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Memories Of Fair Park
We thank our donor, daughter of Danish architect B M Iversen, for these pictures. From left to right they show:
- The row of shop houses, once along the main road. They were demolished back in 2009; today another row of shop houses have been built on the same site.
- A view of the Fair Park houses; note one end of the shop houses on the extreme right.
- The main road leading towards the houses.
- The Fair Park houses - modern homes (at that time, 1938/1939) which had three bedrooms (upstairs), living room, dining room, indoor flushing toilets and also a chimney for the cooking stove in the kitchen.
- Another view of the Fair Park houses. According to our donor, rental for these houses (post-war) were around $60 a month.
- The same houses; the patch of grass in the foreground may have been part of a small park within the housing area.
The following are some of the memories shared by our blog readers, with regards to the shop houses in Fair Park.
Old Horse
It’s located at the junction of the traffic lights going towards the General Hospital and Anderson School. It used to house a shop selling coconuts where I bought my “suntan” for cooking curries. There was also an Indian barber shop, a Chinese laundrette and sundry shop together with a mamak restaurant there if I’m not mistaken. Very Muhibah. It became famous or “infamous” during its demolition when part of the building collapsed and crushed a car waiting at the traffic lights one night.
Rosebud
Serene row of old shophouses that bore witness in the 70s to a dastardly murder of a police chief & his driver to iconic late ‘Spider’ plying his famous Chow Fun on his tricycle . There is a gorge not far on the right of the photo where a stream flowed with greenery all round its bank.
SK
Thanks, Old Horse & Rose Bud. Yes, that’s the shop where my friend motorcycle shop was. It must be in between the barber shop, launderette & Mamak Restaurant. At the back of the building was a secondary school – Sri Kepayang? Yes, Rosebud, the gorge is still there. At the traffic light where the Perak CPO was shot, I was with the Driving Inspector from RIMV having my driving test. I was told to find a spot to make a U turn. There was too much traffic & an old man pushing a tricycle was obstructing traffic. The Inspector finally told me to go forward to RIMV office. So I passed my driving test without making the U turn test . Maybe I should thank the old man who was pushing his tricycle.. Ha3.
Lim Keat Boon
Behind the shoplots is St Peter’s Church. Sri Kepayang School (Girls & Boys) are on the left of this building. I’m staying behind, Asia Garden. Your motorcycle shop friend now is in the middle of the row of shoplots after Perak Cave Temple(Direction heading to town). I saw him last year. Still running a motorcycle shop. I been staying in Fair Park ever since I was born in the 60’s. My old house(rented) is 49, Fair Park, all demolished now. Those were the days.
Click here to see a 2009 picture of the Fair Park shophouses, before they were demolished.