Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
WALK 17
THE EUROPEAN DISTRIC T 2
Temple of the
Chinese Junk
Our second route through the European district takes us to an offshoot of Chinatown and
one of Bangkok's oddest temples, and on to the final resting place of so many of those early
expatriates.
Duration: 2 hours
Directly next to The Oriental, separated from it only by the narrow thoroughfare
known as Oriental Avenue, and occasionally floated as a “wouldn't it make a wonder-
ful extension” idea, is the old headquarters of the East Asiatic Company, which grew out of
Andersen & Co, founded by Hans Niels Andersen around the time he was purchasing he
Oriental. Along with the hotel, Andersen had also purchased The Oriental's retail store,
ship chandlery, ice factory, bakery, and aerated water factory. Some of this land was used
for his own company, which encompassed shipping, logging and sawmills, and when the
East Asiatic Company was founded in 1897 this prominent riverfront site was chosen for
the offices. The building was completed early in 1901 and is designed in a neo-Palladian
style, with a balustraded staircase leading to the first-floor entrance, arched fanlights over
the shuttered windows, and the company logo of an anchor embellishing the pediment. The
building has stood empty for many years, although it is in a reasonable state of preserva-
tion. East Asiatic's warehouses, huge arched structures built with concrete frames and brick
infill (the bricks were imported from Middlesborough, in England), located further along
Charoen Krung Road, have recently been brought back to life as part of the Asiatique leis-
