+91-124-2786999
+91-124-2786999
It is up to you as whether you look Kellie’s Castle in Malaysia as a romantic ruins or a spooky palace. Facing the picture-perfect view of Batu Gajah in Perak, Kellie’s Castle is an unfinished palace of William Kellie Smith, the Scottish owner of rubber plantation. The nearby ruins and the castle have signs of grand vision of Smith to make it his family home.
The plan was to have a 6-storey tower, entertainment area on rooftop, indoor tennis court, wine cellar, and Malaya’s first elevator. The architecture of the castle was designed in Indo-Saracenic Revival and Moorish style with world-class craftsmanship. Smith called in 70 workers and brought imported marbles and bricks from India and beautiful tiles from Italy to make it his dream home.
Along with its exquisite exterior, Smith had also ordered to build secret exit tunnels to be used in emergencies. It also houses a small room around the wine cellar which would reportedly be used as a secret room.
When Smith passed away due to pneumonia at 56, construction of the castle was stopped when he was reaching Lisbon for elevator. In grief, his wife Agnes sold it to Harrisons & Crosfield. Since then, it was left abandoned. Later on, it became a tourist destination in Malaysia.
Today, visitors can opt for Kellie's Castel Educational Tour to explore its interiors, which includes Smith’s children rooms, 4-storey tower, elevator shaft, and the spooky wine cellar. You may also opt for Kellie's Castle Night Tour Package to learn about its haunted story. Its rooftop is also open to capture breathtaking views of nearest landscapes. Some rooms have been refurbished in the castle with furniture. It shows what those rooms would have been originally once the construction had been completed.
William Kellie Smith was born in Kellas, Moray Firth, Scotland in 1870. He arrived in Malaya (Malaysia) in 1890 as a Civil Engineer. He joined survey farm of Charles Alma Baker, who won concessions to clear 9000 hectares of forests from state government in Batu Gajah, Perak. He bought 1000 acres of land in the jungle in Kinta and planted rubber trees. He married a Scottish woman, Agnes and brought her to Malaya in 1903. Later on, he planned Kellie’s Castle with Moorish, Scottish, and Indian architecture.