The coastal town of Kuala Sepatang, formerly known as Port Weld.

Kuala Sepetang formerly known as Port Weld is a coastal town located near Taiping, it was originally named after a former British Governor, Frederick Weld.
This coastal town which appears to be like any other coastal town in the country differs from the rest in that it has a rich history that goes back to the late 1800’s.





The first railway track in the country was laid here, although it was only a mere 12.8km linking Taiping and Port Weld. It played a very significant role at the time for the tin mining trade.
Taiping was the capital of Perak and centre of the lucrative Larut tin mining area, while Port Weld (now Kuala Sepetang) was an important port for steamers and trade vessels from Penang. The railway line was to become an important link for the export of tin to Europe and the United States.Construction of the line began in 1882 with two divisions of Pioneer Corps from Ceylon, the legacy of the Pioneer Corps from Ceylon can still be seen today with the Ceylonese Association building still present in Taiping town.
The line was opened to traffic on June 1 1882, apparently 60 years after the first railway line was opened between Stockton and Darlington in England.
Another interesting event I found during my search for more information on this historic railway line is that during the Japanese occupation, the rails was dug up to be used for the construction of the infamous Death Railway in Siam by prisoners of war.

Sadly today, there is little evidence the line ever existed, the only prominent visible evidence that a train line ever existed here is an old stone sign written in four languages.


Excellent fresh seafood can be gotten here and it has a seafood restaurant situated on the upper floor of a building overlooking the estuary where fishing boats disembarked and the day’s catch is unloaded and traded.


Seafood fresh from the sea.

The village is also very popular with its Curry Mee stall where the railway line used to run right beneath its concrete floor.

My brother in law and family having the popular Port Weld curry mee.





Kuala Sepetang currently has a thriving fishing community with charcoal making being the next
active economic activity.

A Little Known Arch Bridge.

Every so often when I go to my favorite place to pursue my butterfly photo taking hobby, there is this bridge I see that somehow gives me the feeling it had gone through better times and had played an important role in the past.

Found near the entrance to the Bukit Larut water catchment area, next to a Hindu temple, it is occasionally given a good cleaning by a group of people I suspect to be from some historical society. Not withstanding the fact that it has come to be noticed by a group that matters, the lack of information about the bridge is surprising.

I was not able to find any documented history about it, apart from a brief video introduction of it posted in “You Tube” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8i4Q39iARo) that speculates it was built in 1914.

Asking the few people I come across there on the historical background of the bridge, has drawn totally irritating and ignorant answers and I am being kind with my words. It appears to some people that history, heritage and culture have no bearings in life!

The bridge construction and design is definitely British in style and I also observe the bricks used are similar to the ones used to construct Fort Ngah Ibrahim which was built in the late 1800s located not too far away. From the small width of the bridge, I would imagine it was built in an era where automotive transport was non existence in this part of the world and is meant more as a walking path, it is not even wide enough to use elephants for crossing. It is possible that when it was built, it was the only route available to gain access to this area.

I will not be surprised if more than a few high ranking colonial masters of the past with their lady companions was hand carried over this bridge in sedan chairs manned by local coolies to enjoy afternoon tea in the cooler foothill surroundings.

Pamplet of Information for Travellers dated 1921 by FMS Railways.

The FMS Railways 1921 Pamphlet of Information for Traveller's description of Taiping Town of that era is most interesting, with the exception of the rifle range, golf course and race course which is now non existent, the rest are still there.
It goes without saying the Indian Regiment has now been replaced.

Maxwell Hill, now known as Bukit Larut used to be, at the time was reserved for the rest and recreation (or should it be recuperation) for the whites, where the cooler climate was found to be more humane, especially when you are expected to be dressed in all white starched cotton suits all the time, working in a harsh, hot and humid environment without air conditioning.

The Taik Ho & Company mentioned, where you can arrange coolies and chairs to ferry visitors up to the top of the hill, a physically torturous 10 km hike, is still around today.

The picture below, showing part of the Lake Garden in the 1920's compared to what can be seen today, almost 10 decades later, surprisingly still shows many similarities.

Note the fork end of the road between the 2 pictures.

Taiping Airport a.k.a Tekah Aerodrome.

Built by the British in 1929, the Taiping Aerodrome as the Brits would have preferred to called it, was one of the first airfield built in Peninsular Malaysia, the other being in Alor Setar at around the same time.

Due to the short runway of about 1.3 km with a mix surface of tarmac and grass, it was only suitable for small planes like the Fokkers.

Through the years, I recall from memory, it was used as a military airfield in the 70 to 8o's. I remember watching the air force's Caribous twin props landing in it a couple of times in the afternoon while fishing in the disused tin mine ponds located next to it as a young boy.

The Airport "check-in and departure terminal" .

I also recall there was a short period of time during the 90's where commercial flights was available to KL, Ipoh and Penang using Chinese made planes type YB 55 , I think.

There was also a point in time where the Taiping Aerodrome made air transport history, as it was at this airfield Sukarno and Mohd Hatta, the first president and former vice-president of Indonesia landed in 1945 after the surrender of the Japanese forces, to discuss independence for Malaya and Indonesia with Dr.Burhanuddin and Ibrahim Yaacob, leaders of the Union of Peninsular Indonesians for joint independence for both nations. The Brits found it unagreeable and Indonesia went on to gain independence not long after, with Malaya still under the Brits.

The tallest structure in the aerodrome is what used to be, the "Control Tower".


The status of the aerodrome currently, I believe is no longer functioning and is sadly in a state of neglect, abandoned would be a better word to describe it, with only very minimal upkeep done, the grass on the runway is still being mowed and that is about it. The fence forming the parameter of the airfield is partially broken. There is a make shift soccer field built by the locals at the far end of the runway and I saw, I think, Tae Kwon Do classes being conducted in one of the empty sheds of what is left of an administration office.

The eco friendly "grass runway".



An on going soccer game on the "runway" and the "Tarmac" part of the runway.



The Taiping Aerodrome although being one of the first airfield to be built in the country would unfortunately, due to its close proximity to Penang International Airport and Ipoh Airport both
being more strategically located, would never see itself being develop further and at best will most likely serve out its purpose as a possible emergency airfield for light aircraft.

Bronze statue of Robert Sandilands Frowd Walker.

I had been driving passed this statue of one of our past colonial master for more times than I can count through the years and finally curiosity got the better of me.

Immortalised in bronze, His Excellency RSF Walker stands proud in the court yard of the Perak Museum today.

(Photo below taken from http://absolutginger.wordpress.com/ with permission.)



Such work of art would certainly require a capable sculptor and the name of the sculptor was found on the bottom right hand side of the statue. A well known sculptor of the era, Charles Leonard Hartwell was born at Blackheath in 1893 and studied sculpture at Lambeth under W.S. Frith and then at the Royal Academy School, he was made Royal Academician in 1924 and died in 1951.

Amongst Hartwell's more well known other works are:-

1. Bronze bust of Lord Oxford and Asquith for the City of London School.

2. Bronze figure "Glory of the Dead" which forms part of the Armagh War Memorial in

Northern Ireland.

3. Bronze bust of Sir Quickstone Browne at the Royal College of Surgeons.

4. Stone Tablet of Sir Henry Wilson, summounted by a bronze wreath.

Fort Ngah Ibrahim

Fort Ngah Ibrahim located in Matang near Taiping, is a place worthy of a visit if you are in town. It has recently completed renovation and the exhibits given a new lease of life, being off the normal tourist trail it's existence is not known to many.

The discovery of tin ......

Inside the fort .....

The Larut Wars -
Ngah Ibrahim's room -


Court in session -

The actual room used for detention in the fort -

The fort during the Japanese occupation -

British Instruments used during the era -

Excavation work carried out -

The man himself -

In the year 2007, Ngah Ibrahim's remains was finally returned from it's long exile in Singapore and laid to rest in his very own fort.