Dr. Peter Barbor Visits Malaysia!

From Left to Right : Dr. Peter Barbor, Mrs. Patricia Barbor and Commander (R) Ian Anderson from Ipoh World gather at M Boutique Hotel Ipoh.

It was a really good meeting. Sometime during May 2014, I had the opportunity to meet and welcome again Dr. Peter Barbor and his charming wife, Patricia. In case you are wondering, Peter is the maternal grandson of Arthur Benison Hubback. I had the great privilege of meeting of meeting Peter's mother, Yvonne Barbor (nee Hubback) when I first started this project and during my visits to her home in Somerton, I was introduced to Dr. Peter Barbor. I consider it a blessing to be able to have met them again but this time in Malaysia and for the event A. B Hubback: An Architectural Celebration in Malaya which was organized by PAM Conservation Committee, under Ms. Mariana Isa, which I will be forever grateful too as well.

When Mariana told me that Dr. Barbor wanted to visit Ipoh, coincidentally I was also toiling my wares in Ipoh, so I jumped at the opportunity to return what was given to my by Dr. Peter Barbor's family. More importantly, I began to realize that I had achieved my goal and promise, and it felt as if a huge burden have been lifted off my shoulders. When I did this project, my ultimate goal was to try and ensure that a bit of our Malayan History would be carried on by our younger generation. Unfortunately many were of the opinion that I was looking for fame. Fame? What fame? I am not even an architect or a historian! I am just your average person who is working in the Hotel Sector.

Curiously, I was invited to be one of the speakers at the exhibitions event, and was seated together with Dr. Barbor and A.R. Rosli Mohd. Ali. One of the things that irked me (reflecting upon it I feel a little bad) was when a student asked us, the panel, to go do research on another architect based in Ipoh. I was like what??? It seems to me, just me, that people these days love the just "copy and paste", expecting others to go do "their jobs". Hurm... well, I didn't do too good a job too when I took up this project, but after some years, the right people were kind enough to take over. Yes yes, everyone says I'm stupid, other will get their 15 seconds of fame (printed scholastic articles, books, etc), but let's face it, I ain't no scholar. Like I mentioned, I did this because I wanted to give back to my own country, to let the younger generation have more solid facts when looking at our buildings of national heritage .... it's that simple. I just hope they won't adopt the "cut and paste" culture. I would encourage them to explore, research and find! Never be contented with what you have, as in history, you'll never know what you'll find....

Anyhow, I introduced Commander (R) Ian Anderson from IpohWorld.org, which by the way, does a very fine job of preserving Perak's History (I would say they have been really diligent about acquiring photos, text, exhibits, etc.) to Dr. Barbor and we all sat down for a bit of chat on Malaya's Past. I did learn alot from just that small meeting and began to wonder, why is all this oral/written history not being properly recorded or stored? Is it because of our historical bias??? Hurm. Food for thought. Anyhow, I am very happy to have met both Dr. Peter Barbor and Mrs. Patricia Barbor personally (in Kuala Lumpur first, and laater in Ipoh) and would like to thank you once again for your graciousness in sharing and providing all of us here, in Malaysia, with the relevant information that had culminated in the Exhibition of A.B. Hubback. Truth be told, there is also an Exhibition on T.R. Hubback as coincidentally they contact us when Dr. Peter Barbor was in KL! What luck!

OXFORD POSTING ON ARTHUR BENISON HUBBACK

Wow. It's been a couple of years already since I updated this humble blog. I am glad to report that after a lapse of 2 years (or so I think) there has been some recent activity among my fellow Malaysians on the topic of Arthur Benison Hubback. I take pride in knowing this as some of their research into A.B. Hubback was based on my preliminary stories that I had brought back with me from meeting with the late Mrs. Yvonne Barbor (nee Hubback) the daughter of A.B. Hubback..... I am pretty glad that at last, our 'lost' Malaysian History, as I call it, has a chance to survive. This blog will continue to post quirky and at times, speculative information on The Hubbacks in an effort to stir one's imagination of our Colonial Past .....

Recently, whilst searching online, I came across a new posting by Oxford, which I can say summarizes the career of A.B. Hubback ...

FROM OXFORD ONLINE

Hubback, Arthur Benison (1871–1948), architect and army officer, was born on 13 April 1871 at 74 Rodney Street, Liverpool, the eldest of the three sons and two daughters of Joseph Hubback (1814–1882), merchant and lord mayor (in 1870) of Liverpool, and his third wife, Georgina, née Eliott-Lockhart. Joseph Hubback's death in 1882 left his widow to bring up five young children, but Arthur Hubback went to Fettes College, Edinburgh (1884–1887), on a scholarship, and was then articled to the city architect in Liverpool.

Hubback began his Malayan career in July 1895 as chief draughtsman of the Selangor public works department, when it was fully extended in the construction of new government offices (later the Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad), which the forceful state engineer, Charles Edwin Spooner, had decided should be designed in an eclectic style, new to Malaya, variously known as neo-saracenic or British raj. It had originated in India by a process of ‘architectural miscegenation’ (Davies, 188) that combined Indian Muslim, Hindu, Gothic, and other traditions, as an expression of imperial achievement. Apart from its novelty this style posed structural problems which led Kuala Lumpur ‘old hands’ to predict the collapse of the central tower. But a century later it stood to prove the sceptics wrong. On its completion, Hubback left the government service for private practice, but he returned in 1901. Until 1914 he designed several large public buildings in the same style though with ingenious variations, including a state mosque (1909), and main railway stations in Kuala Lumpur (1911) and in Hong Kong (Kowloon, 1913). He became an associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1905 and a fellow in 1909. In 1901 he married Margaret Rose Frances (Daisy) Voules, daughter of Sir Gordon Blennerhassett Voules, a judge in India, and sister of a Malayan colleague, Arthur Blennerhassett Voules; they had a son and a daughter. Hubback captained the Selangor cricket team, though he could not equal his brother Theodore [see below], who, keeping wicket for Lancashire, caught W. G. Grace and then hit forty runs off the doctor's bowling. Both were outstanding game players.

Arthur Hubback was also prominent in what became the Federated Malay States Volunteer Force, which was used both for local defence and in support of the police in maintaining law and order. Under a commandant who lacked any idea of suitable training the new force, formed in 1902, had declined in numbers and morale. When Hubback took charge in 1907 he moved from ‘uninteresting’ barrack square drill to training at weekend camps in musketry and tactical movement (Wright and Cartwright, 598). The force then grew rapidly in strength and efficiency, and a contingent under Hubback attended the coronation of George V in 1911.

For Further Reading please click HERE. And yes, there is no photo for this post! :)

Seremban State Secretariat, Negeri Sembilan - 1912

During the recent Chinese New Year Festivities, I decided to journey down south, making a point to take photos of The Seremban State Secretariat (1912) of Negeri Sembilan, commonly known as The Negeri Sembilan State Library today, another building designed by A. B. Hubback. Driving up to the location, I was extremely gratified to find that the building was majestically nestled amidst the lush greenery of the Seremban Lake Gardens, it's character warm and persuading, reminiscent of Carcosa Seri Negara .....

View The Seremban State Secretariat - 1912 in a larger map.
[Author's note : Estimated location as the building was not marked on Google Maps]

Placed regally right in front of The Seremban State Secretariat was a monolith dedicated to the fallen heroes that had fought during World War I, World War II and the Communist Insurgency of Malaya. This Monolith looked extremely similar to the ones found at the beginning and end of Victory Avenue, Kuala Lumpur. Victory Avenue sound familiar? We'll leave that for another article ....

Carcosa - Norman or Hubback?

Many a time, when writing this tribute to the Hubback Brothers, I feel like a scribe, shrouded with a feathered pen, lamenting in the shadows of lighted candles, catching glimpses of what life must have been like during that particular period. Unfortunately, there are times when i do get extremely frustrated and confused, as there is so much conflicting information on the works of the Hubbacks in Malaya. This is mainly due to poor documentation in Malaya during the late 1800's.

One such example is Carcosa Sri Negara ~ in today's terms is actually a reference to 2 separate, individual properties located within the vicinity of Taman Tasik Perdana. Historically, Carcosa Sri Negara originally began life as;

Carcosa [opened around 1896-1897] : The Official Residence of the Resident General of The Federated Malay States [which will later evolve to be called Governor / British High Commissioner] built specifically for Sir Frank Athelstane Swettenham.

King's House [opened 1913 *] : The Official Guest House of the Governor; and after Malaysia's independence in 1957, renamed as Istana Tetamu.

In 1987, Carcosa was returned to the Government of Malaysia, and in 1989, after Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II stayed at Carcosa during the meeting of the commonwealth nations - Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), both mansions were administered together forming what is now called Carcosa Seri Negara.**

Google Map showing the location of Carcosa & Sri Negara [Istana Tetamu] respectively.

* contains excerpts and references from Wikipedia.
** contains excerpts and references from Archipelago Hotels & Resorts.

Incidentally, if you were to look up Carcosa in any journals and periodicals, there is a very high probability that the architect credited to Carcosa would be A.C. Norman. In some cases, journals/publications would remain impartial and perhaps hint that it was the work of A. C. Norman. So why then did Arthur Benison Hubback submit Carcosa as his work to the R.I.B.A.? And why in that very same article on wikipedia, Sir Frank Swettenham in a letter to the editor of British Malaya dated 1936, only credits C. E. Spooner and A. B. Hubback?

ANDERSON SCHOOL - IPOH, PERAK

It is with great thanks to our reader En. Omar Ibrahim, as well as Mr. Ian Anderson from Ipoh World and Singapore Press Holdings, that give me the drive to keep this project going. Recently, En. Omar Ibrahim pointed out to us that the Boy's School Ipoh as stated in A. B. Hubback's submission to the R.I.B.A. was Anderson School Ipoh. Now, there were 3 Anderson School's that we know of today in Ipoh, but the closest one built in 1909 was at Douglas Road, in matching with Hubback's submission. We were still a little unclear about which of the Anderson School's were designed by Hubback as the first picture to hit me was a school with a clock tower.

 Anderson School 1909 - Douglas Road. Picture courtesy of IpohWorld and used with persmission.

After looking at all 3 pictures, we thought that the closes building that resembled much of Hubback's flair would logically be the one on Douglas Road (now known as Jalan Dato Panglima Bukit Gantang), and in keeping with the year it was built. Thanks to Mr. Ian Anderson from Ipoh World, with references from the Kinta Masonic Lodge, they have confirmed that Anderson School - Douglas Road was in fact, A. B. Hubback's work. Please note that post war publications credit Anderson School - Douglas Road to C. H. LaBrooy, a Dutchman. We are happy to note however that C. H. LaBrooy designed the second Anderson School at Maxwell Road. You can view that Maxwell Road building here.

Here is a newspaper clipping from The Straits Times, that clearly shows Arthur Benison Hubback being named as the architect responsible for Anderson School in Ipoh, Perak.

 

 The Straits Times, 21 October 1908, Page 7; courtesy of SPH and used with permission.

Ok, so there you have it. The Anderson School at Douglas Road was designed by A. B. Hubback. As clearly shown in his submission to the R.I.B.A; even Mr. J. H. Tyte is confirmed as the first headmaster of Anderson School in that press clipping, that would be later chronicled by Malaysian Historians. And the school was named after the then High Commissioner of the Malay States, Sir John Anderson.

Once again, I would like to thank our reader En. Omar Ibrahim for his selflessness in sharing all the information and for pointing out this to us. It is people like him that really drives this project! :)

A. B. Hubback - Handwritten Submission to R.I.B.A.,

I am pleasantly surprised that there seems to be some interest in what buildings were designed by A.B. Hubback in Malaysia. In response to one of our readers, En. Omar Ibrahim, I am now posting A.B. Hubbacks handwritten submission to the Royal Institute of British Architects. Be warned! Some of the information contained herein may cause some feathers to be ruffled especially for historians!

For the purpose of chronicling the content herein, I am going to list what is legible to me from this copy;

July 1895 - Appointed to the Public Works Dept, Selangor.

July 1901 - Appointed Architectural Assistant to the Director of Public Works, Federated Malay States and in charge of all the Architectural Work for the Government of the Fed Malay States.

• 1897 - Carcosa, Residence of the Resident-General *
• 1901 - Municipal Office & Town Hall, Kuala Lumpur *
• 1902 - Museum, Kuala Lumpur
• 1902 - Post Office, Kuala Lumpur
• 1902 - Railway Offices, Kuala Lumpur *
• 1904 - Residence for High Commissioner, Kuala Kangsar
• 1904 - Terminal Offices F.M.S. Railways, Penang *
• 1905 - British Residency, Seremban*
• 1906 - Malay Residential School, Kuala Kangsar
• 1907 - Central Lunatic Asylum, Perak
• 1908 - Boys School, Ipoh, Perak *
• 1908 - Mosque, Kuala Lumpur *
• 1908 - Police Station, Sermeban *
• 1908 - Railway Station, Kuala Lumpur

* - photo's re-submitted

His submission was dated 27 May 1909. So anything beyond that is not listed.

Hurm. That's quite an impressive list and mixture of buildings designed by A.B. Hubback including a Lunatic Asylum in Perak! I am wondering if it could be our now famous Hospital Bahagia, Ulu Kinta, Tanjung Rambutan? There is much to uncover and so much to correct in our Malaysian History!

I would like to thank Mr. Peter Barbor who took the time to go to the R.I.B.A., in the United Kingdom to look for this documentation. Apparently, even the R.I.B.A. does not have much documentation on A.B. Hubback and I don't blame them. I had also contacted Cambridge University and JSTOR but was sadly informed by them that much of the archives have been burnt during a World War II bomb raid in the UK. Well, so much for that!

Jane Austen & The Hubback Family

Prior to leaving for the United Kingdom and meeting Mrs.Yvonne Barbor, I was meticulously looking for information on A. B. Hubback at the Malaysian National Archives and numerous publications online with regard to his works. Whilst on the internet, I discovered quite by accident, a possible relationship, to Jane Austen. This seemed interesting and as such, I requested from Mrs. Yvonne Barbor is they had kept records of their family tree. Suprisingly, Yvonne's son, Mr. Peter Barbor sent me and electronic file and I had to go and look for a friend who had a copy of The Family Tree Maker by ancestry.com.

Who is Jane Austen? Jane Austen (16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction, set among the landed gentry, earned her a place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature, her realism and biting social commentary cementing her historical importance among scholars and critics. Among her renowned works Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814) and Emma (1816). Excerpt taken from wikipedia. For more information, please click here.

 Jane Austen

Next, we would have to be introduced to Cassandra Elizabeth Austen, Jane's older sister,born January 9, 1773, two years before her famed sister Jane. In a family of 6 boys, the girls became fast and close friends.Excerpt taken from The Jane Austen Center. For more information, please click here.

And now, let me introduce you to Catherine-Anne Hubback (1818-1877), née Austen, was the eighth child and fourth daughter of (Sir) Francis Austen (1774-1865), one of Jane Austen’s brothers, a successful naval officer who became Admiral of the Fleet and G.C.B. His first wife, Mary Gibson, bore him eleven children. Five years after her death in 1823, he married Martha Lloyd, who had long lived with old Mrs Austen and her unmarried eldest daughter, Cassandra. Born in 1818, Catherine never knew her Aunt Jane. However, Cassandra, Jane Austen’s elder sister, was a frequent visitor, introducing Frank’s children to the works of their Aunt Jane, to the history of her life, and also to her unpublished writings. Excerpt taken from The Jane Austen Center. For more information, please click here.

Ok. So lets recap : Jane Austen [writer] ---> Cassandra Austen [elder sister] ---> Catherine-Anne Austen [niece of Jane & Cassandra]. So how is all this connected to Arthur and Theodore Hubback? Let's explore the relationship which was given to me via Mr. Peter Barbor and ancestry.com;

So it looks like Arthur and Theodore are the nephews of Catherine-Anne Austen? That would make them like related to Jane Austen! Ok, let's just sample a simple test;

Excerpt from The Jane Austen Center : Their first child, Mary, only lived long enough to be baptised and died in 1843. John Henry, the eldest surviving child, was born in 1844, followed by Edward Thomas in 1846 and Charles Austen -- whose second name is yet another indication of the family's cultivation of the Austen-connection -- in 1847.Doesn't the above ancestry file look familiar?

So I will leave this one to you. It appears that A.B. Hubback and T.R. Hubback are the grand nephews of Jane Austen! Now isn't that cool?

100 YEARS - A CENTENNIAL SO QUIET

Happy Anniversary to The Kuala Lumpur Train Station! A Grand old lady in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, still diligently serving it's people without grouse. One would expect fireworks and celebrations during this time, and yet, it's people no longer cares about you, despite housing offices inside your very being. Perhaps this is the mindset of us Malaysians towards our Buildings of National Heritage, least of course you are owned by some big Mega Corporation who would restore you and care for your every luxury fitting.

Yes the Kuala Lumpur Train Station is now over 100 Years old. No celebrations. No Birthday cake. No more words of comfort or festivity. What gives? I passed the building by today, and I feel so sad. So much can be done, as I had great plans for the building when working there. I wanted it to become a living museum, where people can stay and interact with an era gone by .... I called this "The Community Hotel Model".

Anyhow, as a small tribute to the hotel I am leaving you with an article that was published by Kosmo Newspaper in Bahasa Malaysia by Zamri Rambli.

"Hampir enam tahun bermastautin di Kuala Lumpur, bahkan paling kurang seminggu sekali melalui Bangunan Stesen Kereta Api, Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin, memang penulis mengakui ia satu 'kesalahan besar'. Ini kerana inilah kali pertama penulis menjejaki ke The Heritage Station Hotel (THSH) Kuala Lumpur yang berlokasi di bangunan warisan negara.

Walaupun pernah dua kali menaiki tren dari bangunan itu, namun beberapa kali penulis terpaksa membuat pengesahan dengan rakan setugas mengenai pintu masuk hotel tersebut. Ia memang agak memalukan.

Namun, itulah pengalaman penulis. Bahkan, tidak mustahil kebanyakan daripada 1.8 juta warga Kuala Lumpur juga mungkin mempunyai cerita yang hampir sama. Yang pasti, berdiri sebagai hotel bajet di sebuah bangunan lama menuntut kesungguhan dan kerja kuat 'pemain' belakang tabirnya."

You can read the full article here.

Have a Good Centennial - The Kuala Lumpur Train Station! I hope one day, someone will come to take care and treat you like a grand lady, which you so rightly deserve ......

ANOTHER ROUND ... THE FIGHT BEGINS

Well. I won't have to tell you that its really tough going on this project. Coupled with the Global Economic Downturn, I have been hearing a lot of stories of companies and organizations freezing this and that. Erm... it's disheartening, yes, but I must continue on, and fight for what I believe in.

In actual fact, I have begun to realize that people think we are in it for the money. Well, I will reiterate, we are not in it for the money or the fame. We just want to realize this project. Is that simple. Can you believe that? No?

Anyway, regardless of what you think, I will continue with another round of fights for this project. This time around, I think I will be approaching some Government Bodies and in the tradition of most of my other projects, I will be putting up my letters here. I made a promise to the Hubback family that everything will be transparent and so I am carrying out that promise. I still believe in this project and will continue to fight ... so here are the two letters I have sent out today (the original ones I made a big boo boo my putting the dates as 25 February 2008! I am still living in the past year!

At times, I really don't know what to say. Currently, only WWF Malaysia has responded and expressed interest in our project in part because Mr. Theodore Rathbone Hubback's work is still in use today. Despite The Hubback's contributions to Malaya, not many are even aware of who they are. This looks like the making of another sad tale that will vanish with time.

Anyhow, back to the present, we too won't really know what will happen to us here at The Heritage Station Hotel. We can only hope for the best and do what we can for now ... in fact this is a tale of not many people know about our efforts because we lack the economic means. But I will still continue my works and promises, until the day come when I say goodbye and return to ashes..... Take care and we will be updating our blog on The Hubback Brothers sometime soon ....

ALONE AGAIN .....

Hello! It's been sometime since I have updated my blog on The Hubback Brothers. It's not like I do not want to update this blog, but I have been very busy with Hotel works and other matters related to the Hubback Project right here at The Heritage Station Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

In fact, in the recent weeks, I have had meetings with many people; I met students from Unitar, UiTM, etc, all doing projects related to the Hotel. It does not come as a suprise to me when many of the students are actually oblivious to the History of the building.... in fact they can't even tell me much about the buildings in this vicinitiy. How sad.

Today, I have also registered this blog with bloggersunited .... and strangely I have put this blog under the section 'politics'. Is it a ploy? Nope. Firstly, I have come to realise that if I don't put pictures on a blog, no one actually bothers to read it. Secondly, inept as a maybe in Blogging, I am very sure that there were politics involved even during The Hubback's time when they were here in Malaya. So 'politics' it is.

In actual fact, I have met Mr. Anuar Isa a reasearcher and representatives from the Malaysian Tourism Department to try and get this project off the ground, but as always, its really tough. I have come to the point where promises made, I dare not hope anymore. However, they did managed to recharge my batteries on this project and here I am again, trying to get it off the ground for the numerous time .... Will I succeed? Will I have to go back on my words with the Hubback Family? No. I made a promise and I will carry out that promise to the best of my efforts.

THE RETURN OF ARTHUR

My journey to the United Kingdom has brought me close to Glastonbury Abbey, the famous ruins where King Arthur and Lady Guinevere are rumoured to be resting. I am a great fan of mythology and theology, but I did not have time to go for a pilgrimage through Glastonbury and Salisbury Plains ... one of the 'sacred' places that holds a special place in my heart.

I did not bring back the legendary sword Excalibur but I brought back the story of the individual who also contributed much to our young nation then, Malaya. His name was aptly, Arthur as well! Brigadier General Arthur Benison Hubback, considered to be the first Architect to reach the position of Brigadier General in Great Britain and The British Colony!

So what do we plan to do in the coming future? We @THSH have plans of incorporating a Mini Museum coupled with activities in our Hotel in order to raise the awareness of our National Heritage, from Buildings to Natural Resources. Now let me test a little bit of your historical knowledge of Malaya .... how many buildings do you know that were designed by A. B. Hubback? I bet the number one building on your mind would be The Railway Buildings and Masjid Jamek. Ok. Good .... some more?

Below is the hand written copy of A.B. Hubbacks, "Candidate Separate Statement", that was submitted to The Association of The Royal Institute of British Architects (A.R.I.B.A) for his admittance as a Fellow.

Part of A. B. Hubback's personal handwritten submission.
For a bigger image, please click on the picture.
Documents courtesy of the Hubback Family, United Kingdom

Part of A. B. Hubback's personal handwritten submission.
For a bigger image, please click on the picture.
Documents courtesy of the Hubback Family, United Kingdom

Yes, amongst his most notable works which normally featured the famous neo-moorsih designs but not always just limited to that particular style, were;

• The Railway Station, Kuala Lumpur
• The Railway Station, Ipoh, Perak
• The Railway Administrative Building, Kuala Lumpur
• The Old City Hall, Kuala Lumpur (Now Panggung Bandaraya)
• Ipoh Town Hall Building, Perak
• The White House of Klang (Now Galeri Diraja Sultan Abdul Aziz, under the auspices of the Sultan of Selangor)
• Jamek Mosque, Kuala Lumpur (Masjid Jamek)
• Ubudiah Mosque, Kuala Kangsar, (Masjid Ubaidah, under the auspices of the Sultan of Perak).
• State Secretariat Building, Seremban (Now State Library)
• The Extensions of The Royal Selangor Club, Kuala Lumpur (What we see it as, today)
• Carcosa Sri Negara, Kuala Lumpur
• Numerous smaller buildings in Medan Pasar, Kuala Lumpur
• Post Office, Kuala Lumpur
• Kowloon Canton Terminus, Tsim Sha Shui, Hong Kong
  

These documents only cover A. B. Hubback's works up till 1909. His later works were not chronicled in these documents.

Since documentation in the 1890's in Malaya was in its infancy, there is much discussions amongst historians that there may have been influences from other notable gentlemen, like R.A.J. Bidwell, C. E. Spooner and of course A.C.A. Norman. Doesn't Norman's name sound familiar? Well if you don't know, he is credited to have designed the "Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad". However it is also noted that Hubback may have had a hand in it to.

THE KOWLOON CANTON CONNECTION

Glimpses of crowded streets and opium dens litter the entire scene. Rickshaws and people clad in cheong sum intermingle with dresses from the Victorian times. Smell of food cooking from peddlers of the street tingle the senses. These are seriously very strong images in my minds eye.

Today we just finished an interview with a local daily newspaper in Kuala Lumpur. We do hope that all will go well, and to be honest, I feel very uptight and stressed. There is much that needs to be done to try and get this 'community project' off the ground. Currently, response has been very cold towards our project despite, in my opinion, the historical significance of this find. I know many will say that this just affects a specific portion of our society, but I beg to differ, to a certain degree - in part due to my national pride.

Not many people know this in Malaysia, but did you know that Arthur Benison Hubback also designed the Kowloon Canton Terminus and oversaw the construction of the building in 1913? Furthermore, if you are a fan of Hong Kong's TVB Cantonese Series, you will actually see the remains of the building in many of their series? So where is this 'building' I am talking about?

First a little bit of history (you may require Chinese Text to ensure that the text appears correctly);

A Glimpse At Kowloon-Canton Railway's History
From its origins in 1897 until modernization & electrification commenced in 1975
by Peter Crush

1st October 1910, the 22.24 mile long single-tracked British Section from Tsim-sha-tsui to Lo-wu was formally opened by H.E. the Officer Administering the Government, Sir Henry May, accompanied by Lady May. Also presiding was General Manager Edward S. Lindsey who had replaced Eves in January 1910.

6th December 1910, a 29 mile section of the Chinese Section was opened to the public by the Viceroy of Canton. A ceremonial train left Canton for a 24 mile ride to Tong Mei. (唐美)The newly appointed Chinese Managing Director CHAO Ching-hua ( 趙慶華 ), who was educated at the Hong Kong Diocesan School, and Traffic Manager C.T. Liu directed the proceedings.

4th October 1911, the 88.73 mile long single-tracked Chinese Section from Shum-chun to Canton was officially opened by H.E. Li Ching Feng (李經方), Commissioner of Foreign Affairs. The Canton terminus was located at Tai-sha-tau (大沙頭總站), south-east of the city on the bank of the Pearl River. Chinese officials traveled on the inaugural train from Canton to Shum Chun where they were joined by British officials. Attending on behalf of the British were the Hon Warren B. Barnes, Colonial Secretary of Hong Kong, the Hon C.H. Ross of the British & Chinese Corporation and Mr. J.W. Jamieson, H.M.B. Consul-General at Canton.

1st April 1912, the 7¼-mile long branch-line from Fanling to Sha Tau Kok was opened. This 2ft narrow gauge line was constructed utilizing the railway track, locomotives and rolling stock, which had been used for the construction of the main KCR line.

1913, the Taipo Market railway station (now the museum) was completed and opened for service, and the two sections of the railway cooperated to offer a fast service to between Kowloon and Canton taking about 4¼hours. The fares were HK$4 First Class, HK$2 Second Class and 95 Cents Third Class. In the same year the design for Tsim-sha-tsui terminal building was finalized and construction commenced under the direction of chief architect A.B. Hubback.

Note : This is just an excerpt from the full article and we have changed the initials from A.R. Hubback to A.B. Hubback. For further reading on this article, please visit Mr. Peter Crush's article and The Hong Kong Railway Society.

So, where is this Train Terminus and what does it look like?

Scanned Image courtesy of Mr. Peter Crush

Scanned Image courtesy of Mr. Peter Crush

Photo of the Tsim Sha Tsui Terminus taken by Mr. R. A. Crush in 1974
Photo courtesy of his son, Mr. Peter Crush.

"In 1975, Kowloon Station was moved to the present-day Hung Hom Station on the newly reclaimed Hung Hom Bay. The building of the station was demolished in 1977 despite the protest and petitioning from the Heritage Society and other pressure groups. However, as a compromise it was decided that the Clock Tower was to be preserved, and is now accompanied by the Hong Kong Space Museum, Hong Kong Museum of Art and Hong Kong Cultural Centre, all built on former station grounds."

Note : Excerpt taken from Wikipedia. For the full article, please click here.

The Tsim Sha Tsui Clock Tower today;

The Clock Tower, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong By Leung Sin T. S. TSO

Tsim Sha Tsui: Clock Tower, Hong Kong Cultural Centre and the Peninsula Hotel, Hong Kong.

The Tsim Sha Tsui Clock Tower at Night, photographed by Florian Lindner.

Honestly, the Clock Tower is really majestic even at night, but it's a real pity that they had to tear down the Kowloon Terminus Building. Is that the fate that is going to befall our Heritage Buildings here in Malaysia? All I can say is , only time will tell.

DID YOU KNOW?

In a meeting held by the Hong Kong Legislative Council on 3rd October 1912, it was recorded that 'The designs for the terminal station of the Kowloon-Canton Railway at Tsim Sha Tsui are being prepared by Mr. A. B. Hubback, Government Architect in the Federated Malay States, who has had considerable experience in work of this nature, and it is hoped to begin the construction early next year." ~ unquote. (page 77, Hong Kong Legislative Council Meeting Minutes, 1912.)

In another meeting held by the Hong Kong Legislative Council on 24th October 1912, there seemed to be some discontentment between the council and I quote;

"It is impossible to estimate with any degree of certainty what the cost of the station building will be until the plans are prepared, but the Government do not wish to spend more than $200,000 at present if it can be avoided, though it may be necessary to spend a further sum not exceeding $100,000 in order to provide all the accommodation required. You informed the Council, Sir, at its last meeting that the designs for the station were by kind permission of the Government of the Federated Malay States being prepared by Mr. A. B. Hubback, Government Architect. Mr. Hubback will submit his preliminary sketches for approval before he proceeds to the preparation of general drawings, specification and estimate." ~ unquote (page 82-83, Hong Kong Legislative Council Meeting Minutes, 1912.)

"With regard to the design for a terminal station at Kowloon, the unofficial members are most strongly of opinion that the plans for that station ought to have been thrown open for competition by local firms in this Colony who are necessarily better acquainted with local conditions than any gentlemen, however experienced, from the Federated Malay States. We cannot understand why civil engineers in this Colony, some of whom have had actual practical experience in railway station building, have been passed over in this way. I gather from what fell from the Colonial Secretary a short time ago today that matters have not proceeded very far with Mr. Hubback, and we wish, Sir, to strongly urge, if there is yet time, that the plans for this station shall be thrown open in the usual way to public competition in this Colony. In conclusion, Sir, whilst we have found some matters to comment on in this budget, we (blank) state that we fully realise that your Excellency has, since your return to this Colony in July last, worked hard in the public interest, and we beg leave to assure you, Sir, that in boldly and fearlessly assailing any abuses there may be, you can always count on the sincere sympathy and hearty support of the unofficial members of this Colony. (Applause.)" ~ unquote (page 91 - 92, Hong Kong Legislative Council Meeting Minutes, 1912.)

And finally, someone of authority made the closing statement and I quote;

"The hon. member next referred to the terminal station of the Kowloon-Canton and he asked why the plans for that building were not thrown open to public competition among local architects and others. Well, gentlemen, my answer is, because I can make more economical arrangements which I think will be quite satisfactory. Mr. Hubback is to undertake the work, no matter what the cost may prove to be, whether it will be $200,000 or $300,000, for an inclusive fee of $5,000, which is exclusive of travelling expenses to this Colony and hotel expenses while here. He is coming here to study local conditions. He is a gentleman who has designed many terminal stations for large railways, and I hope and trust he will be able to satisfy unofficial members and the public of the Colony by giving us something good." - unquote (page 96, Hong Kong Legislative Council Meeting Minutes, 1912.)

And so it came to pass the Brigadier General Arthur Benison Hubback was commissioned to design and oversee the construction of the Kowloon-Canton Terminus at Tsim Sha Tsui.

PEOPLE & LETTERS - FOR OUR FUTURE GENERATIONS?

Fast forward to the present. It's 10 September 2008 and I am sitting in my office @THSH trying to figure out how I am going to go about this entire tribute. It has been very busy for me since coming back home as we are also involved in other community works via our other blog www.prewedding.info. In actual fact, I have been talking to a number of people with regards to The Hubback Brothers, but many seem to be disinterested. Is it actually possible that the people in Malaysia do not take an interest in History? Or could it be my presentation? I wonder.

As the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining. In my respect, I do believe its true as support for this project initially manifested in a very strange form. My partners from the other community project @THSH, namely En. Ismail Hashim, Mr. John W. Ishii and Mr. Tommy Yap actually volunteered their services at no cost. The Team @THSH has also been very supportive of this project and more importantly my wife. This actually gave me the strength to carry on.

Of course, I will have to look for patrons and corporate sponsors as I nor @THSH has the means to go it alone. So no point in procrastinating. Let's get the ball rolling. After all, one of my primary goals is to be able to record part of Malaya's history for our future generations. Is it really possible to chronicle such events here? There are a lot of questions running through my mind.

Today I sat down and wrote a total of five official letters to various organizations in anticipation that they will agree to provide us with support for this 'historical project'.

One of our official letters that were sent out to potential supporters/sponsors via email and post,
depending on the availability of their address. You can view our letters by clicking on the photo above.
To protect their privacy and as we have not revealed all on
The Hubback Brothers, we have blurred certain portions of text.

I am beginning to wonder if the Malaysian Public in general are really interested in History at all. Students that have come to @THSH doing research on the buildings, well, let's just say not many of them are actually interested, it's just a term paper research anyway... however, on rare occassions, I do bump into 1 or 2 that impresses me. With the announcement of Penang and Malacca as 'Heritage Cities' under the auspices of UNESCO, do we not want to do more for our other Buildings and Natural Heritage in other states? I do believe, and I may be wrong, that many people may just adopt the attitude of, let's leave it to somebody else, or the Government, for that matter. Well, I am of the opinion that the Government is already doing all they can, so we should lend them a helping hand, at our best efforts too! However, I do hope to get the endorsement of certain Government Agencies, like Kementrian Perpaduan, Kesenian, Kebudayaan dan Warisan (KEPKKWA - Or, in English, Ministry of Unity, Arts, Culture and Heritage).

Rewind to the past, it's now 19 August 2008 on this blog. It's about 3.30 pm in the United Kingdom. Yvonne tells me that her neighbours, Douglas and Lesley have asked us over for tea. After brief introductions, we settle in to their lovely living area. A nice fire is going, and I gaze in awe at an actual fireplace! They are very nice, and offer me wine, but I would actually prefer a cup of tea, which Lesley graciously brews for me in the kitchen. We began talking and they are very curious to know what I plan to do. After a long chat, Douglas passes a comment to me; "Lloyd, it seems like you are a 1 man army". I understand his statement and I take it in, without offence, as I believe in this project and the passion has grown prior to my trip to the UK. I will do my utmost to make sure this project runs as far as I can make it.

To Douglas and Lesley, thank you so much for your hospitality! I hope you are keeping well! Lets all get together for another spot of tea soon! Oh, by the way, I forgot to take a picture of your famous doorway!

DID YOU KNOW?

"While convalescing from an illness in Port Dickson, Sultan Idris Murshidul-adzam Shah (1887-1916) made a vow to build a mosque at Bukit Chandan, Kuala Kangsar, when he fully recuperated.

After his return to Kuala Kangsar, he commanded Colonel Huxley of the Public Works Department, Kuala Lumpur, to design a mosque which he wanted to build. Architect A.B. Hubback designed the mosque by adopting Moorish architecture in his design. Mr. Caulfield, the State Engineer then, was responsible for the construction. The unique Moorish design by Mr. A. B. Hubback has made Ubudiah Mosque one of the buildings which attract tourists for its interesting architectural features.

On September 1913, Sultan Idris Murshidul'adzam Shah laid the foundation stone for the mosque but its completion was delayed due to damage to imported marbles from Italy brought about by elephants owned by the Sultan and Raja Chulan.

According to the story.....One day, during a ceremony and a feast to celebrate the circumcision of Raja Khalid, a son of Sultan Abdul Jalil, suddenly His Highness' elephant named Kulub Chandan and its mahout, by the name of Kulub Said fought another elephant named Kulub Gangga with its mahout by the name of Uda Debok. The latter belonged to Raja Chulan.

In the ensuing battle the elephants came to the palace where the marbles and materials for the Mosque were kept and totally destroyed them. The battle lasted for several hours until Raja Chulan called his elephant by name and commanded it to stop fighting. The two elephants surprisingly obeyed his command and stopped fighting. Previous attempts made by other people to stop them from fighting were in vain.

As the marbles and materials for the Mosque were destroyed, fresh order was placed with Italy again. By this time the World War I broke out and the materials arrived very late as it had to travel via Cape of Good Hope.

However, in 1917, the construction of the Mosque was completed, and it was officially opened by Sultan Abdul Jalil Karamatullah Shah (1916-1918) who succeeded Sultan Idris I, who passed away in 1916. "

Source : The Office of His Royal Highness, Sultan of Perak, Perak Darul Ridzuan's Official Website.

Note : Construction actually began in 1910, but was delayed due to the damaged tiles and the advent of World War I. Masjid Ubudiah, Kuala Kangsar, Perak was designed by Arthur Benison Hubback. Kuala Kangsar is located in Perak, Malaysia and is The Royal City of Perak.

LUNCH & TAIPING

Well, it's still 19 August 2008 on this blog at about 11.00 am, UK time. Having already met Yvonne at her house after a nearly disastrous walkabout, I could finally settle down and get to work. Yvonne lives in a nice Cottage in this village and all the cottages and manors look so stately. Looking back, the documentaries and BBC programs have not failed to paint the right picture. I really am loving it here, in the UK. Cool weather with overcast clouds that keep on moving with the passing breeze, excellent scenery and imagery.

"I'm terribly sorry about the weather", Yvonne apologized.

"No, please don't be. Coming from the tropics, I must say, what lovely weather we are having!", I exclaimed.

And we laughed.

Really, even though Yvonne is now 95 years old, she was very active around the house and she even tended to her own garden, making compost and everything! We sat down on her dining table and began chatting about her father (Brig. Gen. Arthur Benison Hubback) and was supposed to discuss her uncle's history (Mr. Theodore Rathbone Hubback) tomorrow. However, as both of us were pretty excited about the whole event, everything got intertwined, unintentionally.

As it was about lunch time, Yvonne promised me a very typical English Lunch. We had Traditional Fish Pie (A combination of mashed potatoes, trout, haddock and herbs, covered with cheese and baked till brown) with Vegetables from her Garden. Oh My! That was utterly delicious. Any 5 Star Fine Dining Restaurant back home in Malaysia would have paled in comparison. As luck would have it, for dessert we had Fresh Strawberries and Clotted Cream .... simply heaven. I am now wishing for more helpings!

Later, Yvonne was showing me some of her family history, she handed me a tattered photo. Taiping Golf Club. Taiping? I wondered. Taiping, Perak, Malaysia? The place which is known to have the highest rain fall in Malaysia? Isn't this coincidental as to the weather in the UK at current?

Yvonne told me that the Taiping Golf Club was a small shack back then and the members decided to put in some money to build a new golf club. She also mentioned to me that she actually 'lent' the picture to the Club itself a few years ago, and she wrote to them to have it back. After a few months, they did return it to her. That's very nice and ethical. In actual fact, Yvonne has also contributed some of her family's personal belongings to various causes and museums in the region and I am indeed in awe of her generosity in a time and age when money seems to be at the crux of everything.

DID YOU KNOW?

Prior to construction of The Kuala Lumpur Train Station, the Colonial Office had instructed A. B. Hubback that all materials especially the steel columns used for the actual station must conform to British Standards. This standard calls for the use of steel columns that were, technically, to be able to withstand the combined pressure of snow as deep as 6 feet. Yvonne tells me that her father at that time thought this was rather 'odd' as Malaya was in the tropics (I would too), but still went ahead in conforming with the requirements.

WHO ARE THE HUBBACK BROTHERS?

I personally, have always dreamed of going to Stonehenge located at Salisbury Plains in the United Kingdom, as I am intrigued greatly by mythology. As luck would have it, I did actually get to see Stonehenge thanks to Mr. Wally Elliot, who so kindly picked me up from London's Heathrow Airport after a tiring 12 hours flight!

I ended up in a very nice and quaint village at about 7.00 pm UK time, and was introduced to LG, the Inn's owner, who happened to be a very nice man as well. They all knew why I was here and even though I was supposed to have a drink with Wally, I crashed out in my room, as I was very tired. This all happened on 18 August 2008.

The next day, I woke up with a start and realized it was only 4.00 am in the morning. My meeting with Yvonne, the daughter of Brig. Gen A. B. Hubback C.M.G., D.S.O., was not until 10.30 am! Yes, Yvonne is going to be 96 years old this coming October! Going outside and taking in my nasty habit, I waited patiently, anxious about our meeting. Luckily, before I crashed yesterday, LG told me that Breakfast was included in my room rate! Lovely! I was treated to a good sumptuous English Breakfast of Cereals, Toast, Sausages, Bacon, Eggs and my one of my favourites, grilled fresh button mushrooms! And all this was after about 4 hours of waiting!

After breakfast, I packed my bags and thinking to myself that I was looking like your average tourist, decided to try to find Yvonne's house in the village .... unfortunately I ended up on the main road and a public bus stopped for me without me flagging it down ... It was so embarrassing. Making my way back to the Inn, LG so kindly offered to take me to Yvonne's place but being the stubborn me, I looked at the Village Map and decided to try one more time!

Luckily, this time around, Yvonne was wondering where I was, and was just about to come and meet me. Thank goodness I actually sent her a picture of myself so she recognized me!

So who are The Hubback Brothers?

Many of you may not realize this, but Brig. Gen. Arthur Benison Hubback was the architect who actually designed the Two 'Sister' Train Stations in Kuala Lumpur. He also designed many other buildings in Malaysia and we will disclose the story as this project goes along. He was only known as Mr. A. B. Hubback when he came to Malaya prior to his military career. Of more importance, the family name 'Hubback' is always mis-spelt in books, magazines and websites as 'Hubbock'. We hope that by writing this blog, we can correct such mistakes.

And what about Mr. Theodore Rathbone Hubback? Well, when Mr. T. R. Hubback came to Malaya he actually did work with his brother, Arthur and started as an engineer on our Malayan Railway tracks but in his later years, become a plantation owner as we will also disclose, in the course of our tribute to 'The Hubback Brothers'.

Furthermore, when Yvonne told me about her youngest Uncle, Bishop Goerge Clay Hubback, and his works in Assam, India, I was really taken aback. Just like Yvonne, the Hubback Family is highly active, and with more research into their family, I was astounded at how active most of their generations were! We will of course disclose the story in due course, but for now we will focus more on their contributions to Malaya.

The most interesting discourse in my entire research, was that so far, there was no notes that came along suggesting Arthur and Theodore were brothers! I had my suspicions initially and this was confirmed when Yvonne told me about her Uncle. However, to be fair, the two bothers had actually contributed so much to Malaya, that many researchers would prefer to focus solely on the individual as opposed to 2 individuals. This is my only conclusion.

On behalf of @THSH, I am deeply in gratitude to Yvonne and her family, for welcoming me and sharing such wonderful stories, biographies, pictures and insights into their family. We, @THSH will work to our utmost in trying to materialize this goal.

DID YOU KNOW?

Apparently, when Brig. Gen. A. B. Hubback was designing the Kuala Lumpur Railway Station, he had 3 sets of plans. One was the 'grand' scale' plan, which was considered too expensive and grand, one was the 'small scale' plan, which was considered too small to meet with the needs of the people and the other was the 'mid scale' plan. Which is supposed to be what we see today. However, I am told, the 'mid scale' plan was not big enough and during construction, they actually had to expand the plans. This may explain why the 'sister' building, "The Railway Administrative Building" was then built in my humble opinion. (Information provided by the Hubback Family, United Kingdom)

THE JOURNEY BEGINS!

I have actually been very busy since joining The Heritage Station Hotel, Kuala Lumpur or what we like to abbreviate as @THSH. In fact, I am really very lucky to be here @THSH. Much of what I have read and experienced @THSH from the general public, newspapers, friends in the hotel industry, guests comments and the team @THSH was initially very disheartening. But I guess that's where I come in with my 'quirky' expertise. I am actually a Hotelier who started his career in what would be considered as the 'creme de la creme' of Hotels, Deluxe Class Luxury , Award Winning 5 Star Resort in Penang, and my former property actually gave me a good foundation in Hotel Product knowledge and I am very thankful to my former Food & Beverage Director, Mr. Andre Scholl and Assistant Food & Beverage Director, En. Wan Aiksan, for all their guidance and opportunities.

After working & travelling a bit within the region, I began to realize that international hotel scene in South East Asia were actually becoming more rigid and systematic in their approach to managing people. This is not a bad thing as it will only give rise to better uniformity to all service personnel in ensuring guests are taken care in a professional manner. However, I personally, felt that this would lead to a more 'robotic service industry' to a certain degree, and since I am a person who requires his own creative freedom, I left the glamorous life of the 5 Star Deluxe Class Hotels to venture into the unknown ... it was a very rebellious and adventurous time for me. So here I was, coming out fresh from the sheltered, protected nutshell industry, lured by the unknown. I have since then opened and closed restaurants, worked in shocking conditions, built custom computers, came back to the backpackers hotel industry, or what you can call, a fall from grace. Do I regret it? No. Absolutely not ... it was a real experience to remember...... just like fine dark chocolate, bittersweet - it matures with time.

Since coming @THSH, the climb took on a vertical challenge in essence. Yes. I am not kidding, it was a ninety degree climb if not more! However, as my personal motto is "nothing is impossible until you, yourself, make it impossible", I gritted my teeth and rolled up my sleeves. Nothing could be worse, I thought remembering, one of my former hotel employers posting me to their newly acquired 3 star hotel in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Furthermore, this is home, it should be easier. While working @THSH, warm thoughts of my experiences from Cambodia and how proud my colleagues were of their language, culture and customs kept nagging at me. Despite Cambodia being an open economy, their monthy pay of about USD50-100 a month, it made me realize how lucky we in Malaysia were. It's so much more expensive in Cambodia then it is here, the Cambodians literally struggle to survive!

As such, I decided to try and learn more about our own Malaysian history and @THSH provided me with the perfect opportunity to do some research into the building. It started as a curiosity and what little information I could gather, started falling into its place, fueling my curiosity. I was really lucky to be able to get in touch with the family of the Hubback's and as they opened up to me, I was bewildered at the amount of stories and contributions they have made to our young nation then. The question at the back of my mind was always, why do we not know enough about The Hubback Brothers despite attributing some recognition to our buildings?

My curiosity by now has become a full blown passion. I had been consistenly meeting students @THSH who were studying architecture and conservation, doing research, which the latter is a new curriculum in Malaysia, and was appalled that not many of them really knew who The Hubback Brothers were. In fact, many of their interviews were laden with information which to me, was not very accurate. After talking to my wife, she gave me the 'thumbs up' without any grouses, of which I am extremely grateful, I decided to close and withdraw my personal bank accounts, and told the Hubback Family that I was going to meet them in the United Kingdom. This was going to be one of my biggest challenges, I told myself ....

After the arrangements were made, I posted on my other blog and project www.prewedding.info and set my email auto responders to away from 18 - 24 August 2008, I took my first step in meeting the Hubback Family in the United Kingdom.

In all honesty, I actually did a dummy posting on 27 August 2008, but this actual blog entry was written on 8 September 2008. Why? Well, since coming back, I have been busy with my hotel operations, looking for patrons, corporate sponsors and organizing our community project on my other blog, but I will chronicle my journey in trying to realize this project through this humble blog.

I really apprecite my team @THSH and my wife on this project as without them, I may not have been able to now, tell this story. I would also like to thank the Hubback Family in the UK, and it was indeed a privilege and honour to have met you all.

The gun has sounded, I have stepped out of the starting line, there's no turning back now .... please help support us @THSH!