Captain Bush Lane

Edit links
Coordinates: 13°43′44″N 100°30′51″E / 13.72889°N 100.51417°E / 13.72889; 100.51417
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Captain Bush Lane, 2021

Captain Bush Lane, now officially known as Soi Charoen Krung 30 (

Bang Rak District of Bangkok, Thailand. It was home to several members of Bangkok's early European expatriate community during the turn of the 19th–20th centuries, including Captain John Bush
, an influential English sea captain after whom the street is named.

History

The Hongkong and Shanghai Bank's headquarters was located in the area for 87 years.

During the reign of

Bang Rak
.

The riverside area now served by Soi 30 used to be the area of a Buddhist temple called Wat Kaeo Fa (วัดแก้วฟ้า). During the 1880s, part of the temple grounds were used for the establishment of the

Hongkong and Shanghai Bank and the United Club (a Western social club). Streets (now Captain Bush Lane and the final stretch of Si Phraya Road) were built to serve the area, which also became home to several European expatriates, including consular officials and Captain Bush himself.[1]

In a letter dated 25 March 1898, Captain Bush and twelve other foreigners made a complaint to the foreign minister regarding the stench and hygienic hazards emanating from the temple's

Prince Naris about the prohibition on cremation imposed on the temple, which adversely affected its finances, already constrained by being in the middle of a European community. The Prince subsequently recommended the relocation to King Chulalongkorn (Rama V), who reluctantly approved, although it took around a decade in total before the temple was re-established as Wat Kaeo Chaem Fa (วัดแก้วแจ่มฟ้า) at a new site on Si Phraya Road, donated by the Privy Purse in exchange for the former grounds.[1][2]

The offices of Louis T. Leonowens, Ltd., on Privy Purse property formerly Wat Kaeo Fa's

King Chulalongkorn bestowed the land to Princess Saisavali Bhiromya, one of his minor consorts, with the Privy Purse managing its proceeds. The northern plot of land was rented to Louis T. Leonowens' trading company, who built offices and warehouses, while the southern plot was rented to the French beverage company Societe Francaise des Distilleries de l'Indochine, which built a building to serve as its office, and later to the Department of Industrial Works, whose lease expired in 1994.[3] In a 1925 map, four buildings are shown to have been built on the former grounds of Wat Kaeo Fa, which was still extant in a map from 1907, indicating that the buildings were built sometime in between.[1] Ownership of the land was transferred to the Crown Property Bureau in 1958.[3]

Places

Today, Captain Bush Lane is home to the Portuguese Embassy, the Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel (on the former site of the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank), as well as several arts and antique shops. House No. 1 (the former French Distillery Company office) and a warehouse of the Louis T. Leonowens Company, now opposite the hotel, are the two remaining historical structures. The Si Phraya Pier is also in the area. A bridge crossing Khlong Phadung Krung Kasem where the lane meets the end of Si Phaya Road links it to the adjacent neighbourhood of Talat Noi.

Portuguese Embassy

The Portuguese embassy viewed from the river

The Portuguese embassy was first established at this site in 1820 as a

King Rama II. It is the oldest diplomatic residence in Thailand.[4]
The current embassy and ambassador's residence date from 1860.

Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation

The Hongkong and Shanghai Bank was the first bank to operate in Siam, first opening in 1888 within the old Customs House building. In 1890, it relocated to a permanent office on the mouth of Khlong Phadung Krung Kasem. The building, built of masonry and three storeys high, was designed by Italian architect Joachim Grassi in the Palladian style. It served as the bank's headquarters for the next 87 years until it was demolished to make way for the Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel.[5]

United Club

The United Club, c. 1908

The United Club was founded in 1888 as an international social club for Western expatriates, and its members included British, German, French, and American nationals.

Twentieth Century Impressions of Siam, a reference book published in 1908, "The United Club ... may perhaps be considered the most popular resort for foreign residents in Bangkok." The club was described as occupying large premises, including well laid-out grounds, on the corner of Charoen Krung and Si Phraya Roads (the latter having been built in front of the property in 1906). With a membership of 225 in 1908, the club's facilities included dining, reading, card and billiard rooms, as well as a bowling alley and several tennis courts.[7]

House No. 1

House No. 1 in 2018

House No. 1 is the former office of the Societe Francaise des Distilleries de l'Indochine. The building, built of masonry with

ancient monument by the Department of Fine Arts.[8]

Louis T. Leonowens warehouse

The Louis T. Leonowens warehouse remains as of 2021

A warehouse, next to House No. 1, is the only remaining structure of the Louis T. Leonowens Company. It was probably built between 1907 and 1913, with later additions. It is a one-storey elongated rectangular building with load-bearing walls supporting a high gabled roof of corrugated metal sheets on a large timber frame. Built in vernacular style, it was later modified to house cheap rental rooms. The building is badly deteriorated, though there have been proposals for its conservation.[9]

Si Phraya Pier

Si Phraya Pier (express boat pier)

Si Phraya Pier serves the Chao Phraya Express Boat and river-crossing ferries to Khlong San Pier and to Iconsiam. The express boat pier, designated N3, is between the Portuguese Embassy and the Royal Orchid Sheraton, while the ferry pier is between the hotel and the River City Shopping Complex in Talat Noi. They are approximately 200 m (about 656 ft) apart.[10] The ferry pier is open from 05:30 to 24:00. Si Phraya Pier was renovated at the end of 2015 by the Marine Department, as part of a project to refurbish seventeen public piers on the Chao Phraya.[11]

References

  1. ^ a b c Concepcion, Jiranan (November–December 2012). "การผาติกรรมวัดแก้วแจ่มฟ้าและที่มาของอาคารบ้านเลขที่ 1 ซอยกัปตันบุช" [The Reason of Wat Kaew Cham Fha's Relocation and The Old House at Soi Captain Bush]. Silpakorn. 56 (6): 70–81.
  2. ^ "ประวัติวัดแก้วแจ่มฟ้า" [History of Wat Kaeo Chaem Fa]. kaewjamfa.org (in Thai). ทุนนิธิวัดแก้วแจ่มฟ้า. Archived from the original on 5 March 2017. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  3. ^ a b c "อาคารอนุรักษ์ บ้านเลขที่ 1 ตรอกกัปตันบุช บางรัก" (PDF) (in Thai). The Crown Property Bureau. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  4. ^ Cunha, Helder de Mendonça e (January 1971). "The 1820 Land Concession to the Portuguese" (PDF). Journal of the Siam Society. 59 (1): 145–9. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  5. ^ Pittayawattanachai, Piriya (2011). สถาปัตยกรรมของโยอาคิม กราซีในสยาม [The Architecture of Joachim Grassi in Siam] (PDF) (Thesis) (in Thai). Silpakorn University. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  6. ISBN 9745779709. Cited in Abhichartvorapan, Waeovichian (2007). การศึกษาอิทธิพลชาวจีนที่มีต่อรูปแบบสถาปัตยกรรมในกรุงเทพมหานคร
    [The Study of Chinese influences on Architectural Style in Bangkok] (PDF) (Master's thesis) (in Thai). Thammasat University. pp. 87–88. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  7. ^ Wright, Arnold; Breakspear, Oliver T. Twentieth century impressions of Siam: its history, people, commerce, industries, and resources, with which is incorporated an abridged edition of Twentieth century impressions of British Malaya. London [etc.] Lloyds Greater Britain Publishing Company, Ltd. p. 252. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  8. ^ "ข้อมูลทั่วไป (บ้านเลขที่ 1 ซอยกัปตันบุช)". gis.finearts.go.th (in Thai). Department of Fine Arts. Archived from the original on 23 December 2016. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  9. ISSN 1906-3431
    . Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  10. ^ "Chao Phraya River ferries – for a fast and convenient crossing". Tour Bangkok Legacies. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  11. ASTV Manager
    (in Thai). 2015-12-31. Retrieved 2019-11-21.

13°43′44″N 100°30′51″E / 13.72889°N 100.51417°E / 13.72889; 100.51417

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Captain_Bush_Lane&oldid=1183280029"