Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Canal, to the north of the city, which at that time was orchards and rice fields. The king
bought land in this locality, using money from the privy purse, and himself cut down the
first trees in 1899 to inaugurate building work on what he named Suan Dusit, the Celes-
tial Garden. To link the Grand Palace and Suan Dusit, the king directed the construction
of Ratchadamnoen Avenue, a leafy European-style boulevard with offices and shops on
either side. Bicycles had been introduced into Siam at this time, and Rama
V
was a keen
cyclist: cycling trips were undertaken by the king and members of the royal family during
the cool of the evening to inspect progress, and with the first temporary buildings in place
only a year after work had begun, the king soon began to enjoy staying at his new royal
garden. As motorcars began to arrive in Siam, the processions of bicycles soon became
processions of cars, much to the amazement of local residents.
The first permanent structure at Suan Dusit was Vimanmek Mansion, a marvel of
design built entirely from teak, with not a single nail being used. Originally used as a sum-
merhouse on the island of Sichang, just of the coast of Chonburi, where the king enjoyed
spending time with his family, the structure had been known as Pha Chuthathut Palace.
During the Franco-Siamese War of 1893, which led to Siam ceding Laos to France and
thus greatly expanding the Indochine territories, the French had briefly occupied the is-
land. The summerhouse was abandoned, and fell into disuse. In 1900 the king had the
building dismantled and re-erected at Dusit, where it was renamed Vimanmek and used
as a royal palace for five years until the completion of Amphorn Satharn Villa in 1906. Vi-
manmek Mansion has an elaborate architectural style that reflects a Western influence.
The building has two right-angled wings, each being 60 metres (196 ft) long and 20 metres
(65 ft) high, with the structure being three storeys in height except for the part where the
king resided, which is octagonal and has four-storeys. Vimanmek is today a popular mu-
seum, with thirty-one exhibition rooms, many of which maintain the atmosphere of the
past, especially the bedrooms, the audience chamber and the bathrooms.
Suan Dusit reveals an extraordinary flowering of architecture, combining Thai and
European styles and utilising materials and techniques that were just coming into use at
that time in Europe. More than any other nationality, however, it is the Italians who have
left their indelible stamp upon this garden district. It doesn't appear to have been planned
that way, but to have evolved by chance, starting several years before the king's first visit
to Europe, where he was to become enamoured by the artistic and architectural genius of
the Italians. In 1890 a young civil engineer and architect named Carlo Allegri had arrived
in Bangkok to work for the building firm Grassi Brothers. There were few Italians in Siam
at this time, and Allegri quickly befriended a Piedmont nobleman named Colonel Gero-
