The following was sent to me by my colleague Lord Cranbrook. He is legendary in Malaysia for his knowledge of the region's natural history. He also happens to know a lot about Wallace.

Rajah James Brooke’s bungalow on Serambu Hill – ‘Peninjau’

A proposal to raise funds to assist the restoration of Rajah James Brooke’s bungalow, Peninjau, on Bukit Serambu, Sarawak.

DONATIONS are solicited for the following purposes:



1. To support a short contract with a local student of architecture, or similar discipline, to prepare designs for a rebuilt bungalow based on historical information, supplemented by items for modern needs (e.g., dry latrine).

2. To support the purchase of materials and temporary labour needed to rebuild the bungalow

3. To train local guides and otherwise support future tourism..

4. To foster scientific use of the site, especially as an environmental monitoring station.

TARGET  £20,000 immediately (2009); possible continuing scientific support.

Background

In 1853, as James Brooke recovered from a smallpox attack, his nephew (and at that time his putative heir) Brooke Johnson built a bungalow for him on the northern ridge of Serambu Hill, about 20 km up river from Kuching, in order to provide a place for rest and recuperation. At that time there were three Bidayuh villages on the hill. The nearest was called Peninjau, from which the bungalow took its name (‘Lookout’).



The Rajah was generous with offers to friends and associates to make use of the place. Among those who visited and have provided descriptions are Harriette McDougall, the Bishop’s wife, Spenser St John and the Italian botanist Oduardo Beccari. But perhaps the most famous visitor was A. R. Wallace, whose stay there in December 1855 and January 1856 is described in exuberant detail in The Malay Archipelago. It was at Peninjau that Wallace made his fantastic collections of moths by lamplight on dark nights, unparalleled elsewhere on his eastern voyages.



Charles Brooke may have made use of the bungalow early in his time as Rajah, but he soon chose to develop his own upland retreat at a more accessible position on the slopes of Mt. Matang. In due course Peninjau was abandoned. In January 1912, when J. C. Moulton, Curator of the Sarawak Museum, was conducted to the site by local guides, it was totally overgrown by secondary vegetation. All that Moulton found of the bungalow were six belian posts. However, he stayed several days and repeated Wallace’s lamping. His significant catches of moths and other insects were reported in The Entomologist vol. 45, for August 1912.



Thereafter, the site again lapsed into obscurity. None the less in 1988, when I made enquiries at Kampung Peninjau (now split into two, Lama and Baru), I found that older members of the community had clear recollections of the site and its history, and a strong perception of their role as guardians of the Rajah’s place of retreat. Following this lead, in 1989 a Sarawak Museum party led by Clement Langet Sabang was guided to the site of the bungalow, where they found two belian posts still surviving (Sarawak Gazette 117, no. 1514, pp. 42 –47).

Since 1990, there have been several media reports of informal visits to the site, guided by kampung people. The route up the hill leads through village orchards, along a path marked by various historic landmarks and, finally, past the huge overhanging rock under which Rajah James and his visitors bathed at a small spring, before reaching the ridge. Here, as a result of successive visits, there is now open space surrounding the two historic posts.



Given the precise description of the bungalow by Wallace and others (3 rooms connected by a verandah, all painted white), an accurate reconstruction should be possible. With a few additional facilities, it would provide a focus for day visitors and acceptable accommodation for overnight stay by small parties. As part of the promotion of the Wallace Trail in Sarawak, as a concerted tourist project, the restoration would be a major publicity feature. Trained guides and others in the community would benefit. And, into the future, a regular programme of night-lamping for moths and other insects (at least in January, each year) would provide a valuable exercise for scientific research and environmental monitoring.

For further information, please contact: 

Lord Cranbrook , Email lordcranbrook@greatglemhamfarms.co.uk