Arthur Benison Hubback

Ang Seng

Contractor, Brickfields Kuala Lumpur

b.1855 -  d.1918

​

Born in Amoy, China, Towkay Ang Seng was Kuala Lumpur's biggest contractor in the early 1900s. He was awarded a number of contracts for KL's government buildings, many of which are national landmarks today. Among the buildings he constructed were the New Government Offices (Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad) (1897), the FMS Railway Offices (today National Textile Museum) (1905), the KL Railway Station and Hotel, the KL Supreme Court, and the railway carriage shops at the Central Workshops in Sentul. He lived in Kuala Lumpur for 30 years, where he was the head of the Hokkien community, with a reputation as a charitable and cheerful personality. 

___
 

Text extracted from:
i. Mariana Isa & Maganjeet Kaur, Kuala Lumpur Street Names, Marshall Cavendish, 2015, p37.

Dunstan A. Aeria

Selangor State Engineer (1892-1901), General Manager of Federated Malay States Railways (1901-1909)

b. between 6 April 1876-3 April 1877-d.14 August 1951

 

Charles Edwin Spooner was born in Wales. He graduated in Engineering at Trinity College Dublin and commenced a career with North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways. In 1876, he went to Ceylon to work in the Survey Department from 6 September onwards. Subsequently, he was transferred to the Ceylon Public Works Department on 24 August 1877 in which he served for 14 years. He was the Acting Provincial Engineer Central Province for seven months in 1885-1886 and Acting Provincial Engineer for Uva and Sabaragamuwa from 1887 to 1890 before appointed officially as Provincial Engineer for Sabaragamuwa on 11 April 1890.

 

​

Sources:
i. Straits Observer (Singapore), 16 July 1897, Selangor News
ii. Charles Edwin Spooner Collection, 1904-1907/09, Cambridge University Library
iii. Janus library, Obituary, Charles Edwin Spooner, C.M.G, 1853-1909
iv. J.M Gullick, Selections from The Selangor Journal 
v. ANM 19570066974: Application from C.E Spooner for the post of Director of Public Works Ceylon [21 Dec 1896].

W. Nicholas

b.1858-d.1920

Selangor Deputy State Engineer

 

Born in Plymouth, Henry Franklin Bellamy is the son of Architect and Engineer George David Bellamy (Consulting Engineer at the Corporation of Plymouth). In 1883, H.F Bellamy began his career in Selangor as the Superintendent of Selangor Public Works 

​

Sources:
i. The Straits Times, 1 May 1916, Marriage
ii. Who was Who, Data
iii. Straits Times Weekly Issue, 6 August 1884
iv. J.M. Gullick, A History of Kuala Lumpur 1856-1939 

Russel Brothers

b.1858-d.1944

Architect, District Engineer

 

Coming Soon

Sources:
RIBA Biographical Files of A.C Norman

i. Who Was Who,

ii. Antonia Brodie, Directory of British Architects, 1834-1914: Vol 2 (L-Z)

iii. Selangor PWD files 09.09.1896

iv. Selangor PWD Files No.293/83 Re: Appointment of Mr. A.C Norman as Assistant Superintendant & Chief Draughtsman PWD v. Dr. A. Ghafar Ahmad, Chronological Biography of Arthur Charles Alfred Norman 
vi. Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society Vol. 70, No. 1 (272) (1997)