Lampang vows to preserve historic Leonowens House after Phrae trashes heritage 

By The Nation

 

 

After the demolition of an iconic 131-year-old building in Phrae province caused nationwide uproar, authorities in neighbouring Lampang have vowed to preserve their own precious heritage gem.

 

Lampang residents had feared the 114-year-old Louis T Leonowens House would meet the same fate as Phrae’s Bombay Burma Trading Corporation building, since some parts have already been removed. The house in Lampang belonged to the son of Anna Leonowens – the tutor of King Mongkut (Rama IV) immortalised in the film “The King and I”.

 

However, Lampang authorities said work was being carried out on the Louis T Leonowens' House to preserve the building rather destroy it, after the ageing structure became ramshackle.

 

The restoration work is being carried out by the Fine Arts Department and Lampang’s Dept of Public Works and Town & Country Planning, said dept official Prateep Prakongwong.

 

Meanwhile, Phrae’s governor said the province now wants to reconstruct the colonial-style Bombay Burma building with the help of a blueprint kept by the Fine Arts Department. 

 

Governor Karnprempree Chitanon said the reconstruction project was hatched in 2018 and would be discussed with visiting department officials on Friday (June 19).

 

The project was proposed in 2017 but only approved in 2019, with an estimated budget of Bt6.7 million.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30389853

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-06-18

 

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Hopefully they have no statues to destroy. Good that these beautiful teak structures can be preserved.

What about Vimanmek Palace in Bangkok?