History of Ipoh

Epau & Palau were first mapped on the British map in 1876. with ‘Palau’ being Kampung Paloh. In his annual report for 1879. Hugh Low, the British Resident of Perak, spoke of Ipoh (spelt Epoh) as “the chief village in the district".

Kampung Paloh and Kampung lpoh were two early settlements located on the banks of the Kinta River in the 1880s. Other notable settlements were Kg. Kuchai, Kg. Pisang, Kg. Masjid Lama and Kg. Kepayang. The name Ipoh came from the Upas trees as the Malay called it Pokok Ipoh.

First courthouse was built in 1881.

The tin rush picked up in 1884 causing the town to swell in 1886. Dato Panglima Kinta himself laid out the town with "broad, straight streets", most likely beginning around Panglima Street.

In 1884. Sir Andrew Clarke was appointed by the British to develop a communication system.

The principle mines in the district were centered in Gopeng and Papan just before British intervention in 1874. There were about 4.000 Chinese working at the mines, apart from Malays who worked at their own ancestral mines.

In 1886, a rest house was built apart from the police post set up in 1879.

In 1889, the Straits Trading Company was set up in Ipoh, undertaking to buy the tin-ore from the tin miners in exchange for ready cash.

A hospital was built and opened, answering a sorely felt need amongst a large mining population where beri-beri, fever and dysentery were prevalent.

By 1890, Ipoh had become the largest town in Kinta Valley and the second largest in Perak, next to Taiping. Kinta had become the principal tin-producing district, not only in the state but in the whole of Malaya. The effect of this expansion on Ipoh was noticeable and direct.

In 1893, the lpoh Sanitary Board comprising officials and non-officials, responsible for cleanliness and hygiene of the town was established.

The Ipoh Club was established in 1893.

The Hakka Tin Miners Club was founded in the current Han Chin Pet Soo. The building was rebuilt in 1929 to replace the earlier double-storey club house on the same site.

In 1895, Anglo Chinese Boys School (ACS) became the first English medium school in Kinta. It was started by the American Methodist Episcopal Mission which had its headquarters in Singapore. It was built by Reverend W.E. Horley.

In 1895, Ipoh (Old Town) was founded. The first railway station was built in Ipoh with a new stretch of the railway line opened between Ipoh and Batu Gajah.

In 1897 the first double-storey post & telegraph office was built.

In 1898, work was started on a new mosque at Kg. Kuchai. It was built by Dato Panglima Kinta Mohammed Yusof in memory of his principle wife who had died in that year.

The Ipoh Padang was established in commemoration of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee.

In 1902, the Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China opened a branch at Station Road to finance the expansion of the tin industry, whilst the Hong Kong & Shanghai Bank financed the rubber industry. The Southern Indian Chettiars acted as the intermediaries between the British banks and the local community, due to their knowledge of the credit - worthiness of small Chinese and Indian traders.

The first person to own a car in Ipoh was Eu Tong Sen, the owner of Eu Yan Sang Chinese medical hall which now has plenty of franchises worldwide.

The first public telephone exchange was set up in Ipoh in 1902. The post and telegraph office moved from Taiping to Ipoh.

In 1903 a new courthouse, which had originally been the house owned by Dato Panglima Kinta Mohamed Yusof, was built along Club Road.

By 1904, Malaya was producing 50,000 tons of tin annually, more than half of the world output, to meet the growing demand from Europe. Limited public electricity supply was made available. The Birch Bridge was opened, and it spurred the development of the whole east bank of the Kinta River. It was the beginning of the development of "New Town".

Yau Tet Shin developed the first township of his time, Ipoh New Town, where he put up 300 houses bounded by Cowan Street, Clare Street, Hugh Low Street and Cockman Street. The township had community facilities with a market and a theatre.

Between 1906 and 1908, Dr Sun Yat Sen, "Father of Modern China visited Ipoh to gather support and funding to liberate China from the tyrannical reign of the Manchus. Further, the Strait Trading Company new imposing premise in Station Road was completed, and another building by Kapitan Chung Thye Phin was also built on the same street.

In 1907, the Convent of Holy Infant Jesus was opened with eight pupils at Brewster Road.

In 1908, Shiek Adam built an Indian Muslim Mosque opposite the Ipoh Padang.

In 1909, the Anderson Primary School opened its door occupying an impressive building at Douglas Road. Later, the building became the Perak State Secretariat, as well as the Chief Minister's office.

In 1910, dredging machines (Kapal Korek) were introduced to boost the production of tin.

In 1910, the first public bus service was started by Yeop Abdul Rani Idris, who ran a single bus from the corner of Hugh Low Street and Laxamana Road to Gopeng.

The People's Park, on the banks of the Kinta River overlooking the Panglima Mosque, was established.

JWW Birch Memorial Tower was inaugurated in 1913.

The construction of the main train station and hotel began in 1914. It was designed by Arthur Benison Bubback. The train station was officially opened in 1917.

In 1914 - 1916, the Ipoh Town Hall and Post Office were built.

The oldest restaurant in Ipoh was the Federated Malay States (FMS) Bar, established in 1923 at Brester Road. It was a celebrated watering hole for European planters. It was founded in 1906 by Hainanese immigrant Cheam Tong Lin and Jwi Fong Loon.

The Great Flood of Ipoh occurred in 1925.

In 1928, the Ipoh Supreme Court was completed.

The first set of traffic lights in Malaya was erected in 1937 at the junction of Tambun Road, Hugh Low Street, Gopeng Road, and Brewster Road. The first sodium vapor streetlights in Malaya were installed at Tambun Road in 1938.

Adapted from Perak Tourism display boards.