Ipoh World

This photograph shows the first Anderson School building at Douglas Road. The School was founded in 1909 and named after the High Commissioner of the Malay States, Sir John Anderson. The impressive building, designed by A B Hubback (later Brigadier General Arthur Benison Hubback CMG, DSO), Architectural Assistant Director of Public Works Office, FMS had ten classrooms and included a large hall on the first floor suitable for assembling all the boys together. There were 52 boys in the first intake, split into six classes. The building soon became overcrowded and additional classrooms were provided in the Masonic Lodge in Maxwell Road. The school was relocated to the newly built and significantly larger premises in Ashby Road, Ipoh in 1930/31.

Readers will note that the above does not align with the description in the Kinta Valley book, nor other post-war publications, which all credit the school to the architect and developer C H LaBrooy. However contemporary press cuttings and other documents make it quite clear that the Douglas Road building was the responsibility of A B Hubback, while the Maxwell Road building, built two years later (foundation stone laid 1 April 1911) was designed by C H Labrooy.

We are grateful to the Kinta Masonic Lodge, Encik Omar Ibrahim and Lloyd Gan, webmaster of www.thehubbacks.org/, for assisting us in this clarification by providing the supporting documentation.

To read more about the Maxwell Road building, Ipoh, click here.

To read about Sir John Anderson, click here.

To read more about Anderson School, Ipoh, click here.

To read more about the book ‘Journey of the Andersonians - Who's Who ’, click here.

To read more about A B Hubback, click here.

To read more about the book ‘Kinta Valley’, click here.