Chinpracha House (Baan Chinpracha)
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Chinpracha House (Baan Chinpracha) is one of the 18 nicest mansions in Phuket. Some of these in Sino-Portuguese style house are wrecked and abandoned, most have been renovated, but Chinpracha House is somehow unique and in its original condition. It can be visited for 150 baht and may be worth having a look, but expect something halfway between a museum and a collection of personal items gathered along time.
Only the lower floor of Chinpracha house is open to public as the second floor, still occupied by the owners, cannot be visited. The main living area with its beautiful Italian tiles is the most beautiful part of the house, with an indoor pond decorated daily with flowers. It won’t take you long to walk around two bedrooms, the entrance hallway and the large old fashioned kitchen. All are kept in quite good condition with some of the original furniture imported from Europe hundred years ago and tons of old family photos decorating every wall. As most privately owned ‘museums’, items on display are a bit random, a mix of objects collected along times, many of them were probably used by the owners until replaced with something better (that will also end up on the shelves one day).
To give you a bit of history, the house was built in 1903 by Pratipak Chinpracha, a family originating from the Fujian region of China and migrated to Phuket at the time of tin mining. This type of architecture was called ‘Angmor Lounge style’ by Phuket people at this time. It was also featured in few movies such as ‘Heaven and Earth’ and ‘Young Indiana Jones’.
The house used to be very visible from the main road but a pair of condos are now hiding it from sight. It was always looking a bit abandoned; renovating such an old building must be very costly and income from the few visitors might not be enough for a meaningful refurbishment. Anyway it is a decent stop when walking Phuket streets, quite a walk from the popular Thalang Road but still at walking distance if you don’t mind a bit of exercise.
Chinpracha House Photos
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Chinpracha House Location
Location: 98, Krabi Road, Phuket Town, just next to the Blue Elephant Restaurant.
Open: 9 am – 4.30 pm – Closed on Sundays (to be confirmed)
Phone: 076 211281
Price: 150 Baht