Royal
Selangor is one of the oldest and largest pewter factory in the world. I’m proud
to be Malaysian! Last Saturday morning, I visited to the Royal Selangor Visitor
Centre at Setapak, Kuala Lumpur. While waiting for the rest of the bloggers to
arrive, I was sipping my latte at The Cafe and browsing through the The Royal Selangor
Story coffee table book.
Here are some history overview about Royal
Selangor, it was founded in Malaysia back in 1885 by Yong Koon coincide with the
development of tin mining in the Malay Peninsula in the 1800s, at the time when
country was the largest producer of tin in the world. And in 2004, Royal
Selangor opened a new visitor centre and till today the admission is free for
everyone, local and also tourist. This year Royal Selangor Visitor Centre
celebrates its 10th Anniversary.
Mengkuang Wall & Royal Selangor History Gallery |
Let’s
take a tour… basically the Visitor Centre comprises three main sections - The
Gallery, Factory Tour and Retail Store. My experience kicked start as we
ascended the travelator through the inspired Mengkuang Wall and into The
Gallery.
Royal Selangor Museum |
Feeling excited and can’t wait to find our more in The Museum. There
were pictures about the history of pewter in Malaysia; exhibits of not only
pewter artefacts, of which there are many, but also Yong Koon's original
pewtersmithing tools and personal effects.
with Datin Chen Mun Kuen and the Lucky Melon Teapot |
The Lucky Melon Teapot, I am honored to meet Datin Chen Mun Kuen and also learned about the history of this Melon Pot, this is the lucky melon-shaped teapot that saved Ah Ham’s life during World War II. Ah Ham lucky teapot now resides in Royal Selangor Museum as archival collection. You can buy the reproduction of this lucky melon teapot at the Royal Selangor Retail Store. If you want to know the full story about this lucky melon teapot, please visit the Royal Selangor Visitor Centre ok…
the Comyns Archive |
In the
Comyns Archive you can check out all about sterling silver heritage. Comyns,
one of the oldest and most prestigious silversmiths, with a hallmark that dates
back to 1645, was acquired by Royal Selangor in 1993 together with its treasure
trove of more than 35,0000 patterns, drawings and moulds.
at Chamber of Chimes & Hall of Frames |
As we walked into the Chamber of Chimes we heard a soothing mixtures of sound ~ enter the world of pewter through sight, touch and sound. Then we passed the Hall of Frames decked with an impressive collection of past and present
Royal Selangor photo frames, you can touch, feel and appreciate the subtle
warmth and flexibility of the alloy.
And don’t forget to take as many pictures
as you like.
first look a the Royal Selangor Autumn 2014 Pewter Collection |
Then we
took a break in the conference / meeting room to view Royal Selangor Autumn
2014 Pewter Collection. I will blogged more details about this collection in my upcoming post. Spotted a set of champagne flute that I think is suitable for my bestie's wedding gift.
Factory Tour |
After the break were the Factory Tour. We checked out some of the processes of making pewter and also
the tedious works involved in crafting out a piece of pewter.
Pewter is made of
Tin + Antimony + Copper = Pewter
Part of the processes of making a pewter Casting, Polishing & Hammering |
School of Hard Knocks & The Foundry |
The fun
began at School of Hard Knocks & The Foundry. It's play time. We knocked our own pewter dish at the Royal
Selangor’s School of Hard Knocks pewtersmithing workshop takes about half-hour. This workshop price is RM120 for 2 pax.
School of Hard Knocks ~ DIY Pewter Dish |
We created our own pewter dish with our
name on it by using all these traditional tools that similar to those used by pewtersmiths
more than a hundred years ago. Enjoyed the knocking!
The Foundry ~ DIY Personal Accessories |
Then we
moved over to The Foundry to create our own pewter personal accessory. The instructor guided us through the
fundamental processes of casting, polishing and decorating to create their own
pewter pendant. You have the choice of casting items from existing moulds or
creating something freehand. I chose the tree pendant.
DIY my Pewter Tree Pendant |
If you
have visitors from overseas, it will be a great experience for them. Not only
they learnt about Pewter in Malaysia but also bring back their DIY true
Malaysia’s Souvenirs. It’s going to be a memorable gift and experience for
them.
Special for my readers!
50% Discount @ The Foundry Workshop
Now you
can enjoy the 50% discount at The Foundry
Purchase
2 passes of The Foundry workshop for just RM150. Usual price is RM300 for 2
passes. Use the promo code “FOUNDRY SK”
Enjoy RM30 e-Voucher
Sign up
& enjoy RM30 e-Voucher. Use promo code “EVSK”
1. Sign
up at www.royalselangor.com/blog/register
and key in promo code “EVSK”
2. Click
on “Your e-voucher” check your e-Voucher
and the expiry date
3.
Click the “Activate” button beside your e-voucher. Only 1 e-voucher canbe used
per order.
Both
promo code valid from 18th Aug till 19th Oct 2014
Group Photo: Bloggers at Royal Selangor Visitor Centre on the Giant Weighing Scale |
Overall,
I had an awesome time and memorable experience at the Royal Selangor Visitor Centre
last saturday. I will definitely go back to visit the centre with my
family, friends and also bring my visitors from overseas. Hope that they will discover
the history and beauty of Royal Selangor Pewter plus the chance to
experience the pewtersmithing and accessories making workshops too.
Royal Selangor Giant Tankard |
This is
the Royal Selangor's Giant Tankard about 2 metres tall, weigh 1,557 kgs and has
the capacity of 2,796 litres. It is recognized at the world’s largest pewter
tankard recognized by the Guinness World of Records in 2007.
Shopping Time at Royal Selangor Retail Store |
Royal Selangor Visitor Centre
Address: 4,
Jalan Usahawan 6, Setapak Jaya,
53300
Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: +603-4145
6122
Email: visitorcentre@royalselangor.com.my
Admission:
Free
Opening
hours: 9.00am – 5.00pm, daily
(No
appointments necessary unless registering for a session at the School of Hard
Knocks and The Foundry)
Complimentary
guided tour with different languages - English, Malay, Mandarin and Japanese.
For
more information about Royal Selangor
Visitor Centre, please visit www.royalselangorvisitorcentre.com
Nice write up, Kelly.
ReplyDeleteNever knew there's so much of program available here. Will check it out soon. :)
hi Elana, thanks. Royal Selangor Visitor Centre admission is free. The Cafe cakes and food are good too. Do check out the workshops too
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