Travel writing by Ooi Li Yan
I visited Kellie’s Castle during the last school holidays. It is located in Perak, Malaysia.
Kellie’s Castle was built by Scottish planner William Kellie Smith in 1910. However, the building of the mansion was abandoned when William died of pneumonia in 1926 on his way to Portugal. His wife Agnes, devastated by his death, sold the half-completed mansion along with Willian’s Malaya estate to a British company and went back to Scotland with their children.
It was my first time going to a haunted mansion. I felt really excited. The view of the mansion, which has a mix of Scottish, Indian, and Moorish designs according to the internet, was really beautiful.
Inside, I saw a big space with 2 sofas and 1 radio. It was supposed to be the living room, where William’s family could read books and relax. When I walked across it, I felt really cold even though it was a hot afternoon. Another part of the mansion was bombed during World War II. According to the information there, that part was meant to be the mansion’s garden. I did not go to the upper floors or the basement because I was too scared to explore.
There are lots of ghost stories surrounding Kellie’s Castle. A couple who once visited the mansion at night to photograph nocturnal animals claimed that they saw ghost figures in the mansion’s window. There is also another rumour of William’s spirits restlessly roam the second-floor corridor, as well as the story of his daughter’s spirit appearing in her room. Back in the 1960s, it was believed that a car was seen parked inside one of the mansion’s passageways, but nothing was ever found or verified. There were also mentions that the Japanese used to torture or execute prisoners in the mansion, giving locals another reason to believe it to be haunted.
If you want to visit Kellie’s Castle, the mansion is open for visitors from 9:15am to 5:15pm every day except Sunday. You will need to prepare around RM30 to pay for parking and buy refreshments there if you are hungry or thirsty. The mansion also has its own social media, which you can follow for latest updates:
FB: https://www.facebook.com/kelliescastleofficial
IG: https://www.instagram.com/kellies.castle/
PS:
According to a map located there, there are also other attractions in the surrounding areas of Batu Gajah that you can check out, so that is also something you should consider when you come and visit Kellie’s Castle!
