The Hubback Brothers Tribute

Hello Dr. Gywnn .... Hurm, a rather interesting pi...

2012-02-01T16:29:01.023+08:00

Hello Dr. Gywnn .... Hurm, a rather interesting piece of information you have there. In fact, according to A.B. submission to the A.R.I.B.A., it does state Offices FMS Railways in Penang circa 1904. We have yet to identify the building but could it have been Wisma Kastam? Everytime I get off the jetty in Penang I begin to ponder ... could the building be actually on Beach Street or was it in Butterworth?

As to why C.E. Spooners signature maybe on the document, you can look up our Facebook Page where Mr. Omar Ibrahim has shared some ideas on the possible 'political' & 'organizational' climate of that period at The Hubbacks 'Facebook' Page .......

I came across C.E.Spooner's signature on the b...

2011-12-15T22:34:26.060+08:00

I came across C.E.Spooner's signature on the bottom of the drawings for George Town's FMS railway station - on Penang Island. The building began in 1902 but sufferd problems with its piling as the land was reclaimed land - it was finally finished in 1907 I think. Other's tell me it was designed by A B Hubback - any thoughts on this?
And thank you for a great blog!

I am writing about ships built at Porthmadog. One...

2011-07-27T23:15:19.459+08:00

I am writing about ships built at Porthmadog. One of them was the C.E.Spooner, built 1878. This was named after Charles Easton Spooner who ran the Festiniog Railway for c 30 years. The family were wealthy and lived in a large Victorian stone house in its own grounds overlooking Porthmadog and the estuary of the rivers Dwyryd and Glaslyn.The ship set the record for an Atlantic crossing, west to east, in 13 days.

Charles Edwin was a son of Charles Easton and went to Malaya. He appeared to have gone to Ceylon in 1876 and then to Malaya, where he is asociated wih Kuala Lumpur and buildings as well as railways.

He came from a railway engineering family. His brother Percival went to India in the 1870s and was working on railways in East Bengal.

Curiously, a ship built at Borthygest, Porthmadog called the Pride of Wales worked in the Indian Ocean as a charter mail ship for the Indian government, and made visits to Indonesia and Malaya. She also visited Ceylon.

Any further information would be welcome at johnidrisjones@btinternet.com

John Idris Jones
Ruthin, North Wales

Hey En. Omar, OMG! How could I have missed that? M...

2011-06-19T18:32:16.129+08:00

Hey En. Omar, OMG! How could I have missed that? Must have been too sleepy then ... :)

Lloyd,Thanks a lot for sharing the list. The third...

2011-06-15T09:05:37.007+08:00

Lloyd,Thanks a lot for sharing the list. The third last building in the list, noted by you as [not legible], is Mosque, Kuala Lumpur and this building is now known as Masjid Jamek,Kuala Lumpur. Also I have shared some info about Malay Residential School on your facebook. Regards, Omar Ibrahim

Dear En. Omar, Many thanks for your comments and...

2011-06-14T11:23:07.415+08:00

Dear En. Omar,

Many thanks for your comments and I am sorry for not replying you earlier. I had been focusing on other projects at hand. Anyhow, please call me Lloyd and I have posted the article on Brig. General A. B. Hubback's R.I.B.A. submission as per your request. Good luck and happy hunting!

Dear "Hubback Brothers Tribute", My earl...

2011-06-13T23:02:43.234+08:00

Dear "Hubback Brothers Tribute", My earlier comment on 28 May refers. Thank you for your reply and hoping that the list of buildings will be made known soon. In the meantime, could you confirm that one of the buildings in Mr Hubback's RIBA submission is Malay Residential School Kuala Kangsar. I have some facts about this building that I would like to share.Omar Ibrahim

Hello sembangkuala, thanks for dropping by! It'...

2011-05-22T16:30:39.737+08:00

Hello sembangkuala, thanks for dropping by! It's good to hear that I am not the only one alone on this. Would definitely drop by your site as well! Thanks for the encouragement!

Dear Sir, I notice that some of the buildings in t...

2011-05-20T10:32:59.297+08:00

Dear Sir,
I notice that some of the buildings in the list of Arthur's submission to RIBA has been blurred. I would like to request that the names of these buildings which have been blurred is revealed so that we can identify them.
Omar Ibrahim

They should commission the century-old train stati...

2011-05-05T14:40:33.129+08:00

They should commission the century-old train station to become an interesting spot for tourists and visitors.

Hello En. Omar, yes, I have noted and thanks for t...

2011-05-02T20:29:43.333+08:00

Hello En. Omar, yes, I have noted and thanks for the correction! Much appreciated!

The Lab Ratz, The picture you posted on the Facebo...

2011-05-02T13:51:55.537+08:00

The Lab Ratz, The picture you posted on the Facebook is NOT that of King's Pavilion designed by A.B. Hubback. I have today posted the correct one.

Hello Omar, thanks for your comments! Very interes...

2011-04-25T13:43:03.475+08:00

Hello Omar, thanks for your comments! Very interesting piece of information you have there. And I was wondering where was the High Commissioner's Residence was in Kuala Kangsar! I shall look into it. Once again, thanks for the comments and for dropping by!

I stumbled on your blog recently while looking for...

2011-04-14T20:53:17.013+08:00

I stumbled on your blog recently while looking for information on the King's Pavilion (KP) in Kuala Kangsar.I noted from A.B.Hubback's submission to the RIBA, it includes the Residence for High Commissioner, Kuala Kangsar. King's Pavilion is the name given to the High Commissioner's Residence.The building was given to the Malay College after the formation of the Federation of Malaya in 1948. I was a resident of this beautiful mansion as a new student of Malay College in 1955. The building is now a girl's school called SMK Raja perempuan Kelsom.
I commend you on your effort to keep alive the memory of A.B. Hubback.

Congratulations on the centennial of this great bu...

2011-04-13T08:36:55.921+08:00

Congratulations on the centennial of this great building. May she see many more years to come.

Hey David, thanks for your comments. Yes, there ar...

2011-04-01T23:24:27.065+08:00

Hey David, thanks for your comments. Yes, there are many errors in the spelling of the Hubback's name and yes, the Seremban Library was designed by A. B. Hubback as well. Such a fine building, which I pass by everytime (next time must get a photo) as my in laws are from Seremban! Shame on me! Would appreciate some linkback if you still find the information useful. Take care and all the best!

Hey there! Sorry, had been neglecting this blog fo...

2011-04-01T23:18:27.185+08:00

Hey there! Sorry, had been neglecting this blog for sometime and I see I have some new comments! Thanks very much, and my name is Lloyd Gan. It's Gan YHT if you are looking for my chinese name. Sorry if this comes late!

Hi, your blog is very interesting. I visited Serem...

2011-01-15T19:50:04.709+08:00

Hi, your blog is very interesting. I visited Seremban today and the plaque outside the State Library said that the building was designed by "B.P. Hubback". I assume that is a misprint and that it should read A.B Hubback? Or is there another brother that we do not know about? Just want to get the correct facts for my blog http://thriftytraveller.wordpress.com/
Thanks, David

I am very interested in some of your articles and ...

2011-01-14T00:21:52.703+08:00

I am very interested in some of your articles and would like to cite them in my postgrad research of revitalising Ipoh's heritage town. Apparently, AB Hubback was one the main architects who designed many of Ipoh's landmarks!

For that purpose, I need to know your name. From the plane ticket, I assume you are Mr. HT Yang? Correct me if I am wrong.

By the way, great effort! Hoping to know more people who are concerned with their heritage..

I've known of the late AB Hubback for some tim...

2010-09-25T00:01:19.650+08:00

I've known of the late AB Hubback for some time since my days as an architectural student in the early '80s. The buildings he designed among others, the Railway station KL, Masjid Jamek, and the Ubudiah Mosque were my favourites of the Colonial period during my student years and still are. Hitherto I've not been able to learn more about this great man as historical information was scarcely available. Now thanks to your blog this is no longer the case. All the best to you, and keep up the good work. Please do send my regards to the Hubback family.

Hi, I stumbled upon your site by chance. I guess ...

2010-02-21T23:18:31.957+08:00

Hi, I stumbled upon your site by chance. I guess you must be feeling very lonely and unsupported on this project which you clearly have so much passion in. Truth be told, I'm also a believer in preserving our local heritage. I've got many frivolous ideas - one being a knowledge sharing platform to persevere local foods and dishes - something like the slow food movement. But I work full time, so I am guilty of just talking and not doing anything. But it heartens me to see someone going through so much trouble to do this. I don't know how I can help you, but if there's anything you need, please let me know and I will try. Cheers :)

Hi there I am one of the editors of SembangKuala,...

2009-12-22T06:34:13.773+08:00

Hi there

I am one of the editors of SembangKuala, a non-profit blog/website that compiles various form of items (stories, photos etc) pertaining to the Royal House of Perak, and the history of the state in general. Looks like you are not alone in having an interest in history. Come along and have a gander - we did a post on Ubudiah, too, and a mention of of Arthur Bennison Hubback can be found. http://sembangkuala.wordpress.com/2009/12/11/a-tale-of-two-elephants-masjid-ubudiah/

I'm someone who enjoys learning more about the...

2009-06-07T14:42:10.334+08:00

I'm someone who enjoys learning more about the history and culture of places around the world, especially of my own country, Malaysia. I'm really pleased that the Station Hotel has undertaken this project to highlight the contributions of the Hubback brothers in Malaya. As you say in your post, keep fighting for this good cause! And hopefully, Malaysians will come to know more about the people who are behind the development of Malaya. I look forward to following the progress of this project and for more insightful posts from this blog... :) Syabas!

Hey kennhyn,

Yup. I am from Penang too!!! A...

2009-02-24T11:23:00.000+08:00

Hey kennhyn,

Yup. I am from Penang too!!! And yes, very lucky that Penang and Melaka got the UNESCO Heritage Status ... if not, I think much of the buildings will 'bye bye'.

is like my home town Penang many historic places h...

2009-02-24T10:55:00.000+08:00

is like my home town Penang many historic places have been erase for new building... lucky now they got heritage from unesco which will at least give some protection to the old building