Demolishing the historic British Embassy to make way for a shopping center

[webfact]

Demolishing the historic British Embassy to make way for a shopping center

 

 

Pictures: ICOMOS Thailand Association

 

A heritage organisation posted a question on Facebook following  work at the British Embassy compound in Bangkok.

 

How can you demolish the British Embassy? 

 

The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS Thailand Association) said they had contacted the Thai Department of Fine Arts after two historical buildings had been demolished and the Famous Queen Victoria monument had been moved. 

 

 

They were considered "obstacles" in the multi billion baht sale of one of Bangkok's most prime tracts of real estate on Withayu (Wireless) Road. 

 

The embassy has been sold to Central to make way for retail space. 

 

ICOMOS said the Fine Arts Department had indicated that the buildings were not listed and were owned by the British who it appears could do whatever they wanted with them. 

 

 

ICOMOS intimated that irrespective of who owned them it was a crime to knock down such beautiful heritage. 

 

Three historical and beautiful buildings remain on the site and ICOMOS are concerned what will happen to them in the name of progress. 

 

 

The British foreign office said last year that they had sold the embassy's 25 rai plot for 420 million pounds. 

 

Last week, the UK in Thailand Facebook page shared a video montage of significant and memorable moments from the past. 

 

 

Source: ICOMOS Thailand Association

 

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[watcharacters]

 

Turning the building into a  small hotel would have been a much better option.

 

Hate to see history just torn down to make room for bland concrete.

 

 

 

[GarryP]

Another shopping center? Really? As if there aren't enough already. The market is not saturated, its bloody flooded with them.

[Aforek]

Always sad to see historic buildings demolished

they are often beautiful and have a history ( our history ! ) 

[JingerBen]

What a damn shame.

[CGW]

Pure greed, in years to come this decision will be regretted! ???? 

[ExpatOilWorker]

9 minutes ago, watcharacters said:

 

A small hotel would have been a much better option.

 

Hate to see history just torn down to make room for bland concrete.

 

Will be interesting to see what will be build on this prime location.

 

Remember the Siam Intercontinental, it had to give way for Paragon.

 

http://2bangkok.com/2bangkok-masstransit-intercon.html

[darksidedog]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

the buildings were not listed and were owned by the British who it appears could do whatever they wanted with them. 

And once they got their 420 Million quid, it seems that they absolutely didn't care. Tragic really, but shows exactly the priorities and values of the Foreign Office. Wouldn't be so bad if they were using some of the money to improve services, rather then cut them.

[RotBenz8888]

Will be regretted in the future. 

[Basil B]

11 minutes ago, darksidedog said:

And once they got their 420 Million quid, it seems that they absolutely didn't care. Tragic really, but shows exactly the priorities and values of the Foreign Office.

for sure if it were in the UK it would have been a listed building, pity common sense did not prevail... try to keep some of the features such as the the facade of the main building and the Queen Vic monument.   

[JamesBlond]

Would have made a nice museum in parkland. Museum of what hardly matters (Thailand natural history?), but parkland in a city centre does.

[Swiss1960]

39 minutes ago, GarryP said:

Another shopping center? Really? As if there aren't enough already. The market is not saturated, its bloody flooded with them.

 

31 minutes ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

Will be interesting to see what will be build on this prime location.

 

Remember the Siam Intercontinental, it had to give way for Paragon.

 

http://2bangkok.com/2bangkok-masstransit-intercon.html

Article says Embassy was sold to Central.. and since the shopping centre down the road is called "Central Embassy", it seems fair to assume that this space  will be used as an expansion to this center

[Vacuum]

48 minutes ago, GarryP said:

Another shopping center? Really? As if there aren't enough already. The market is not saturated, its bloody flooded with them.

And same/identical stuff are sold in all of them.

[phka]

Good idea going the same way as the country

[pieeyed]

Just what is needed. Another frigging mail.

Sent from my CPH1823 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Fred white]

41 minutes ago, darksidedog said:

And once they got their 420 Million quid, it seems that they absolutely didn't care. Tragic really, but shows exactly the priorities and values of the Foreign Office.

Since that money was stolen from the tax payers it should be returned to them yeah right

[Lamkyong]

the embassy of late is not dissimilar to many Thai shops/mall

 

the majority of enquirers have been met with the classic MIA MEE

[Denim]

Another shopping mall in a country where most of it's citizens are already heavily in debt.

 

Yes.....that makes sense.  Thainess sense.

[sanemax]

59 minutes ago, darksidedog said:

And once they got their 420 Million quid, it seems that they absolutely didn't care. Tragic really, but shows exactly the priorities and values of the Foreign Office.

Once the land and building had been sold , its nothing more to do with the UK or the Embassy and its up to the new owners what they want to do with it .

[sanemax]

18 minutes ago, Fred white said:

Since that money was stolen from the tax payers it should be returned to them yeah right

In what way was the money "stolen"?

[Assurancetourix]

1 hour ago, Aforek said:

Always sad to see historic buildings demolished

they are often beautiful and have a history ( our history ! ) 

 

Do not forget that Thai people have no or very little history.
When Ayuttaya was stormed in 1767 by the Burmese after more than a year of siege, they brought back to Burma about 600,000 prisoners who became their slaves and very displeased that the city resisted them more than a year they destroyed it totally burning all the archives, all the books.
The history of Thailand will begin a few years later with the Chakri dynasty;
It is a little over 200 years old.

The name of Ayutthaya comes from that of the city of Ayodhya, India. This city is indeed that of Rama, hero of the Rāmāyana and seventh incarnation of Vishnu. This name means "that can not be conquered" in Sanskrit.

She therefore bore her name very badly because she was also conquered and plundered by the Burmese in 1569.

[friend of siam]

1 hour ago, watcharacters said:

 

Turning the building into a  small hotel would have been a much better option.

 

Hate to see history just torn down to make room for bland concrete.

 

 

 

well the british goes down now visible...the old monuments of colonial charme that they cannot or dont want effort anymore..once a colonial power ( it was easy with all the robbed indian gold and all that industrial scale drugsmoney from opium trade )..nowadays they have to do real work...it aint so easy to play big anymore...the chinese now are the new masters in asia and soon worldwide....the only asset gb have are the city of london gambler boys...with brexit they will shift to frankfurt ...

maybe you follow argentinia...or venezuela....the pound does it already...other powers tell u what to do and you kneel down and behave..but good news boris is around to help ...

[sammieuk1]

Selling England by the pound or now near 50p????

[TalingChanMan]

I believe the Queen Victoria monument has been moved to the British Club in Silom.

[Assurancetourix]

2 minutes ago, sanemax said:

Once the land and building had been sold , its nothing more to do with the UK or the Embassy and its up to the new owners what they want to do with it .

 

If one day the city of Paris decides to sell the Tour Eiffel to a wealthy Thai businessman, do you think he will destroy it to build a shopping center? 

what has just happened at the former British Embassy in Bangkok is certainly unfortunate, but fortunately there is still a lot of European construction in Thailand, especially from France; these are mostly restored and very well maintained.

[sanemax]

7 minutes ago, Assurancetourix said:

 

If one day the city of Paris decides to sell the Tour Eiffel to a wealthy Thai businessman, do you think he will destroy it to build a shopping center? 

 

I very much doubt that he would do that , anyway, lets keep on topic by discussing the former  British Embassy in BKK , rather than the Tour de Eiffel in France 

[geoffbezoz]

So if they have demolished the embassy, where is it now ? As the last part of this article states the proceeds from sale will be used to relocate to a new embassy this year yet the website is still saying it is in Wittyu.  Also some of my friends said it was still there not too long ago when they visited, so were they wrong, or is it only a mirage an embassy is still there ?

https://history.blog.gov.uk/2019/04/15/the-british-embassy-bangkok-a-look-back-before-moving-on/

[billd766]

13 minutes ago, TalingChanMan said:

I believe the Queen Victoria monument has been moved to the British Club in Silom.

The last thing she was heard to say was

 

"We are not amused".

[Just Weird]

1 hour ago, watcharacters said:

Turning the building into a  small hotel would have been a much better option.

 

Hate to see history just torn down to make room for bland concrete.

For who?

[Fred white]

22 minutes ago, sanemax said:

In what way was the money "stolen"?

Do you freely give your money to the govt or do you do it because if you don't you could lose everything you have and possibly go to jail