School’s heritage-list hope blown

The old building was in a poor state and required maintenance and the Perak Public Works Department (JKR) was appointed to carry out the repairs.

However, during the construction, the original century-old roof structure went missing.

The original structure, timber trusses and beams, worth an estimated RM1mil, were removed by the contractors and have been unaccounted for since.

The damage has since been minimised with the installation of aluminium trusses to replace the exposed roof while repair works are still ongoing.

In July last year, a bargeboard fell from the front portion of the roof due to a thunderstorm, which resulted in the school being closed and the students moved to an adjacent building for safety reasons.

Following the incident, in May this year, JKR approved RM300,000 as the initial cost for the repair of the ceiling and floorboards.

Historical building

Built in 1906, the SMK Raja Perempuan Kelsom (SMKRPK) building is a historical structure as it exudes the Victorian revival style of classical architecture.

It was the residence of Sir Hugh Low, who served as the fourth British Resident of Perak.

SMK Raja Perempuan Kelsom alumnus Thaljit Kaur Dillon, who is an architect, said the works done by the contractor were an insult to heritage buildings.

“The timber roof was part of the century-old building and they should not have removed it.

“I was told the contractors said the building was not yet listed as a heritage building, which means they knew of the significance (of being listed in the heritage registry) and were aware that there was already an application made to register the building, yet they still chose to ignore it,” she said.

Thaljit, who is also a member of the Malaysian Institute of Architects (PAM) Heritage and Conservation Committee, explained that what was even more heartbreaking was that the school’s headmistress together with the alumni group had jointly submitted an application to nominate the school building to be listed in the National Heritage list.

“We wanted the timber roof restored. However, this is highly unlikely now because when we asked the contractors about the whereabouts of the roof structures and timber, they could not provide an answer as the sub-contractor they hired had already taken them away.

“Also, without proper roof protection, parts of the school’s interior were damaged and we were told that the contractors will not repair the damage even though they were responsible for it,’’ she added.

“We hope this incident will not affect the building’s nomination as a heritage site,” Thaljit said.

According to Thaljit, the move to nominate the school as a national heritage site was mooted on Nov 16, 2016 at an alumni meeting.

Subsequently, PAM’s Heritage and Conservation committee was informed about the building at the beginning of 2017 and a letter was sent to the school in March 2017 asking for a courtesy visit.

PAM had also highlighted 15 recommendations for building repairs to help the school preserve its structure.

Storied past

The building has a lot of history to begin with. The original owner of the land it sits on was Che Midah, a wealthy Malay woman whose photos and memorabilia can still be found in the school.

From 1878 to 1906, it was owned by the Federated Malay States (FMS) as a house for the FMS Residents and High Commissioners.

It was used as an office during the Japanese occupation, then as a Malay College Boys hostel and finally as the Government English Girls School (GEGS) in Kuala Kangsar, which was later renamed to SMK Raja Perempuan Kelsom in 1970 by the late Sultan Idris II in honour of his mother.

Architect Arthur Benison Hubback, who also designed several other notable buildings in the country, renovated it to its current design in 1906.

In 1962, the building was taken over by GEGS under headmistress N.C. Partridge until she retired in 1976.

Former Malay College Kuala Kangsar student and International Council on Monuments and Sites (Icomos) Malaysia council member Rosli Mohd Ali visited the school earlier and said the community must appreciate the importance of heritage buildings.

“The buildings should be preserved as it is unique and bears witness to history.

“The roof showed no warping or any sign of rotting but it was just slightly weighed down after a long period of time. There was no need to take the whole thing out,’’ Rosli said.

“They should not have disturbed the original state of the building as this is not in line with heritage conservation,” he added.

Rosli also feared that certain irresponsible parties had taken advantage of the situation to recycle the century-old timbers as it can fetch a high value in the market.

“In Australia, contractors that demolish old buildings will take materials of heritage value and recycle it in other renovations.

“It might be what happened here and I suspect there is a syndicate doing the same thing in Malaysia,” he said.

Still a chance for repair

Rosli added that there was still a chance to replace the metal roof with timber.

“However, this will come after the school is listed as a heritage site when there will be a federal budget for restoration,” he explained.

However, he said that restoring the original timber would be difficult as the materials that had stood intact for more than 112 years were no longer produced or easily available.

MGS/GEGS/RPK Alumni Association president Mabel Muttiah said JKR should have clear perimeters while repairing a building.

“They should have checked with the relevant departments about century-old buildings and they should have known that the school was old.

“I was also told that the repair works were expected to be completed by Nov 30 and students were then supposed to move back to the school,” she said.

A letter has been sent to Perak JKR department about the existing condition and the future of the heritage building on Sept 20 but there has been no reply yet, she said.

Meanwhile, calls to the National Heritage Department for comments on the issue proved futile.

When contacted, Deputy Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik said the school building was not on the department’s national heritage list.

“Regardless, we are concerned if the repair work has affected the heritage value of the building.

“The department will carry out investigations into the issue,” he said.