1830s - Undeveloped Land

Klian Pauh was formerly an undeveloped land located at the foot of Maxwell Hill, today known as Bukit Larut. The initial resident who inhabited the area was the Malay civilisation.

1830s - Larut the Elephant

According to folklore, the elephant of Che Long Jaafar named Si Larut went missing for three days. Once found, he was astonished to find Si Larut was covered with hard mud. He began to investigate and discovered that the muddy lumps were tin.

The Founder of Tin Mines

Che Long Jaafar established Klian Pauh (now Taiping) as a tin mining area in 1840. The land was initially processed by the Malay Miners using Traditional method such as “mencangkul” dan “mendulang”.

1848 - The Chinese Miners

Che Long Jaafar imported around 20 Chinese miners from Pulau Pinang as tin labours, and because of the tin mining industry had become profitable to the population of Chinese in Klian Pauh that increased dramatically.

Advanced Method

Che Long Jaafar established Klian Pauh (now Taiping) as a tin mining area in 1840. The land was initially processed by the Malay Miners using traditional method such as “mencangkul” dan “mendulang”.

1884 - Reclamation Began

The Taiping Lake Garden began to develop. Constance Sydney Holmes, Swettenham's wife, collaborated with mining inspector, William Scott to create a scenic location that was subsequently transformed into a park. Its strategic location at the foot of Bukit Larut also inspired the British to transform it into a public park.

1885 - Advanced Method

The disused mines levelled, planted, and walled. The development of this lake garden was carried out over time by a number of British commanders, including Sir Hugh Low, Frank Swettenham, Col. Walker, E. W. Birch, R. Derry, others.

1893 - "Rolling Meadows"

Sir Frank Swettenham served as its opening and inaugurator on 17th November. The concept was based on the idea of "Rolling Meadows," an open space with contours and big trees. The magnificence of Loch Katrine and English Lake District was attempted to be translated into Taiping Lake Garden.

Biodiversity Created

The Taiping Lake Garden is now home to a diverse range of flora and fauna. There were about 2,500 trees representing over 75 different species. Exotic species include the White Lotus, Seroja tree, Rain-Rain tree, Halban tree, Brazil Nut tree, and Saga tree.

Scroll through the pictorial

Meadows

Taiping Lake Gardens

Taiping Lake Garden, a 64-hectare public recreational park was once the epicenter of various historical events such as tin mining activities, the Larut Wars, and the justification for British intervention. One of Malaysia's most picturesque locations, Taiping Lake Garden is the country’s first public recreational park.

The lake garden is an ex-tin mining area where the disused and abandoned mines due to the depletion of tin in 1880s, were turned into lakes as part of the reclamation process. It serves as a water retention area to prevent flash floods as Taiping is known as rain town because its geography is in the area that receives the most rain in Malaysia every year. There are ten scenic lakes and ponds which give significant values to the garden.

The concept of “Rolling Meadows” was proposed by Charles Compton Reade and Lady Swettenham during 1880 to 1933 to develop the lake garden. The Lake Garden often hosts recreational and social events like sports, yoga, marathon, and other leisure activities like strolling and picnic.The project maps the highlights of Taiping Lake Garden in the map below: