Suan Pakkad Palace is a place to find visions of Thailand you thought long since vanished in Bangkok. Its name means 'cabbage patch', in reference to when the land was nothing more than that. Today, however, it's much as it has been for over 50 years: a well-tended tropical garden with serene ponds surrounding eight traditional Thai houses, each of which brims to overflowing with fine arts, antiquities and oddities belonging to Prince and Princess Chumbhot.
In a spirit of sharing, they converted their traditional private residence to a museum back in 1952, the first instance of a Thai family doing so. Their philanthropic rationale was that while treasured possessions are private property, they still constitute a part of mankind's heritage and as such should be made accessible to all. Slightly odd then that what greets visitors is an entirely unrelated and recent addition, built in 1996. The Chumbhot - Panthip Centre of Arts houses prehistoric Ban Chieng artifacts dating back to the Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages. These rare items of painted pottery, bronze weapons and tools, attest to a Southeast Asian civilization that equals Egypt and Stonehenge in terms of technological and social advancement.
Take a journey into a forgotten time
Interesting though these are, it's the architectural centrepiece - a group of four Thai teak houses nestled between the front of the palace and garden, a family heirloom dating from the 19th Century - and its contents that really tell Suan Pakkad's story, and make it a must-see. Each was transported here from its original location, and like most traditional Thai houses are two storeys high (each is interlinked by upstairs platforms, so you can walk sequentially between buildings without having to trudge up and down stairs).
The first contains musical instruments downstairs belonging to Prince Chimbhot's father, Prince Paribatra, a successful Thai composer in his own right. Rare drums, xylophones, gongs and three-stringed fiddles are displayed, highlights including a Gong Wong Yai, a bizarre-looking percussion instrument with 16 metal discs (each with different pitch), and old vinyl recordings of a Bangkok orchestra performing in a department store in the 1920s. Upstairs is an eclectic gathering of relics from various periods of Thai and Southeast Asian history. Amidst dusty muskets, swords and spears, a portrait of King Rama V, three Buddha images (two in the Subduing Mara pose, one in the attitude of dispelling fear, and classic 7th Century Khmer statue the 'Torso of Uma') stand out.
Open: 09:00 - 16:00
Location: 352-354 Sri Ayudhya Road (five minutes walk from BTS Phaya Thai), nearest area Pratunam
Admission: 100 baht
Contact: +66 (0)2 245 4934
