picture 2 picture 3 These three pictures were taken by Police Lieutenant Tom Turnbull during the transportation of ballot boxes to Kampong Gajah and Pasir Salak for the first Federal election. Picture 1 shows the official boat carrying the ballot boxes and stuck on a sandbank in the Sungai Perak. Because the […]

The first Federal elections in Malaya were held in July 1955 to determine the new rulers of the Federation of Malaya after Merdeka (Independence). This was a milestone in the history of the country which led to the people becoming independent from the British on 31 August 1957. Of course the responsibility for the safety […]

Today’s blog we’re featuring a picture from Ruth Rollitt. According to her, this was part of the Batu Gajah hospital. Recognise it? Folks from Batu Gajah might be able to tell us more 🙂

I’m sure some of you out there remember Fung Lum Restaurant. From what we were told, this restaurant once had its own building somewhere behind Lido Cinema. Could this be the building? This picture was taken off a matchbox cover, hence the poor quality……but some ‘sharp eyes’ may be able to give us some feedback […]

For those not familiar with this building, this is the Pasar Besar (Main Market) along Cockman Street. And yes, the top floor is where Super Kinta used to be. It’s now the Urban Transformation Centre (UTC)…

Here’s more from Keith Nelson’s collection. Are these part of a garden/park? Or, could they be part of a temple (note: second picture)?

Keith Nelson sent us this some time ago. Looks familiar doesn’t it? Well, I’m sure you all know where this landmark stands….. 😉

We thank Edwin Seibel for this rare picture of the former Sun Cinema. Can anyone make a rough guess as to which year this picture was taken?

Does anyone recognise the mansion in the background? If you can read the words, do tell us what it says…

Suriani Abdullah, a well-known leader of the outlawed Communist Party of Malaya (CPM), died peacefully at 6am today at her home in Narathiwat, Thailand, after battling ill health for almost five years. Suriani was born in 1924 as Eng Ming Ching, in Setiawan, Perak, and joined the underground CPM in 1940 at the age of 16. She […]

I have to admit – at first glance, I thought this was part of the Star Barber at Belfield Street. But no, this saloon was once along Jalan Laxamana. Is it still there now? What about the shop above it (Chow Hung Kee Storage)?

…what the Isis Theatre looked like? My generation have most likely never heard of this cinema hall. We’re more familiar with it’s ‘new’ name – Rex! Yes, for those of you who don’t already know, Isis was renamed Rex when the Shaw Brothers renovated it 😉

We believe this picture was taken in the 1940s (we could be wrong, though). Does anyone recall this dispensary? Perhaps something about the building might give you a clue as to where this place is located? We’d like to hear from our Ipoh-experts 😉

Based on feedback from our previous blog posts, we know some of our Readers know Ipoh SO WELL that they give us such detailed answers for every question we throw at them! Thank you for all the feedback and encouragement 🙂 Here’s yet another puzzle for you – do you know which street corner this […]

This arch was put up by the Perak Chinese Celebration Committee (you can vaguely make out the fine print if you zoom in). Today, there’s still an arch above Brewster Road (roughly the same location as the above picture states). I wonder who decorates it now? Does the Celebration Committee still exist?

Try not to be distracted with the pretty ladies 😉 We’d like to draw your attention instead to the large sign on the far left of the picture. It seems to be an advertisement for a cinema. Any idea which cinema this is? We thank Keith Nelson for this photo (we believe he may be […]

Can anyone tell us MORE about the Buddhist Society of Perak?

We thank Nicholas Jennings for this one – yes, you all know this building 😉 Any idea what year this was taken? I do wonder what is on the extreme left of this picture (the partially blocked shop house).

Looks like a fun fair. Or could it be a day at the Farmer’s Market (Pasar Tani)? We don’t know…but we’re hoping someone out there might tell us. Maybe you’re one of the little boys in the picture? 😉

Some time back, we featured a family photo with a factory in the background. This is a close up of the said factory – the Weng Heng Aerated Water Factory in Kampar. We thank Lam Yuen Li for this photo. Those from Kampar, do you have any idea if this factory is still in operation? […]

We received this from Stephanie Keenan. She thinks this was taken around 1962/63. She also pointed out the banner hung across the street (where the words appear in reverse). Apparently, the banner is said to be advertising a film. Can anyone tell us what’s written on the banner? Does anyone recognise the street? Could this […]

Special thanks to Ruth Rollitt for the one – yes, you read it right….this is none other than the Eastern Hotel. This was taken in the 1940s; according the Ruth, he father (Danish architect B M Iversen) had an office here. Today, the facade seems so different – and the hotel is now known as […]

See that little circle below the arch? If you look closely, you can make out the Freemason symbol. This was probably one of the buildings used by the masons before a permanent one was built (along Tiger Lane, next to the Royal Perak Golf Club). Last I checked, the building was still there….but I didn’t […]

In one of our previous blogs, a place which we thought was Ipoh turned out to be Tanah Rata/Camerons instead. Well, to our Experts out there, where do you think this place (picture above) is? Ipoh? Another town in Perak? Perhaps another state altogether? 😉

We thank Nicholas Jennings for this panorama – showing the famed Times of Malaya building.

We thought about sharing this classic with you – Bet some of you didn’t know what a sluice box was (or looked like)! Well, here’s a picture taken from one of the mining sheds. We don’t know the year nor the location of the mine. Notice the hand tools and the large buckets 😉 […]

Is it a stadium a school field or a swimming pool? You tell us please.

Could this be part of the Perak Chinese Amateur Dramatists Association (PCADA) building? To what we know, the top floor of the building used to be a hall. With that in mind, we believe that the gentlemen in the front row (all in white shirts and narrow, black ties) are part of the PCADA String […]

In the background is none other than the Fraser & Neave Ltd Aerated Water building. At the bottom right, there are railway tracks leading towards the F&N building. We don’t know who the gentleman on the bicycle is…neither do we know the date this photograph was taken. We look forward to your comments – especially […]

We’re pleased to announce that today’s blog is part of a contest! Yes, folks…..all you have to do is guess WHO this lovely lady is. This contest will run for two weeks from the date of publication of theis blog. All you have to do is tell us this Ipoh beauty’s full name and you’ll […]

Nicholas Jennings sent us this 1962 picture of a random street scene in Ipoh. From what we managed to find out, the sign at the top of the three-storey building reads as “Hollywood Hotel”. So, where was this hotel? Is it still around?

Does anyone recognise the model of the camera? How about the building in the background? If you are one of the kids in the background, we’d like to hear from you! 🙂

According to this 1950s advertisement, this business operated at No.126, Belfield Street, Ipoh. Does anyone remember Fook Heng Rubber Works?

We were told that this is part of Greentown. But where exactly is it? Is this building still there…or is it gone?

We’ve had quite a few readers on the blog talking about this school, hence today’s blog post. This picture is from Nicholas Jennings’ sister; and according to Nicholas, this building was “one of the two (or more) barrack-like structures” which were used as class rooms for this school. From the descriptions we’ve been given, this […]

This came to us via Ruth Rollitt – showing what we believe to be the living quarters for the staff who worked at the Geological Museum along Tiger Lane. The house was either down the road from the museum or behind it. Not sure if this place is still there today. What say you, dear […]

No, your eyes are not playing tricks on you – this picture IS from 1928! In fact, ACS Kampar was founded back in 1903 by none other than Rev Horley himself. Has the uniform changed that much over the years? Come on Scouts (past & present), we’d like to hear from you!

For those of you who didn’t know, Batu Gajah was once the headquarters for the British Administration back in 1884. We have here a 1910 picture of part of the town (picture below). More about the history of Batu Gajah can be found here.

Some may call it artistic…some might say it’s just a badly angled photograph. But if you look closely, you will notice a fountain in the middle of a roundabout. Familiar? To those who are still squinting, this is none other than the Chamberlain Road Fountain 🙂 We thank Ko-chi Wai for this 1963 picture.

This was taken off a postcard, which describes this place as a “monastery of ‘The Heart of Great Sympathy’”. Do you know where in Ipoh this place is? Is it still there?

I’m sure many of you recognise this building – yes, it’s the St John’s Ambulance Hall! The design is rather unique, since most halls are rectangular (especially on the outside). I do wonder who built and designed this place…?

Yes, Eu Tong Sen’s chateau used to be a vocational school at one point. Anyone know if the school is still there? Or, have they moved to another premise?

From what our donor (Ko-chi Wai) tells us, this is a “view from inside Choon Seng shop house along 156 Hugh Low Street, ground floor front. Shows the structure of the horizontal sliding metal grill/shutter door, and an old heavy-duty weigh (in green, left bottom). My brother, sister and myself on the old Honda cub.” […]

From what the Star tells us, this is the proposed design for the new Yau Tet Shin Bazaar (see picture below). This new building will be called ‘The Octagon’, and construction of this landmark will be undertaken by One Octagon Sdn Bhd (a private company, which was formed by the Perak Chinese Chamber of Commerce […]

I can see Cathay Hotel, and almost opposite is the Ritz Hotel. Yes, this part of Ipoh is STILL as busy as ever – even back in the 70s. Notice the building complex on the left of the picture? Does this complex have a name?

Yes, that’s what it says on the fountain. Does anyone know WHO Yeoh Hong Seng is? Is this fountain still at Chamberlain Road/Jalan Bendahara?

[front] [back] Suriya Sankaran sent us this picture, along with an interesting email. According to Suriya, his grandfather – T.N. Balakrishnan – is the Inspector (with a pistol at his waist) standing in front of his troops. T.N. Balakrisnan was part of the Perak Homeguard, and this picture was taken at the stand off area […]

Ko-chi Wai sent us this one – showing his aunt (back in 1964) posing with one of the mini rock pagodas at the Japanese Garden in Ipoh. Are these pagodas still there? I admit I’ve not seen one since I last visited the garden…maybe someone out there could tell us more!

Is it someone’s mansion? Maybe part of an office/club? You tell us 🙂 We’re also wondering WHERE this place is (is it even in Ipoh?).

Is this part of a temple? Is it part of an association / club house? The building does look rather familiar, but we can’t really guess what it is. Do you guys have any idea? On the right corner of the top floor are the words Chee Tek Kok, Perak.

Yes, you read it right! The above picture, taken in 1973, shows a couple at D R Seenivasagam Park. Through email, Ko-Chi Wai tells us that: the rocks at the far side of the lake are still there today. however, the wooden platform where they are standing, and the wooden zigzag bridge across the lake […]

Does this street look familiar to you? Can you spot any famous buildings? Is this Ipoh town…or some other town in Perak?

As most of you can guess, this is Station Road. I’m guessing this picture was taken in the 50s (I could be wrong though). We’d like to draw your attention to the row of shops on the right. What we’re trying to find out is: what was the shop on the extreme right (next to […]

Familiar? This is the Taiping Bus Station, back in 1959. Has this place changed much over the years? Taiping folks, we’re hoping YOU could tell us more 🙂

This camp was built in 1949, in Taiping, to house surrendered Communists. Does anyone know what’s become of this place? What is this place used as now? We’d love to hear more, especially from the Taiping folks 🙂

This is another landmark in Ipoh, designed by none other than B M Iversen. Yes, it is the Geological Survey department. Can you guess the year this picture was taken? Here’s a clue: the car facing the camera bears the number plate AA 3636. Here’s a photograph of the foundation stone, sent to us by […]

This was taken in 1965, showing the entrance to Fort Telanok – one of the 13 jungle forts this side of the peninsula. The next two pictures were probably from the same pile; one taken during a jungle op, and the other showing a troop posing next to a TUDM airplane. We thank Chan Kok […]

After WW2, Carradino D’Ascanio – the designer for the Piaggio Company – came up with a “simple, sturdy, and economical vehicle” which was also comfortable. This elegant design was named Vespa! Here’s a row of Vespas, looking ‘pretty’ outside the shop houses. Recognise the street?

This was taken off a postcard; the date on the stamp says 1938, so we think the picture was taken a few years earlier. Nevertheless, on the far left of the picture is the sign that reads as Huttenbach, Lazarus & Sons Ltd. Did any other business take up residence at the Chua Cheng […]

Way back in 1966, this group of Ipoh teachers took a trip to Bangkok, Thailand. [click to enlarge] Are you in the picture? If so, do tell us where you’re standing/seated. Maybe some of you recognise your former teacher(s) here too 😉

In a follow up to a series of pictures of buildings in Kuala Kangsar (refer to Where Is It? & Where Is It? part 2), we’d like to share two more – showing the Ubudiah Mosque and the Royal Mausoleum – which were sent to us via email from Nicholas Jennings.

This was sent to us by Keith Nelson. Are those government quarters in the background? If so, where is this place?

Here’s another mystery for you: Do you know what building this is? Is it a government building or perhaps a Towkay’s mansion? Could this be in Ipoh? Or maybe somewhere within the Kinta district? This picture was sent to us by Nicholas Jennings.

We have here a photograph from Chan Kok Keong. Anyone recognise the model of the motorbike? If you look closely, you can see the number plate – PK 57 – which would give you a hint as to the year. Did any of you/your family own a vehicle with a PK number plate?

Ipoh was clearly more green back then. And there was less traffic too. Here we see a lone figure with two baskets balanced on a coolie pole, walking towards a bridge. Which bridge was this? What about the shady trees – are they still there? We thank Alan for this 1960s picture.

Here’s a little puzzle for you: Where can this building be found? Is it somewhere in Perak? Or, perhaps in another state? We think it’s a mosque….but we could be wrong. We await your feedback 🙂 We thank Nicholas Jennings for this picture which is from his grandmother’s album of the 1920’s.

Nicholas Jennings sent us these – showing Freda, the wife of J A S Jennings (Editor of Times of Malaya). Freda with her friends at the Ipoh Race Course Freda playing billiards at the Crag Hotel, Penang What fashion trends were popular during YOUR time? Did you attempt the ‘Jackie Kennedy’ look? Or perhaps you had […]

[click to enlarge] Familiar? Looks like a street near your neighbourhood? Could this place be outside Ipoh? You tell us. We thank Nicholas Jennings for sharing this photograph with us.

This was donated to us by one of our supporters – Chan Kok Keong. From what we know from the Chinese sign above the door this wedding photo was taken outside the Employee’s Association building. Does the building seem familiar to you? The letters KCCSA Ipoh under the Chinese characters may also help. Do you […]

We’ve noticed that the past few blogs have prompted our fans to talk about the good food in Ipoh. Artistic angle aside, if you look at the above picture closely you can see some ‘work’ in progress – yes, folks….the man is making Popiah! There isn’t much background in the picture, but perhaps someone recognises […]

Here’s another picture sent to us from Alan. Do these buildings seem familiar to you? I wonder where the photographer was standing when this picture was taken….

Know this street? Recognise the buildings? We await your comments! 🙂

Being an alumni of the Main Convent, Ipoh, I was surprised to note that there was once a kindergarten within the premises. Do any of the Convent alumni remember it? Is the building still there…or has it been converted into something else? The above picture is from Dr Ho Tak Ming.

Our thanks goes out to Alan, for sharing this picture with us!

I admit I’m stumped at this one – sent to by IpohBornKid….it looks very familiar, but I can’t seem to figure out WHERE it is. Think you could help us out? 🙂

Recognise the street? What about the building – Sun Kong Ah Coffee Shop & Hotel? The above photograph is from Keith Nelson.

IpohBornKid shares his 3rd installment with us. Happy reading 🙂 The picture showing the first 12 grandchildren of Chong Soon Fan was probably taken in 1957, during the Chinee New Year. The location is the bungalow, the family residence of Chong Soon Fan. The background building with the tin roof is the Nanyang Picture Theatre […]

Nicholas Jennings sent us these pictures some time ago. They were said to be taken around the early 1960s. Nicholas (with Bintang, the family pet), together with his mother Joyce, his sisters Alison and Christina, and Ramah the nanny. The Amah and her 3 children Nicholas, who once lived at 141 Jalan Abdul Jalil had this […]

Ruth Iversen Rollitt sent this to us some time ago. It is said to be the house of the former Secretary of the Perak Turf Club. Ruth’s father B M Iversen designed this beauty.

…..Southern Motors? Which part of town was it? I do wonder if the shop is still there. On an aesthetic note, I do like how the motorcycles have lined up in front of the shop….

Is this place part of one of the famous parks in Ipoh? Do you know where it is? Is this place still there?

We thank Ruth Rollitt for these pictures. The first picture (top) shows the quarters, back in 1931. The bottom picture shows the stables. I’ve never seen the inside of the turf club, but I’m sure those of you who have can tell us if much has changed.

Recognise this church? Do you know where it is? Is it still there? Judging from the response to our previous posts, I’m sure you observant lot have NO problem guessing this one! 🙂 This picture was taken back in 1959 by Keith Nelson.

We thank Keith Nelson for this gem. Just a thought: these young men were obviously checking out the sites of Ipoh Town during that time…..where were YOU back in 1959? 😉

This picture is from Ralph Khaw, who was the drum major in the SMI Cadet Band. This was taken in 1970 at the Perak Stadium – the Ipoh Combined School Bands. Among the schools which participated were SMI, MGS, and Perak Girls’ School. According to Ralph, either Raja Perempuan School or Poi Lam took part as […]

We had previous comments about what the Oriental Hotel used to look like. Hence, here is a coloured one of the hotel (which has sadly seen better days). For those who don’t know, this building is now an electrical store.

…that Brewster Road was this ’empty’ back in 1959? From the traffic I see today, I can hardly believe it myself! This picture is courtesy of Keith Nelson, a former British National serviceman.

Keith Nelson, a former British National serviceman, sent us this picture. This was taken in 1959. Do any of you recognise this coffee shop? Is it still around?

We’re featuring another photograph about SMJK Poi Lam. From what our donor (Veronica Woo) told us, the Poi Lam Alumni will be having a gathering this Saturday. With that in mind, how many of you former Poi Lam teachers/students recognise this (see below)? This is a photo of teachers of SMJK Poi Lam, Ipoh during […]

This photo was taken on 17 December, 1967 during SMJK Poi Lam’s school visit to Nanyang Siang Pau office. The two lady teachers were dressed in their traditional Chinese cheongsam. The girls were wearing their white sleeveless blouse and black skirt uniform while the boys were all attired in their white short-sleeved shirts and shorts. […]

This photograph is marked 1966 on the reverse but, When was this hotel built? Who owned it? What’s become of it now? Yes, we have SO many questions about this place……that’s why we’ve turned to YOU – our Readers – to help us out. 🙂

It was early in the new millenium when the Yau Tet Shin Bazaar was demolished. It now remains an empty plot and has since been turned into a parking lot 🙁 Recently we heard about some plans to rebuild it… What the Bazaar looked like in the 90s (the Syuen Hotel can be seen in […]

Due to popular demand, we have here some of the pictures taken of the interior of the former Lido Cinema – after the recent fire. Left to Right: the lobby; the false ceiling Left to Right: the stairs leading to the balcony; the balcony For more pictures, do visit our Facebook page.

I’m refering to this black-beauty……this classic Mercedes (yes, it IS a Mercedes; if you look closely you can see the sign on the hood). This picture is taken from the Yeoh Family album. Judging from the car’s number plate, I’m guessing that this was taken in the early 1940s. I could be wrong though…..you experts out […]

This is Mano, with part of the cast from the movie ‘Anna and the King’. (Mano played ‘Moonshi’ in the movie) This picture was taken on location, back in 1999, and we were wondering: WHERE are the ‘Royal Children’ now? Recognise any of them? Or maybe you recognise yourself here? We’d love to hear from you!

…or, what happens when 2 of Ipoh’s famous sons get together? From what Mano told us, this was taken at the Astro Recording Studio back in 1998. Lat is seen here explaining the English version of the award-winning animated series of ‘Kampong Boy’. I know many of you have read ‘Kampong Boy’; has anyone seen […]

These pictures were taken from the St Michael’s Church Centenary Magazine. Shown below are members of the church choir – from the 1930s and 1990s. The Choir, way back in 1935. A 1990 picture of the new Choir. Anyone familiar in either of the groups? Perhaps some of you may know them; maybe there were/are […]

…when you could buy a Chevy in Ipoh 😉 As some of you may have guessed, the building on the far left – with the large ‘Chevrolet’ sign – is none other than Borneo Motors. Next to Borneo Motors is Ipoh Motors (formerly Cycle and Carriage Co, Ltd.) and across the road is the Brewster […]

While we’re still on the topic of movie theatres/cinema halls, do you recognise the building in the background? Can also guess what year this picture was taken? If YOU are the guy posing in front of the cinema, we’d really love to hear from you! 🙂

We pick up where we left off in our previous post – regarding the Lido Cinema – where we were told that the the top two pictures were in fact the Rex Cinema and NOT Lido. Today, we present to you MORE pictures of the inside of Lido. 🙂 We thank Ruth Rollitt for her […]

Remember what Lido Cinema used to look like back then? the foyer the ticket booth A special thanks going out to Ruth Rollitt for sending us these lovely gems! 🙂

…..these ladies decided to take a walk around Ipoh Town. Can you recognise which road they’re crossing? Anything in the background look familiar to you?

As part of the promotion for the movie ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’, the Lido Cinema featured “Maggie the Cat” 😉 I wonder how many of our followers out there saw “Maggie” (picture above)! Does anyone know WHO’s the lady in the white dress?

Do they look familiar to you? (Or, perhaps you may be one of the children in the picture?) This picture was said to be taken in Kampar. In the background is Weng Heng Aerated Water Factory. Is the factory still there, maybe under a different name? Or, has the premises been bought over by another company? […]

I’m sure many of you out there recognise this building (see below) 🙂 Do you have any stories about wedding dinners in the Imperial Rom for us please and we would also like to know what’s become of the book store? (see close-up below). We look forward to your comments 😉

Warned that something was “up” in Gopeng Road I dropped by this afternoon. But nothing was “up” however – quite the opposite – No 62 was on the way “down”. Yes, the Ipoh demolition team were at it again. So I dropped in on the Chinese foreman who seemed to agree with me that it […]

[click to enlarge] Dear Ipoh-ites…..can you guys guess the year this photograph was taken? The familiar landmarks may give you some clues 🙂 Here’s another hint: at the bottom left there seems to be some construction going on (at the back of Waller Court Flats) – this site later became S.K. Coronation Park 😉 Happy guessing!

Here’s a photograph of Ipoh Motors – yes, the same Ipoh Motors which was once a familiar sight along Brewster Road. It is said that the building was previously the premises of Cycle & Carriage Co. Ltd. Any idea as to WHEN this photograph was taken. We think it’s the 1950s – since Ipoh Motors […]

Believe it or not, the Pasar Besar in Ipoh New Town isn’t that ‘old’! This early 1900s picture (taken from the Kinta Valley book) is quite unique – has there been that much change since Towkay Yau Tet Shin built this place? I’ve noticed that those large rattan baskets are still in use today….

Ok, maybe not the people in the picture…but how about the bikes? Recognise the models? Bonus question: does anyone know the building in the background of the second picture?

Back in the early 1900s, Hoot & Company were “direct importers of motor-cycles and tri-cars” (more can be found at our database). I wonder what has become of this shop lot today? It is also interesting to note that while Hoot & Co operated at No. 93 Belfield Street, their neighbour at No.95 was none other […]

Besides the Seenivasagam brothers, Ipoh was also ‘home’ for two brothers of the LaBrooy family – C H LaBrooy & H W LaBrooy. These brothers used to live at Dulcieville Lane, Ipoh (the area which is now Parkson Ipoh Parade). We have here a 1980s picture of the LaBrooy Building. As you can see, it was once […]

Before it was converted into the Darul Ridzuan Museum, this 10-room bungalow (along Douglas Road) was built for none other than one of Ipoh’s famous miners – Foo Choong Yit – back in 1926. Later, in 1940, two air raid shelters were constructed in the compound (in anticipation of Japanese aerial attacks). Ten years later, the Government took over […]

One thing I do not understand about Ipoh is that here we have a beautiful hotel building used as an electrical store while so many entrepreneurs are knocking up ugly buildings all over the place which they happily call one of the three b’s – backpacker, budget or boutique hotels . Why didn’t one of […]

No, this is NOT a product of Photoshop! There was a ‘Parkson Ria’ shopping mall in Ipoh, somewhere in the late 1980s/early 1990s. Does anyone remember it? Did it close because of the fire….or before the fire broke out? [ For those of you still wondering, let me put you out of your misery – […]

Here’s another set of photographs from the Macduffs, taken in the 1950s (before they left Malaya). This one shows the boys’ handicap race; Ian is said to be the boy standing 3rd from the left, while Ian and Sheila’s father – Ken Macduff – is the official in the far right (the one with the […]

Yes, folks. THIS is what the Kampar Police Station looked liked. This picture was taken by Mayfair Studio, back in 1956. I bet the Kampar-folks would have a story or two to share with us! 🙂 NEW PHOTO OF THE KAMPAR POLICE STATION (picture courtesy of Rafique)

These lovely ladies (in sunglasses) look REALLY happy! Could it be because of the ‘diamonds’? (see below) I really can’t tell what they’re trying on/ or what they eventually purchased….but I do know that this scene took place at none other than the famed Soon Yik Goldsmith shop!

From what was written at the back of this photograph, we know that: this was taken during the Lions Club dinner on 3rd August 1975 one of the gentlemen in this photograph is Mr Balakrishnan – who worked at the Ipoh High Court Any Lions Club members out there? We’d like to know MORE about […]

Sent to us by Norman Doctor from the UK, these aerial shots were taken in the 1950s. The shots were probably taken during the routine supply drops. Does anyone out there recognise these forts? There aren’t that many clues, but we’re hoping someone out there knows a bit more about these places.

When we stumbled upon this picture, I couldn’t help but wonder: WHERE have I seen this place before? Could this be somewhere in New Town? Old Town? Or perhaps even Ipoh Garden? The interior of the store (especially the display case in front) look so familiar…anyone care to make a guess?

Thanks to Ruth Rollitt, we now have some interior pictures of the Lam Looking Bazaar. For those of you who were curious to know what the interior looked like, feast you eyes on these! 🙂 the staircase inside the building left to right: the top floor, which became a cinema hall; the corridor on the […]

….that THIS (picture above) was the ORIGINAL design of the Lam Looking Bazaar! (click image to enlarge) Thanks to Ruth Rollitt (daughter of the late B M Iversen), we have here the drawing of this famous building. Ruth also had this to say in her email: The firm of Keys & Dowdeswell left Singapore in […]

This was sent to us some time ago by Sybil de Roquigny-Iragne. I must say, those shop houses in the background seem familiar! Recognise them? On a different note, taking a break and relaxing (like the youths in the picture) at parks/open spaces in Ipoh was once a luxury…..sadly, some of our parks/gardens are now […]

Yes folks, your eyes are NOT playing tricks on you – that IS an F&N bottle on the rooftop of the Lam Looking Bazaar! This form of advertising seemed quite common back then; there was a similar bottle on the other side of the rooftop (front part of the building) – which can be viewed here. […]

We have here Nigel Jennings, together with Cedric, Harold, his mother and aunt. What we’d like to draw your attention to are the toys at the bottom of this picture! Notice the pedal-car, the steam engine and the Meccano set 🙂 I confess to having played with a pedal-car in my younger days; what was […]

Here we have a picture of Nigel Jennings on the verandah of Rose Cottage in the Cameron Highlands. He is wearing a green blazer and cap both sporting a school badge. We would love to know which school this was. Inserted in the picture bottom left you can see the badge is an “S” and […]

This street scene seems familiar, but we can’t quite identify the place. Could it be Ipoh? Gopeng? Kampar? You tell us! Perhaps some of the shop signs might help.

Were you part of the Hash House Harriers? This group picture (from Thomas Lee) was taken to mark their 600th run, back in July 1976 – when the Harriers finished their Kulim-Ipoh run. Do they still have such runs today? Any HHH members out there like to tell us MORE?

Ruth Rollitt updated us about the moving of the golf club from Golf Club Road to Tiger Lane in a previous blog http://www.ipohworld.org/?p=3056. She also sent the following photographs. Her comment that went with these photos said: “When my father (B M Iversen) arrived in Ipoh in 1930 he was working for the firm of […]

This is the house that was taken over by the church from the mining company French Tekka on Tambun Road for the original Novena. Designed by my father pre-war. It was demolished and a hotel stands where it once graced Tambun Road. Such were the words of Ruth Iversen Rollitt (daughter of the famous Danish […]

A while ago, we featured a post about the on-going ‘renovations’ of the Station Gardens. So far, we’ve heard no news about what’s going on behind those boards. Has there been any progress lately? If anyone has noticed anything, do let us know. In the mean time, here is a 1950s picture of what the […]

Have any of you seen this product before? I wonder if such products are used by Martial Arts students/instructors today – perhaps they use a different brand? This one was produced and distributed by F & L Medical Hall and the bottle bears the warning. “For external use only. Keep away from FIRE or FLAME.” […]

This picture was taken on 28th September 1922! It was in conjunction with the birthday of Confucius. Does anyone recognise the shophouses in the background? There aren’t many clues, but perhaps someone out there knows WHERE in Ipoh this is?

Believe it or not, this is what Jalan Yang Kalsom looked like in the 50s. Is the Cathay Hotel (left) still in business? I know the SHELL station (right) is gone now. What about the Ford building (in the background)? On that same note, where is the Ritz Hotel?

Here’s a rare picture of the former Post Office (behind the Ipoh Town Hall). Notice the stalls beneath the shady tree – and the crowd of patrons too! We thank Ruth Rollitt for this gem 🙂 Charlie reminds us (#13 below) about Savings Stamps and immediately Hasbi sent us these scans. Thank you both so […]

These pictures were sent to us by Lam Lai Meng, an Alumni of MGS. This first picture needs no explanation. The second picture was taken at the Regal Lodge, Ipoh. This large group met on 16th of February 2010, during the Chinese New Year period. Lam had this to say about this picture: “CNY 2010 […]

In a previous blog, we mentioned the Ipoh Tutorial Institute. When Ruth Rollitt sent us this picture (below), we couldn’t help but wonder: Were these institutes one and the same? If so, when did they move to the bigger building? In case some of you are wondering, this building is STILL THERE today…but it’s not […]

Lam Lai Meng sent us this 1967 picture of some MGS girls painting a 3-panel mosaic like mural, on the wall above the Principal’s office. The mural is said to depict women in various occupations. The Teacher standing on the far left is none other than Mrs Vivian Chong. To the MGS Alumni reading this: […]

This is the other end of Leech Street. On the left is the Sun Cinema (yes, the SAME Sun Cinema that our local cartoonist Lat drew in his cartoons!). Does anyone know the building on the right? We thank Ruth Rollitt for this rare gem 🙂

We received this picture from a STAR Alumni. The donor of this picture also gave us a list of the marked places in this picture. Marked in green: 1. Tiger Lane (Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah) 2. Dairy Road (Jalan Raja Muda Mahadi) 3. Sekolah Izzuddin Shah 4. Pejabat Kaji Bumi & Minerals 5. Canning Garden […]

These pictures were taken at the Opening Ceremony of Hock Wah Tin Mining Co. in Sungkai, Perak. The opening was on 23rd February 1967; seen here cutting the ribbon is none other than HRH Sultan Idris Al-Mutawakkil Alallahi Shah, the then Sultan of Perak. Our donor, Emily Lowe (www.emily2u.com/), gave us some names. In this […]

This is the front cover of the STAR school commemorative book – published by the Old Boys Association of Sekolah Tuanku Abdul Rahman, Ipoh. This book came out in 2007, to mark the school’s 50th Anniversary. This picture shows the very first batch of teachers – way back in 1957! STAR alumni out there, we’d like […]

…that this was Pasir Puteh back in the 1960s? Yes, take a GOOD LOOK at the pictures below 🙂 Shops with zinc roofs. Mercedes Benz Bus, Ipoh Omnibus Co. These pictures were provided by Mano, while SK gave us a little write-up: Mano stayed at No 7, New Pasir Puteh & LMS 136 further […]

Some time ago, some of our Readers talked about the ‘Novena Church’ along Tambun Road. Here are two pictures of the said church, taken during the annual procession. The ‘Novena Church’ moved to a new location in the early 1970s – now known as the OMPH Church in Ipoh Garden. The building at Tambun Road […]

Those liviing in and around Lim Gardens would be familiar with this school (see picture below). Yes, it’s none other than Tarcisian Convent – which was yet another ‘sister school’ of the HIJ Convent. We don’t have much about this school, so if anyone out there knows more we’d love to hear from you. Maybe […]

Yes, folks. Time to test your Geographical knowledge of Ipoh 🙂 We were told that this is part of Greentown. Do you know WHERE in Greentown this is? Is 3rd Avenue still there, or has this road been renamed?

We’d like to draw your attention (away from this lovely couple 🙂 ) to the large signboard in the background. Yes, it says ‘Tanjong Rambutan’ in 4 languages! Similar signboards are very hard to come by these days. I do wonder: is this particular signboard still there? Incidentally, this picture was taken at the former […]

We know him as Rocky Teoh – a Taiping-born lad who loved singing and entered many talent contests. Shown here is the front cover of his album, which features two of Rocky’s famous songs: ‘There’s Always Me’ and ‘Crying In The Chapel’. Rocky and the Fabulous Falcons have performed in Cathay Organisation Theatres throughout the […]

The Perak Motor Club‘s history goes back as early as 1907. The popularity of the club can be owed to the “large numbers of European tin miners and rubber planters and the ubiquitous, wealthy, mining Towkays” in Perak – who ‘contributed’ to the vast number of motor cars in the state. This picture was taken during the Tapah/Cameron Highlands […]

To the alumni of NTPS Pasir Puteh: does this (picture below) ring a bell? The lady seated in the front row is none other than the ‘elusive’ Mdm Chow. How many of you remember her? As SK (our donor) told us, Mdm Chow keeps a ‘low profile’. Nevertheless, I’m sure her students will always remember […]

Suffice to say, the picture explains it all 🙂 I especially like the doll attached to the hood of the car (which is rarely seen today). Well IpohWorld fans: do you remember YOUR wedding car?

This picture was taken back in the 1950s – around 1952/53. I wonder how many of our Readers out there remember this antique radio. Don’t forget the cabinet which this radio is sitting on! I’ve been to houses where such cabinets are still in use; also take note of those miniature liquor bottles too 🙂 […]

…..folks in Ipoh witnessed the 9-Goddess Celebrations. The procession passed through one of Ipoh’s busiest roads, back in 1982/83. As you can see in this picture, they are passing by the Perak Chinese Foundry Association (building on the left). Anyone have any idea about the other building in the background – the one under construction? […]

This cute picture is from Shuen Huey Foo, of Ipoh. Recognise this place? The signboard in the background says “Taman Didekan Kanak2 Wesley, Pasir Pinji, Ipoh”. I’m guessing this was probably in the early 1980s (could be wrong, though). Is this kindergarten still around? Was it another branch of the Wesley Kindergarten along Lahat Road? […]

The top picture is said to be Form 5 Science, back in 1967. The bottom one is the Anderson School Library Prefectorial Board, also from 1967. Do you see yourself in any/both of these pictures? We’d like to hear from you – perhaps tell us a tale or two about your years at Anderson School, […]

But can anyone tell us when they will open again please. The world misses this famous hostelry which has been closed for restoration since 1 March 2008 – almost 4 years! But what a night the 29th February was – the last night. Were you there? By the way, for more photos of this grand […]

One look at this picture (click to enlarge), and I’m sure many of you out there are already grinning – yes, this is a VERY familiar street in Ipoh 🙂 But what we’d like to know more about is the shop in the background (far right) – ‘Any & Co Gift House’. What’s become of […]

We received these interesting pictures from Ralph Khaw (from Perth, Australia). He also emailed us a short explanation for the above pictures: “I can’t remember the date of the singout organised in MGS , involving students from MGS,ACS,SMI. I played a small part as a member of Choir. The teacher singing is Eddie Chin,teacher of […]

Anyone remember this van? Was this the van that delivered movie reels to the various Shaw cinemas? Or, perhaps this van was used for advertising? We think that the man in the photo is the father of Shuen Huey Foo (our donor). Thanks Huey Foo 🙂

Our donor Chooi Lau Fai had this to say, regarding these pictures: “Both photos were taken in either 1952 or 1953. The scout master was Mr Sohor. The first photo was taken on the Iskandar Bridge on our way to the Istana Kuala Kangsar. The second photo was taken in the grounds of the Istana. […]

This one should bring back some memories 🙂 Can any of you guess what year it is? What about those in the picture? Were they your teachers? (click to enlarge) We’d like to thank Shuen Huey Foo, from Ipoh, for this picture.

Yes, you read it right! These are the kiddies from the Sam Tet Kindergarten – back in 1980 🙂 See yourself in the group? Maybe you were one of the teachers? We can’t wait to hear from you 😉

We’ve come across many photographs of Ipoh. With a little ‘detective work’ and some help from our fans, we usually can guess the places/streets. But this one (picture above) has left us stumped :O Do you know WHERE in Ipoh this place is? Is this place still there now? Amd what about the date? We […]

…seen the inside of the Projector-Room? Perhaps someone out there knows which cinema this is? If YOU are the gentleman in this picture, DO tell us about your experience! We thank Shuen Huey Foo of Ipoh for this picture.

Sometime back we stumbled upon this advert – with the two dragons and what seems to be a ball of fire between their mouths. I’m no feng shui expert…but I’m sure this symbolizes something good? You tell us 🙂 You read it right, this advert is courtesy of the Odeon! Yes folks, it’s that time […]

Remember this antique vehicle? This ambulance was apprently donated by Towkay Choo of Kampar, for the St John’s Ambulance (Perak Centre). Does anyone know this generous Towkay? The next picture (below) shows what was probably the first building – before the present hall near YMCA today. From what we know about the St John’s Brigade in […]

Come on Sleuths! I’m sure some of you have seen this unique traffic light (far back) SOMEWHERE in Ipoh 🙂 Know the place? It is at a park? You tell us 😉

Ah yes! MORE pictures showing Ipoh’s pretty lasses 🙂 For those of you who are wondering, this picture was taken at the Tambun Hot Springs – sometime in the early 1970s. A special thanks to Sophie for this picture. Sophie, if you’re reading this: are you in this group? Could you tell us the names […]

These were sent to us all the way from the US of A by Ian Latham. They show his father (top picture) and mother (bottom picture), during the early 1970s. Do you recognise the shop house in the second picture? Where in Ipoh is this place?

Here’s something for the football fans out there! Did any of you watch this game? Who were these two teams? Where was the match held? We suspect that (given the trees in the background) perhaps this was at the D R Seenivasagam Park…..but we could be wrong. If one of the players from either team […]

We have here the PCADA String Orchestra. Do you remember them? Perhaps they performed for the public (something like our Malaysian Philharmonic althouh a little smaller)? What’s become of them now?

Yes, this archway was decorated specially for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Notice the building that says ‘Borneo Motors’ (which is now a restaurant/pub called ‘OverTime’). Brewster Road was rather quiet in those days, wasn’t it? 😉 I wonder…..when was the facade of this archway renovated to it’s present design?

Any idea WHO is the gentleman giving a speech (picture above)? What about the other man next to him? I’m sure we have some scouts who are reading this now…..were there frequent gatherings like these in Ipoh? If so, do tell us more. What about the building in the background? Was it a common meeting […]

Fancy having your wedding picture taken in front of a cinema hall! That’s what these people seem to have done 🙂 Notice the sign above the entrance which says ‘Malayan Talkies’. To what we know, the former Sun Cinema was the first in Ipoh to screen ‘talkies’ (movies with sound) – which was way back […]

I see a familiar building (towards the bottom of the picture). Recognise it? What ELSE can you ‘detectives’ see? Come on Ipoh-ians 🙂 put those thinking caps on! Note: We thank Charlie Choong for this picture 😉

Calling all alumni of ACS Kampar!!! 🙂 When did THIS happen? Are YOU in there somewhere….? For those of you who recognise the uniform, yes….this is indeed part of the ACS Kampar school band!

A special thanks to Jeremy (a.k.a. Paloh Chai) for these pictures. Yes, folks…..this was what Panglima Lane (or Concubine Lane, as some Ipoh-natives call it!) looked like a year ago. 😉

Yes, folks…this is what the People’s Park used to look like in those days!

click on picture to enlarge Today, we’re featuring the Form 5 Class of 1966 – from Ave Maria Convent, Ipoh. Do you recognise them? Are YOU in this group? I’m sure we have some former students reading this 🙂

Somewhere along Chamberlain Road, Ipoh…..there is a Post Office. The picture here is what the post office looked like in the 1960s – we think it’s the 1960s, since there is a car parked on the far left, bearing the number plate AC 8426 🙂 From the picture, the main mode of transport in those […]

Ladies and Gentlemen, we present to you 99 Anderson Road, Ipoh! This building was originally owned by Foong Seong. Later, the Cheong family bought it. When the Cheongs lived here, the front part of the building was a men’s hairdressing salon while the back portion was a famous tailors shop from where hundreds of made-to-measure […]

A big ‘HELLO’ to all Writers out there! I’m sure some of you have done strange/awkward things when trying to overcome writers’-block. I recall one of my online buddys telliing me that he attempted growing his beard and didn’t shower for a week – just to write about a homeless man! Well, what ever works […]

A special thanks to Nicholas Jennings (from Toronto) for this gem. Here we have Nicholas’ father Cedric (holding a briefcase, with some documents tucked under his other arm) talking to a businessman. Anyone knows who this businessman is? While you’re busy with that, can you also guess the building in the background? Come on ‘detectives’… […]

First an SMI Sports Team, but who, which team and when? And next another SMI Class but that is all we know. What we really need here on ipohWorld is a greater number of SMI boys to help us. We have lots of SMI stuff which comes under the category of “Unknown”. Please help if […]

Remember this company? Recognise this street? Well, this picture was taken around 1961/62……I’m sure some of you remember 🙂

Today, we’ll try something different. Take a look at the picture (below) and tell us what you think! Just out of interest…. the words on the cart say “Japanese Doby FMS Laundry Ipoh”.

Yes, this is a 1963 picture of Shen Jai Secondary School. This picture was taken from a book which recorded the 1st batch of students who sat for their LCE!

The shop 3rd from left is ‘Chop Cheong Chin’; next to that is ‘Syarikat Perak Travel Agency’, which is also an agency for Singapore Airlines. That’s about all we could make out from this picture. Now, across the street from this row of shop houses…..(see picture below) ….is another similar row. Notice also that at […]

Photograph G And Photograph H Please, anything you can tell us about these will be helpful. Thanks.

Photograph E. Yes, we need help again please, but this one is quite different, a sports team and trophies but who, when and where? Photograph F. And now another class – Class 5B. Definitely SMI but we still need some help with who and when. Please click on the pictures to enlarge.

These two photographs were taken on the 60th birthday of Chow Yoon Soo at Kam Loong Restaurant, Ipoh in 1962. Chow Yoon Soo is featured on our database at http://www.ipohworld.org/search8/result.asp?strid=4334. The photographs are part of a set of eight we have recently received from her granddaughter, Sybil, togetherl with the details below: Both photos were taken on […]

Here we have two contrasting Ipoh photographs from Sophie. The first she calls “Dressing for the 1940’s to 1950’s. It is no wonder that Ipoh got the name for having all the pretty girls. Just look at these! Sophie describes the photo as “Dressing for 1940’s to 1950’s. Four young ladies, two of them are sisters. The second […]

Here are two more school photos with almost no information. Again we seek your help please: Which School, Which Class and What Date? Photograph C. THis one said to be Class 3C, 1971, but which Convent? Photograph D. Said to be Class 4B but when? We look forward to your advice. More to come over […]

We recently received a batch of 10 school photographs with almost no information. In order to add them to our database archive we really need your help. If anyone out there can identify the school, class and year that would be a great help. If of course you have names that would also be a […]

Here we have Form 5 Arts 1, of Anderson School Ipoh. The year was 1975, and their Form Teacher was Puan S Koshy (seated, centre). The donor of this picture is Othman Sabirin (seated, second from left). Here’s a list of names….just to help you out (click to enlarge). Calling all Andersonians! Do you recognise […]

We have here the 3rd installment of UV’s account….about his teaching experiences in and around Ipoh. Happy reading 🙂 the waterfall at Buntung Teaching In and Around Ipoh Episode 3 Teaching is not merely the passing on of knowledge to students. It involves and interaction that is rather complicated. A student learns through various ways. [This […]

Was this part of a play? Perhaps a Talentime Competition? All we know is, these pictures below were taken at an event hosted by the Y-Men’s Club! Did you attend this event?

Familiar? Well, we believe that this was part of the Jubilee Park ……..yes, the FUN-Section where there were carousel rides, game stalls..etc. How much did such a ride cost? Did they have a day-pass or something similar (as what Lost World of Tambun has today) ?

the famous Bridge a view from the Bridge These are from the collection of the late Geoffrey Clark. Believe it or not, Ipoh DID look like this about 64 years ago; the bridge (1st pic) definately looks different now…..even the view from the said bridge (2nd pic) has changed so much.

According to the donor of this photograph – Sybil de Roquigny – this was taken in 1945, sometime after the war. Seated on the left of the Indian girl (wearing a plain samfoo) is Sybil’s aunt Linda Leong Kam Leng (daughter of Leong Eng Khean and granddaughter of Towkay Leong Fee). Seated on the far […]

Seen this place somewhere? Know where it is? Do tell us…. From what we know, this place was probably one of the houses where the British soldiers were billeted after the Japanese left (the photo is dated December 1945). Is this building still around? You tell us 🙂

This was taken in 1945 by the late Geoffrey Clark (of the 4th Regiment Signals Troop). Here we have 3 dulang washers, complete with their wide hats and long sleeved shirts, working hard along the river. On the reverse of the photo he identified the place as Ipoh and guessing that this was taken from […]

Recognise this street? Well, put those thinking-caps on, people 🙂 I’m sure some of you are grinning madly…while typing away your answers! This picture is part of the late Geoffrey Clark’s collection. (We featured one of his pictures in a previous blog post) Clark served in Malaya from about 1945-1947 under the 4th Regiment Signals […]

This was sent to us by UV, as part of his Teaching in Ipoh series. In the above picture, seated in the centre, is Mr Teh Chin Seong (mentioned in the story below). This picture was taken in 1968 and published in The Argosy 1968 (the school magazine). The lovely lasses in the picture are […]

We have here a picture from Helen Philip (who’s in the far right, with her partner Teh Jung Siang). Also in the picture are: Rosalind Goh (4th from right), and Teng Yoke Leng (10th from right). This event is said to be the ‘most exciting’ event during the RPS annual Sports Day. (Some of you […]

We thank Howard Tang Hoy Wah (from Falim, Perak) for this picture. Howard now lives in the US, and was formerly a student of ACS Ipoh. He was also well connected to the Wesley Methodist Church – his brother, Tang Kin Wah, once served as a Methodist Pastor before he too left for the States. This picture was […]

We received this from Sophie via email. This was taken during Chinese New Year in 1969 – showing the Class of Form 3C of RPS. Sophie has, unfortunately, lost touch with her friends (those in the picture) since she left school. Are you one of those in the picture? Do let us know…..and Sophie if […]

The quality of the picture may not be that good….but I’m pretty sure that the building in the far right is the back portion of the Grand Theatre (which once stood at Brewster Road and Cowan Street). Of course many of us remember that the Grand Theatre was also part of Jubilee Park; with that […]

Here’s a picture of the PCADA (Perak Chinese Amateur Dramatic Association) Building, taken on the day of the association’s Golden Jubilee. At the time the picture was taken (some time in 1953) the 3rd floor had been completed. Foh Sun restaurant used to occupy the groud floor, before it moved. I do wonder what’s become […]

This was taken by the late Geoffrey Clark, of the 4th Regiment Signals Troop (one the the early British army groups to arrive in Malaya after the Japanese surrendered). Clark served here from about 1945-1947, and sadly passed away in 2006. Look at the picture carefully…..WHERE do you think this place is? We’re stumped ourselves, […]

This photo was provided by the Cheong family for use in “Ipoh, My Home Town” but it was not used as there were much more appropriate images to use for their story. The banner reads something like “Professor Shu Tong Zen, Exhibition of his Chinese Paintings including an exhibition of his Malaysian Students’ Work”. Now […]

Some time ago, we featured a picture from the Jennings Collection – showing part of Panglima Street, which was under water in 1919. Here we have another look at the same street. This was taken in 1926/1927, when yet again Ipoh suffered another great flood. Notice any difference from the 1919 photograph and this one?

We’ve had the great fortune of receiving some lovely photographs from the collection of the late Percival Moss (which can be found on our database, under the title ‘Moss Collection’). Mr Moss was a tailor who was stationed in Taiping from about 1890 to 1910. He was a tailor who sewed uniforms for the Malay States […]

note: picture is RTM Copyright Familiar? Well, for those of you who are still wondering, this is the Perak RTM building 🙂 I heard that there’s some renovations going on at the present site….perhaps anyone who knows more could help us out. Also, we’d like to know a little more about the history of this […]

We received this photograph from Sophie. It was probably taken in 1969 and those in the photograph (left to right) are Sophie’s brother, cousin and neighbour. She also told us that: “The boys are standing facing my house in Jalan Pasir Puteh…..the building behind them used to belong to the late Dato Cheah Fah”. And […]

This was sent to us by YKChoong, via email. He also had this to say… ….not sure if it was a Ford or a Peugeot. I think the foto taken around 1953-54, car was parked beside my parents home in Pasir Pinji (No. 267, Queen Street to be exact). I remembered clearly the front portion […]

I wonder when THIS fashion trend began! The picture was taken from the bountiful collection of the late Percival Moss (some of which can be found on our database, under the title ‘Moss Collection’). Imagine our surprise when we stumbled upon this picture – two locals dressed in Western clothing 😉 To our male readers out there….did […]

We’ve had comments about the (sadly) forgotten cinema at Kampong Simee….here’s a recent picture of the building (see picture below). Anyone know WHEN this place closed down? What is it used as now? Perhaps some of you out there could share with us some of the better memories of this place……

I remember playing with lanterns such as the one this lovely lady is holding. It was one of the things I looked forward to during the Mid Autumn Festival…..other then eating mooncakes 🙂 But our question for you guys out there today is: What is the building in the background? Where in Ipoh is it? Or, […]

..well, not quite! This 1914 picture shows the Gunong Cheroh Taoist temple (in the background) and part of Anderson Road (just after where the present YMCA building is). The one driving however is Freda Jennings, wife of Jack Jennings (Editor of Times of Malaya). She can be seen driving (a lovely white car) along the wooden […]

What a treat for a youngster to have an icecream on a hot Ipoh day. Just look at the small boy’s face. But here is another clue to the location. And just look at the face of the mother with folded arms on the left. What is she saying to her daughter? Care to guess. For […]

Yes, these are girls from Ipoh and Raja Perempuan School. It is 1973 and this is the Community Service Club. It was kindly sent in to us by Helen Philip who we think is standing fourth from the left and next to the tall girl with pigtails directly behind the teacher. Thank you Helen for the […]

You just KNOW you’ve seen this building somewhere before….but can’t quite put your finger on it! Well, put your thinking-caps on folks 🙂 Perhaps a closer look at the picture might give you some clues……

Looking for fresh food with a good bargain? Nothing like visiting the local markets, eh? Here we have a couple of pictures (taken in 1988), showing hawkers at a local market….YOUR task for today – tell us WHERE these pictures were taken! 🙂 Perhaps there are some clues in the background that might help you.

These pictures were sent to us by IpohBornKid. IpohBornKid also wrote the following: The attached photos were taken in the late 1950s, during the local primary school’s song and dance performances. It is a tradition in Chinese schools to perform traditional song and dance as opposed to the Western arts performed in English schools.These performances […]

….the Abdul Samad Building? (see picture below) Was this what the building looked like in the early 1900s? Or, perhaps its an entirely different building altogether? We’d like your ‘expert’ opinions on this one……… This picture is taken from the collection of the late Percival Moss, who tailored the uniforms for the Malay States Guides.

We thank Nicholas Jennings for these lovely pictures. Here we have ‘Rosedale’, a cosy Malay-style house on Kledang Hill. This house was once owned by J A S Jennings (better known as Jack Jennings) – the former Editor of the Times of Malaya. Do notice the two gun holsters on Jennings’ belt! Standing next to […]

(This was sent to us by IpohBornKid) This picture was taken way back in 1961. That’s about the only thing we’re sure of. Maybe someone out there could help us with the following questions: Was this taken at the Ipoh Padang? Who are these pretty girls? What was the occasion for the costumes? Come on! […]

Yes, these boys seem to have found a solution for the hot weather 🙂 This picture was sent to us by Edwin Siebel. Apprently, this was taken at Teluk Anson (Teluk Intan). Anyone know WHERE in Teluk Anson this is? Was it taken at a swimming club? Note: This picture was taken on 31st May 1956 😉

MI You may have noticed two comments and a Chatterbox entry from a new reader Yip Chee Whye (Chee Whye Yip) who is looking to find his old school friends of 1956 and in particular he is seeking Mr. Ooi Kim Huat and Mr. Eddie Che. He presently lives in UK but says he will […]

Here’s a lovely coloured postcard of St Michael’s Institution. Care to guess the date of this picture? Needless to say, those palm trees aren’t there anymore….and the space behind the school building is now where the new Primary Block is. You can also see St John’s Anglican Church; notice also a green-roofed mansion (top most […]

Here’s another little sharing by IpohBornKid, about a school trip to Penang with his friends! This picture was taken in the 1950s where Mr Quah Kuan Teik took a bus load of ACS boys to Penang. It was a most memorable trip and of course, we gave the old boy heaps but he remained firm […]

We seem to be getting quite a few old photographs to identify recently and therefore decided to give you all a treat today with an extra Tuesday blog. This well-worn photograph was taken somewhere here in the 1940’s. Just look at the fashion of the day! The question is – where is it? The owner thinks […]

We know some of you out there love mysteries! Well, here’s one for you (see picture below). Familiar? At first I thought it was the Shaik Adam Mosque (along Clayton Road, next to St Michael’s Institution)…..but then, could there be another building around the country with a similar design? By the way, this picture was […]

You, our smart readers from across the world have so far managed to identify almost anything we have thrown at you. Now we are becoming so well known that we are being sent some photos that could be anywhere in Malaysia, like this one. But actually it is thought to be in the Ipoh area […]

Can anyone guess the street? We think this picture was probably taken in the 1960s (we could be wrong though). Notice the banner that says ‘Clearance Sale’…..I wonder which store was advertising their goods on this day?

Familiar? Recognise any landmarks? Let us know 🙂 By the way, this picture was sent to us by IpohBornKid……

I know some of our fans out there love looking at old photographs. Well, here’s a nice panorama for you! Bet some of you are already trying to guess WHERE this place is! 🙂

Yes, it was WAY BACK in 1957…..when we saw Gregory Peck play the role of Captain Ahab! They don’t make movie posters like they used to…..same can be said for the ‘cinema-experience’ that made cinema halls like Rex, Ruby, Lido, etc. favourite haunts. The poster we have here is from Edwin Siebel.

Here’s another gem – the Iskandar Bridge, Kuala Kangsar! Anyone care to guess the year? Perhaps you could tell us MORE about this bridge…..

Bet you didn’t know that THIS (picture above) was what the Turf Club‘s grandstand looked like back in 1919! 😉 Of course it’s different now, after all those renovations. But we’re lucky to have such a unique picture to add to our collection. A special thanks to Nicholas Jennings who sent this to us 🙂

Ah! Some of you might be recalling fond memories of this place 🙂 Yes, this is none other than the Japanese Garden, along Tambun Road (Jalan Raja DiHilir).

For those of you (the younger generation like myself!) who didn’t know, THIS is what the Hugh Low Bridge used to look like 😉 Yes, this was before those strange towers were erected along the bridge…. We thank Edwin Siebel for this beautiful picture.

And that is just about all we know about this picture which we are led to believe was taken in the 1960s. So come on guys and girls, stop looking at all those Bersih videos and photos and help us out with this one please. Judging by all the cups, shields and other trophys they […]

You know the Sri Maju bus station? Well, this was what the main building looked like before the bus company took over (see picture below). To what we know, this mansion was once the family home of Dato’ Yeoh Kian Teik (Michelle Yeoh’s father). We thank Ian Latham for sending us this picture 🙂

We thank IpohBornKid for this story of Chong Soon Fan, who was the Penghulu of Menglembu during the Japanese Occupation in Malaya. Mr Chong Soon Fan, JP, The Penghulu of Menglembu The “Kapitan Chinas” in the Kinta Valley or Tin Mining Towkays, in Ipoh, have been well described by Dr Ho Tak Ming, […]

We have yet another school picture here – but we don’t know the year nor the school. Care to give us a hand? 🙂

Familiar? Well, those of you who followed the fashion trends of the different eras would know this look 😉 Fashion aside, do you recognise the place? Where is this fountain, where the lovely ladies are standing next to? Judging from the school buses in the background, this was probably a school field trip….

This was brought to our attention by Mark Lay of Kinta Heritage. Apprently, there’s been some ‘activity’ going on along Jalan Mustapha Al-Bakri (New Town) recently. From the notice that MBI put up, it appears to be “small renovation works”. Really? Well, we’ll let the pictures (below) be the judge of that! So much for […]

We had some comments in one of our blogs regarding those weight-cards – the ones which had a picture of a celebrity in the front and the weight written on the reverse. Well, here’s a sample of what some people might called an ‘artifact’ 🙂 Front of card Back of card

Yes, we have another class photo! This time, we’re clueless about the year; all we know is these smiling faces seem to be Prefects from St Michael’s Institution. Are you in this photo? Or, do you know anyone in this photo? Looking forward to your comments 🙂

For those who have been waiting patiently, here is UV’s Episode 8 of ‘Schooling in Ipoh’! 🙂 Episode 8: Schooling in Ipoh Life in Lower Six quickly went by. Soon we became the seniors and new Lower Six students were coming in. Many of those, especially those from MGS Ipoh were my friends from […]

We know that many of our fans out there know Ipoh inside out! Well, could you tell us WHERE this part of town is? (picture below) This picture was taken during the great floods….perhaps you may find some clues in the shop signs? Happy guessing 🙂

We thank Ignatius Chew for these pictures – taken at the Anglo-Chinese School (ACS) Ipoh, in the 1930s. Perhaps Ignatius or any of the other ‘Old Salts’ (as they call themselves) could tell us MORE? 🙂 Looking forward to your comments! We did better than just comments for AP(at)IpohBornKid sent us the following picture […]

We have here a picture of the interior of Soon Yik Goldsmith shop. This picture was apprently taken when this famous duo (the lady with a knee length dress and the gentleman in a suit) visited the shop. Do you know these celebrities? I’m sure there’s a little story that goes with this picture – if […]

This picture was sent to us by Hasbi, who also provided us with some information: 1. 6th December 1927 – The Grand Hotel building which housed The Anglo-Chinese Girls School turned again into hotel. 2. 29th December 1928 – Grand Hotel new Dance Hall and Lounge were opened Saturday night by Mrs. E. A. Dickson, wife […]

Calling all Sam Tet alumni! Can you guess the year this picture was taken? Do you know WHO they are? Maybe someone out there was once in this happy group…. 🙂 And, what about the flags? We look forward to hearing from you.

From the recent comments we’ve had, some of you love looking at old photographs. Well, today you’re in for another treat! We estimate the date of this photograph to be 1926, around the time of the great flood. The picture shows part of Station Road – notice the sign on the far right “Charles Grenier […]

Making a rough guess, I think this was taken in the early 1940s (although I could be wrong). Is the arch still there in the present Kinta Swimming Club building? Tell us MORE….especially all you Ipoh-natives out there who know your hometown so well! 🙂

I’m sure many of you are grinning and nodding your heads at this picture! Yes, this is what Medan Kidd looked liked in the late 1960s. Some of the buses shown in the picture have seen better days, but they still make their way round the town 🙂 There was some talk about giving this […]

We had a request for a picture of the famous Rose Villa. Here is one taken around 1982 (to see what it looked like inside, click here). This mansion was once owned by Towkay Leong Tian – a miner and philanthropist. Sadly, the mansion (which was along Gopeng Road) is not there anymore. After it […]

We have here a rare picture of the Capitol Cinema, which was along Anderson Road, Ipoh. From what we’ve found out, this cinema was a ‘victim’ of a fire almost 20 years ago. Since then, the vacant site was turned into a car park. Sometime last year, the car park closed and the site is […]

Here’s part three of our little series! Can you guess the street? There are quite a number of clues in this one…so, keep those comments coming! 🙂

Recognise this street? I’m sure you do…..especially those familiar landmarks on either side of the street 😉 For those who don’t know where this place is, keep following our blog – look out for the comments from those who know Ipoh like the back of their hand!

The picture may not be that clear, but do YOU know which part of Ipoh this is? The aerial view shot dates back roughly to 1967/68. On the far left of the picture is the Ipoh Motors Ltd building…THAT should give you all a clue! Happy guessing 🙂

We have here a Malayan Airways airplane, parked near the permetre fence of the airport. I’m sure it brings back memories of the Ipoh Airport a long time ago! From what we’ve heard, there have been plans to revive this airport – anyone know MORE about this? Do share it with us…..it would be a […]

This item was used by an Ipoh based, Kinta Valley surveyor in the 1950s. What is it? Sadly we have no budget for prizes – indeed, very little budget for anything, but if you get it right at least you can walk tall among your friends as the man who knows his Ipoh artifacts. A second […]

We have here a picture of Cedric and an antique car (note the number plate!). This picture of Cedric and the Austin 7 was sent to us by Nicholas Jennings. Now, what about the building in the background, which is under construction? Here’s a tiny clue: this picture was taken around 1961….so, this building was […]

I’m sure some of you remember what this part of Ipoh looked like – way back in 1967/68. Of course, now….a LOT has changed! The SHELL station has been renovated a number of times. As for the row of shop houses beside the SHELL station; well the half nearer to the junction is now Maybank, […]

Yes, there was a Rex cinema in Kampar! Of course, it’s not in use now….last I checked it was boarded up. Anyone care to tell us MORE about this place? We look forward to your comments!

Do you know what / where this place is? Any clues? Well, I’m sure there are some sleuths out there who are cracking their brains – trying to figure out this little mystery! Good luck to you all….we hope for LOTS of feedback/comments 😉

Those of you who grew up in Kampar might recognise this landmark. Yes, this is the Great World amusement centre – almost like Ipoh’s Jubilee Park! We’d like to hear stories (as many as possible, of course!) about this place….I’m sure some of you out there have fond memories……

…..that back in 1956, the Anderson Road Playground was affected by floods? (see picture below) Notice the cars….as they drive through the water-logged road. Anyone recall this incident? Got any stories to share?

Fancy ‘IPOH’ being written in 4 different languages! To what we know, this picture was taken in 1958; we don’t know the place nor the people in the picture. Have you seen this multi-lingual signboard around the town? We await your comments and feedback!

Here we have a picture of the Ipoh Golf Clubhouse, which was printed on a postcard. Care to guess the year (a rough estimate will do)? I for one don’t remember the club house looking like this… Is this the same club house along Tiger Lane today? Or was there another club house somewhere else in Ipoh?

Back in 1919, there was a terrible flood in Ipoh town (as you see in the picture here, sent to us by Nicholas Jennings). This part of Ipoh is just off Panglima Lane (or Concubine Lane, as it were). What we’re curious to know more about is the name of this particular shop in the […]

This was sent to us by Nicholas Jennings. Does anyone recognise the building in the background? The only clue we have is that: upon close inspection, we noticed that this building was built in 1914. Other than that, we’re stumped! Looking forward to some feedback 🙂

We have here a 1966 class photo from the National Type Primary School of Jalan Pasir Puteh (NTPS JPP). Our donor, Rosebud, told us that Chan Wan Seong (featured in a previous blog – ‘Badminton Hero from Ipoh’) can be seen standing in the back row, 6th from the left. Can you spot anyone else […]

Recognise this place? Here we have a van advertising Sam Poh Medicated Oil – if you look closely, this same van was in the picture of the ‘Mercedes Hill’ (which was featured in an earlier blog post). The van here is seen parked outside an unknown shop. Next to this shop is Sharikat Kin Wah […]

We have here a picture which is said to be the Kinta Swimming Pool. As many of you know, this pool has undergone quite a make-over (as stated in the previous blog). More about the Kinta Swimming Club can be found here. Do you know which year (roughly) this picture was taken? Do share your […]

We thank Nicholas Jennings for this gem – yes, there was a great flood in Ipoh in 1919! I’m sure some of you recognise the street and the famous white building in the background.

Notice the hill in the background? Yes, this is the SAME hill which once ‘advertised’ the Mercedes symbol 🙂 Of course, now the symbol is gone….apparently it’s been replaced with 4 large white letters which spell out IPOH – almost similar to the famous HOLLYWOOD sign in California! But I will always remember the Mercedes symbol […]

From the recent blog posts, we know some of you out there know almost EVERY street in Ipoh! Which is a good thing, since today we have a little mystery for you – do you know which street this (picture above) is? Looking forward to all your comments! 😀

I’m sure many of you recognise the bridge in these two pictures. A lot has changed, hasn’t it? The bridge doesn’t look like this now – and the traffic has increased too! Can anyone guess the year these pictures were taken? Looking forward to your comments 🙂

Can you guess this street? It’s somewhere in Ipoh, to what we know. Anyone knows WHERE?

We have here a picture taken outside the Grand Hotel, Ipoh. This picture was taken on Christmas 1917, according to our donor Nicholas Jennings. Recognise anyone in the picture? A relative perhaps? Do let us know. We thank Nicholas for this picture via email.

Here we have a 1960s picture of the Ipoh Swimming Club. Yes, I found it hard to believe it myself! This picture was sent to us by Nicholas Jennings.

This is a picture of Chan Wan Seong, a former student of Anderson School, Ipoh. This former Perak Junior Champion (badminton) was featured alongside the Veteren Men’s Doubles Pair of Ong Sin Oong & Woon Tong Yeong – in the Metro Sports section of the Star newspaper (dated 14 August 2010). We thank S K […]

There’s been requests of pictures of J A S Jennings’ gravestone. Thanks to Nicholas Jennings, here are an old and new picture of the grave. Hope this helps in terms of trying to find the grave. If anyone can provide us with more details, please do! All we know is that these pictures were taken […]

We received this from Diana McGavin. This picture was taken at her christening, in December 1947, at St Andrew’s Church. In the background is the manse (featured in a previous blog), where Diana and her friends attended Sunday School (around 1955). Like some of our readers, she too hopes that this building will be saved!

This scenic haven can be found just outside Ipoh – on the Simpang Pulai/Cameron Highlands road. This dam is rather unique, because it has a hot spring at the picnic area (further downstream). We thank Coleman Chin for the picture and the short description. Have anyone of you been to this place? We’d like to […]

We have recently learnt that: the vicarage adjacent to St Andrew’s Church will be demolished by the Parish. The church is located at Golf Club Road, Ipoh. The building is said to be ‘too old’ and will be replaced with a more modern structure. This building once housed Tenby School; which was set up in 1960 […]

Aren’t they cute? Well, this adorable pair are the de Lucy twins (once featured in our blog). When was the last time YOU played dress-up? I’m sure you have some fun stories to share!

We thank Charlie Choong for this postcard – featuring an aerial view of Ipoh. From the building at the bottom left, you can certainly guess which part of town this is! Also notice that there was once a roundabout near the Ipoh Padang….

Here we have a picture of St Joseph’s Church, in Batu Gajah. From what we know, the church was built in 1882. This picture was taken around 1957.

Today’s feature is none other then the Star Barbershop, at Belfield Street. Star Air-Conditioned Hair Dressing Salon, 97 Belfield Street (now Jalan Sultan Yussuf) IPOH 30000 The Star Hair Dressing Salon came into being in 1927, it was started by Megarai Karuppiah with just 2 barbers – Katchiappan and Manickam – and the […]

Some of our fans out there love old photos. Hence we decided to feature this one on our blog today. Here’s one of J A S Jennings (Editor of Times of Malaya) and his wife Freda – being chauffeur driven round the town. In the background is the first Times of Malaya Building.

Yes, folks! Today’s blog is a tribute to the Ipoh Tree – the picture we have here was taken (by S Y Lee) just outside the Ipoh Railway Station. Below is the plaque with an explanation. Besides the Railway Station, the Ipoh Tree (also known as the Epu / Upas Tree) can also be found at […]

It is said that the main building of the Angle Chinese School (ACS) was ‘erected and opened in 1914’. It was also said to have a ‘landmark, Edwardian-style building’ which stood ‘parallel to Lahat Road’. Interestingly, this building was designed by C H LaBrooy! (for more on ACS, click here) This picture here was sent […]

Here’s a Day and Night shot of Cathay Theatre (when it was STILL a cinema) – notice that the mall behind Cathay was Ocean (now, it’s The Store). We thank Valerie for these pictures who has now provided the following additional information: “The dayshot was taken in the morning of October 1998 when the street was […]

We have here a picture (sent to us by Phoebe) of the Kinta Lodge. Notice the members in their Freemason Regalia – particularly the interesting designs on the Aprons! From what we’ve gathered, the first Masonic Hall was along Maxwell Road. The building was later taken over by Anderson School. Then, the Masons moved to […]

Here we have two pictures from S Y Lee – teams of the Perak Chinese Recreation Club, Chung Thye Phin Road. You will notice the old wooden building in the photo of the footballers. The present building is quite ugly but functional and built at the minimum price. The Inter CRC Ladies Hockey Champions (1951) SY says: […]

…there was this corner shop (see picture below). Your task for today: tell us a little more about this shop. Is it still there? Perhaps it’s been turned into something else? There also seems to be a tiny booth just outside the shop. I wonder what the booth was for…..

Here we have another picture from Robin Tan’s collection. He is seen here (in red) with some friends at the Ipoh Airport. In the background is the Jetfox 97, and on the extreme left is part of the airport’s control tower. As stated in the caption, Tony (white shirt, with shades) used to airdrop payrolls […]

The proud owner of this beauty is none other than William McKenzie (the man with the hat, standing by the car). McKenzie, as we were told, was the Manager of the Ulu Piah Mine in Ipoh. This picture was taken in the 1920s. A big thanks to Phoebe for the picture and the little details.

Today we’re featuring the charming ladies from the AIA Sports Club Christmas Eve Party. Yes, don’t they look lovely 😉 Anyone of you out there remember them? We’d like to know their names (and perhaps, a little more about the party too!). We would like to thank Ed Cheong for this photograph. 🙂

Some of you might remember this bungalow – at No.50, Gopeng Road (also known as Midhurst). The bungalow belonged to J A S Jennings (Editor of the Times of Malaya). These pictures (below) were sent to us by Jennings’ grandson Nicholas. We were told that this bungalow was built in the late 1920s. After Jennings’ […]

The Cubs from NTPS, 1960 We thank SK Ong for the above picture. Perhaps some of you out there are in this picture; looking smart in your Cubs uniform and cap 😉 I remember being part of the Red Crescent Society – it took me a while to learn the RIGHT WAY to tie an arm sling! […]

Familiar? For those of you who are stumped, this is the Raja Perempuan School (RPS) – which is along Chung Thye Phin Road (opposite Main Convent Primary School). We’d like you to have a guess at the date of this picture (we don’t know ourselves!). Maybe if anyone of you know the history of the […]

I’m sure the Ipoh-ites out there are grinning at this picture (courtesy of Jeffrey Liew) – especially those who frequently travelled along Club Road (Jalan Panglima Bukit Gantang)! Remember the Milano Tailor? I wonder where he is now…..since this building is no longer around (so much for ‘development’). Yes 🙁 sadly this is now an empty lot […]

This is the staff of the Anglo-Chinese School (ACS), Ipoh. Could anyone tell us the year (a rough guess would do too)? And, perhaps if you can remember these teachers – we’d love to hear from you 🙂 I’m sure some of you ACS-alumni out there are already searching your ‘database’! We thank Joshua Anantham […]

We have here a picture of a dredge in Pengkalan. This picture was taken quite some time ago, when it sank and rested neatly on the bottom of the pool, hence it probably looks different today. I do wonder what’s become of this dredge: were there plans to save it, like the TT5? Or, if not maintained…it might […]

This was sent to us by Robin Tan. According to Robin, Mr Radcliffe (in white shorts) used to take him sailing when they were not gliding. Yes! Gliding – as the Kinta Valley was a suitable place, since it was blessed with many hills. Even the climate gave the much needed thermal boost for gliding. Plus, […]

Still in the party-mood? Well, these girls are! Looks like they’re all doing the Conga…. 😀 I’m sure some of you recognise the place (judging from the background). The year was 1964 – were you in the Conga line too? Were you at this party?

This was taken at the Ipoh Girl Guides’ Hut (Wisma Pandu Putri), at Greentown – near the Jalan Abdul Jalil football field. The girl guides appear to be dressed in national costumes from around the world, while dancing round the May Pole. Are you in this picture? Do point yourself out – and maybe tell us […]

Remember the old fire brigade at Brewster Road? Here we have two pictures of the fire brigade’s compound – showing the girls from the Main Convent. These girls were part of the Firefighter Cadets Club, which was established in the school in the 1980s. The fire brigade has moved to another premise (opposite the Perak […]

We have here the front page of the Times of Malaya, dated 7 December 1936. Yes, the Times of Malaya was Ipoh’s FIRST NEWSPAPER – which began publication in 1904. Two years after its first publication, the paper welcomed a new Editor; none other than J A S Jennings (picture below). For the next 30 years or so, […]

This myterious bungalow was supposedly built during British rule in the early 20th Century. It was once the home of a rubber estate Manager. Later, a Chinese Miner bought it. Since 1 January 1960, the Perak Local Defense Force used it as its base. Now, this bungalow has become the HQ for the Markas Rejimen […]

Here we have Miss Telekom (centre), with the 1st and 2nd Runners-up. This was back in the 1950s. Do you remember them? The winner and queen of the contest is Ms Asmah and her runner up on the right is Lee Lai Quan (or Kwan). Can anyone give us the name of the other runner […]

…..this little boy got all dressed up and posed for a photograph! This photograph was taken in 1954; notice the large shady trees in the background – something Ipoh once boasted about! Do you know WHERE this place is? Perhaps the fencing would give you a clue…

After ‘reuniting’ those from ACS, Anderson and NTPS Pasir Puteh……we’re now calling out to the “Sons of St Michael’s Institution ” ! Here we have Std. 6 D, all the way from 1969. Come on, Michaelians….don’t be shy. We KNOW some of you out there might have been in this class. Do point yourselves out…and maybe tell […]

This is No.14, Tiger Lane (Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah) – back in 1948. To what we know, the Clemetson family lived here and they were well known to the Iversens (B M Iversen‘s family). After the family left, the house remained empty. Sadly, now it is almost ‘invisible’ from the main road – with the grass growing […]

A watch tower? Or maybe (yet) another clock tower? I’m sure you’ve noticed this tower, which is still under construction. The question is: Why? We’re clueless ourselves – why build, not 1 but 4, towers along the Hugh Low Bridge? If you have more information on this project, do let us know!

The Anglo-Chinese School (ACS) was the first English school (and first Christian mission school too!) in the Kinta Valley. This school was established by the Methodist Episcopal Mission in 1895. It was said that just five days after his arrival, Rev W E Horley opened ACS in a small attap-roof Malay house rented from Datoh Panglima […]

This is the first Times of Malaya building, which was along Post Office Road. The first issue of Ipoh’s first newspaper was published on 9th March 1904. 2 years later, the newspaper was taken over by J A S Jennings – who remained the paper’s most influential editor for a good 30 years! In the […]

This picture was sent to us by Ruth Rollit, the daughter of the Danish architect B M Iversen. Familiar? No? This is what the interior of the Lido Cinema looks like today – as you can see, it’s not longer a cinema. Lido has now been converted into Florex Restaurant. In this picture, the raised […]

At that time, this $ 600,000 cinema was considered luxurious. It was declared open by His Highness Raja Sir Izzudin Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Abdul Jalil (the Sultan of Perak), on the eve of Chinese New Year. Designed by B M Iversen, this fully air-conditioned cinema (with its ‘colossal 75-foot tower of jade tiles’), stood […]

Recognise this? This picture was taken outside the Secondary School Assembly Hall, of the HIJ Convent, Ipoh. We were also told that this was the 1964 Senior Cambridge Class. It was sent to us by Sybil. Thank you for sharing it. Calling all Convent girls – are you somewhere in this picture? If so, do […]

Now here’s a sight for sore eyes! It is 1963 and the boys and girls (boys in drag!) of Pasir Puteh are putting on “Old King Cole”. Which one is you? Do write in if you recognise yourself or anyone else. And here we have Standard II in 1961. Wah didn’t you all look like little angels […]

Those were the days: when the traffic in Ipoh was rather scarce, and riding around the town on a bicycle was SAFE! Here we have some youngsters riding past the Lido Cinema. This Iversen building is no longer a cinema now; if I’m not mistaken it’s been turned into Florex Restaurant. Playing in the cinema at […]

Once upon a time, at the YMCA in Ipoh….. ….men and women (young and old) danced the night away! Was it a competition, or just another social event? When was this event held at the YMCA? Perhaps, some of you out there are in the picture! We await your feedback, especially if you were one of these […]

Wery well known and a beauty from young, when I came across the picture I could not resist putting it up. Who is she and what can you tell us about her.