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J R Crawford
JR Crawford, one of Ipoh’s very successful pioneers, came to Perak in 1885 to work on the construction of the eight mile rail link from Taiping to Port Weld and moved to Ipoh in the early 1890s to become Locomotive and Workshop Foreman of the Kinta Valley Railway. He gained a significant proportion of the work supporting the Chinese mines when he became Managing Director of Ipoh Foundry on Lahat Road. When large amounts of British capital were invested in the floatation of mining companies in the period 1895 to 1905 J R Crawford saw the potential and floated Ulu Piah Ltd.
Crawford’s business interests were not restricted to tin. He owned some of the best coffee estates in the region and went on to join the Board of Directors of Foo Choo Choon’s prosperous rubber producing firm Gunong Rapat Syndicate Ltd in 1908.
JR Crawford became very well established in Ipoh’s business and social circles. He was a founder member of the Ipoh Club which grew from an informal small group of Europeans meeting for regular drinks in Oldfields’ dispensary to 19 members building an attap roofed wooden hut in 1893 at the junction of Club Road and Hugh Low Street. Ultimately the successful Club moved to their current premises overlooking the Padang.
JR Crawford’s standing in Ipoh was acknowledged by The Times of Malaya on 21st November 1935 :
“The distinction of being the European having the longest residence in Perak falls on Mr JR Crawford, who last week completed half a century’s residence.”
To read more about J R Crawford's Ipoh Foundry and see a photograph of his home in Ipoh, click here.