Phuket’s new 'Whisky Mansion' park set to open soon

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Phuket’s new 'Whisky Mansion' park set to open soon
Khemin Wicheetthagoon

PHUKET: -- A newly created public park on what used to be the site of a rice spirit factory on Wichitsongkram Rd in Kathu is on target to open to the public at the end of this month.

After seven months’ work and B11.4 million spent, the park around an abandoned Sino-Portuguese mansion, known locally as the Long Lao (Whisky Mansion) now has green space with shady trees, a sala, exercise machines and a stage for concerts, with a toilet block behind it.

The abandoned Sino-Portuguese mansion that used to house the distillery will provide the visual focus of the park. Another will be a large and venerable banyan tree.

Scruffy sheds along both sides of the mansion have been demolished and the house itself – which belongs to the Treasury Department but was leased out until recently to the rice spirit maker Surathipsritalung Co – is to undergo renovation, which will take a lot longer.

Unlike the park, which has been paid for by Kathu Municipality, the mansion repairs are being underwritten by the Provincial Administration Organisation (OrBorJor) and the Fine Arts Department (FAD).

The FAD requires that renovation must be carried out to strict criteria, using original materials, and only after the history of the building has been carefully researched to ensure that no inappropriate materials and building methods are used. This makes the cost very high.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket%E2%80%99s-new-%E2%80%98whisky-mansion%E2%80%99-park-set-to-open-soon-43437.php


-- Phuket News 2013-12-13