Arthur Benison Hubback

Selangor Club 1910, Kuala Lumpur

The oldest sporting institution in Asia Since 1884. Early members included the founding members of Kuala Lumpur, among them H.F Bellamy, D.G Campbell, S.E Harper, D.G Gordon, A.C.A Norman, S.B.R Reyne, H.C Syers, K.Thamboosamy Pillay & A.R Venning.

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Hubback’s Official Role/Post: Federal P.W.D Assistant Architect  A.R.I.B.A. (also Captain of Selangor Cricket Club)

Year Designed: 1909

Year Completed: January 1910

Contractor: Messrs. W. Nicholas

Construction Cost: $75,000 (amount proposed to be raised for the building)

Brief Architectural Description; A mock Tudor-style club building at the Padang on Jalan Raja. Two new wings and a central pavilion with fine balconies overlooking the Government Offices.

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1926: Half of the club was submerged under water during the Great Kuala Lumpur flood

1970: Original West Wing destroyed in a blaze in 1970. Block was replaced with a new building by architect Foong Ying Leong.

1984: Granted a royal charter by DYMM Sultan Selangor thereafter known as the Royal Selangor Club.

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Original Use: Clubhouse

Original Building Type: Recreational

Current Name: Royal Selangor Club

Current Use: Clubhouse

Current Building Use: Recreational

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Measured Drawing:

1. Royal Selangor Club, 2001 by KALAM Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

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Malay Mail, 29th April 1909

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A Description of the Two New Wings

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The two wings of the new Selangor Club, which are such a prominent feature on the Padang here, will be ready for occupation shortly and now that members are so soon to bid farewell to the club house that has for so many years, and through varied vicissitudes, provided them with healthy exercise and the means of quenching the thirst such exercise engenders, some details of the new wings may prove interesting.

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The north block, that nearest St. Mary’s Church, is finished and is being furnished, while the south block is having its final coat of paint put on, so that it will not be long before the work of pulling down the shabby old club, the shabbier now by contrast with its pick and span neighbours, will be put in hand, and the construction of the center block of the new club begun. Large quantities of material have been assembled for its making and work upon the wooden fittings, etc., is well forward, s that there is every prospect that Mr. W. Nicholas, the contractor, will be able to maintain his rapid rate of construction and complete the whole of the new club with proportionately as much time in hand as in the case of the present buildings which are two months ahead of the contract.

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It is not possible to judge of the architectural effect of the whole till the new centre building, which will be connected by covered ways with the wings, is completed, by as far as can be judged at present, we think that Mr. A.B Hubback, F.R.I.B.A, the architect, has given us a building which promises to be well worthy of the conspicuous position it occupies in our town.

The North Block.

The north block which, as we mentioned above, is complete, has a frontage of 106 feet on the Padang and is approached by three entrances: one at the end nearest St. Mary’s, opening under a porch on to a large gravel expanse, one in the centre, leading on to the Padang and one into the covered way which will lead to the central building. The wing is constructed round an open court from which there is a door through a wall at the back into Jalan Raja. This court provides a place where things unsightly can be kept, gives the maximum amount of window-space to the rooms, and does away with anything in the nature of back premises.

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Round the two sides and front of the building runs a verandah, 8ft. wide, broadening into two gabled bays in the front, each 28ft, 10 in. by 17ft.16in. Along the whole length of the front, and opening on to the front verandahs, runs the reading room, a very fine room, longer than the Town Hall. It is 90ft.9in, long by 29 ft. 8in. wide and 15ft high.

An annex at the north end will probably be used as a ladies card room and near it is a ladies’ room 21ft 8in by 19ft. 9in. The floor of the reading room is of Merbau (laid on joist.) which, when polished, should be excellent for dancing. There are also the moveable wooden screens by which the room can be sub-divided, if needful, when it is being used in the ordinary was as a reading room. The wing also contains a secretary’s office, 32ft. 6in. by 28ft. It is on the left of the door leading from the covered way.

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The building will be surrounded on three sides by wide gravel expenses for, in addition to the big open space which has been made recently at the corner of the Padang the Jalan Raja is to be put right back to the fence bordering the railway line so that motors or carriages will be able to take advantages of the shade of the row of rain trees while waiting outside the Club.

The Billiard and Card Rooms.

The south block, which has a frontage on the Padang of 105 ft, is similar in general design to the north block, that is, it is built round a central courtyard and has two bays, with gables over them, of the same size as those in the north block. There are, however, two important differences which are, of course, plainly visible from outside: the two bays, instead of being part of the verandah, are part of the building itself, while there is no central door on to the Padang. There is in fact only one entrance (if the door into the courtyard for the transfer of stores is not counted) and that leads into the covered way which will connect the central building, through a porch, with the south block. Entering by this door, a short verandah, the only one in the wing, leads to the card room, a large 64ft.8in. by 26. Excluding a bay 26ft.9in by 17ft.6in.

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Adjoining the card room, and approached by a passage at the back is the billiard room facing towards the Government Printing Office. It is 59ft. by 41ft. In addition to a bay similar to the one in the card room, and another shallow bay 19ft.5ft. There will be five billiard tables and top lights have been put over the places where tables will stand, the result being that, owing to these and the numerous windows it would be difficult to find a much lighter room.

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At one side is a small serving bar with a slab of marble taken from the present club bar. While the old club is being rebuilt, a temporary bar will be placed in the large room for the use of members. The scheme of color in both wings is identical inside, as it is outside. The walls are color-washed in sage green, while a white wainscot and a broad white frieze run round all the rooms. At the bottom of the latter is a molded picture rail and ceilings are all sealed with white plaster. The electric fittings are in place and include numbers of large ceiling fans, lights and bells in both buildings. In fact when light fail the results will be almost more disastrous then in present club.

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Untitled, The Malay Mail, 15 January 1910, p3 

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Day by Day

The Old Selangor Club is disappearing fast. On Wednesday the porch was pulled down, and today only the lower storey of the building remains. This will not be entirely removed, as part of it will be used in the new central building. During the destruction of the porch on Wednesday a hornets’ nest was disturbed, and its angry inhabitants interfered considerably with the work. Another hornets’ nest has been disclosed in a corner of the building near the new reading room.