At the time, it housed the Royal English School, but the place was deserted because schools were on holiday. The silence might have had something to do with it, but Zahim was struck by the beauty of the building.
Built in 1916, it combined Malay vernacular and British colonial architecture.
Speaking to FMT Lifestyle recently, Zahim, 61, said his great-grandfather, Orang Besar Enam Belas Toh Seri Amar Diraja Sulaiman Pandak Akhat, lived there with his wife, Andak Jijah Toh Sedewa Raja Domba, and their eight children.
“The house belonged to my great-grandmother. Then it went to my grandmother, Puteh Sawifah.”
The house was particularly special for Puteh. It was where she tied the knot with Mustapha Albakri in 1925 and the couple lived there in the first few years of their lives together. They moved out during the Japanese occupation of Malaya.
The last family member known to have lived there was Zahim’s aunt, Lailaton Halaliah. “She recalled that there was a permanent wedding dais upstairs,” Zahim said. “The larger family apparently had their wedding ceremonies in the house.”
The house was subsequently used as a religious school and also as the boys’ hostel for the Batu Gajah Government English School, later renamed Sultan Yussuf School. Some time later, it housed the Public Commercial Institution and, later on, the Royal English School.
From 1989 to 2001, the house hosted computer classes and a tuition centre before becoming the residence of its caretaker and his family.
Fun fact: the house was used as one of the locations in Goodbye Boys, a Malaysian film released in 2006.
As time passed, it seemed as though the house was set to spend the rest of its years in solitude. But Zahim said his late father, Ikmal Hisham, never wanted to demolish it.
Last April, Zahim and his siblings started a new chapter in the story of the house as they began restoration works and gave it the name of Rumah 1916.
“We’re trying to restore it as much as possible back to what it was like when it was first built,” Zahim said, adding that parts of the house had undergone renovations over those years when it served as an education facility.
Last month the siblings hosted an exhibition, Kisah Kinta 1916, to share the history of the house and of Batu Gajah. And there’s a documentary film being made about the restoration.
According to Zahim, the plan is to turn the house into an event space for people to host weddings and other celebrations.
“What’s been wonderful with the restoration is you can almost feel the house coming alive again,” he said. “It’s like new life is being breathed into it.
“The restoration project feels very rewarding. I’ve always been interested in old buildings and saving them. That’s why I am part of Badan Warisan Malaysia.
“The stories are important as well. It’s not just about saving old buildings. It’s also about knowing the history and why things are the way they are.”