Last week, the historic Secretariat office opened its doors for the public to explore the heritage collection exhibition.
The exhibition features a rare showcase of black and white pictures of life in Yangon- Burmese women, Shwedagon pagoda and heritage buildings taken in the 1900s in Myanmar. Pictures came from Art Prints Myanmar.
The Indian Imperial Police, referred to variously as the Indian Police or Imperial Police was part of the Indian Police Services. Its member ruled more than 300 million people comprising the British Raj and Burma.
The police whistles were manufactured by Hudson & Co. Founded in the 1870s in Birmingham by Joseph Hudson and his brother James, the company became a manufacturer of whistles throughout the British Empire. The company continues today as Acme Whistles, and is now one of the largest and most famous producers of whistles in the world.
These rare artifacts come from the Salay House collection.
Salay House is located at 481 Strand Road, Salay. Salay is a small village in Chauk, in the Magway region. It is about one and half hour’s drive from Bagan.Salay House has its own interesting history.”Established on August 19, 1906, the Salay House was constructed in an era of prosperity, fueled by the discovery of oil in the Salay area,” said Steven Stubblefield, commercial director at the Secretariat.
Visitors to the building are greeted with a beautiful cream stucco exterior and a solid wooden patio on the first floor. The interior is fitted with fine timber throughout, including guest rooms that overlook the expansive Ayerwaddy River.
Steven has partnered with Myanmar couple Win Thida Khine and Dr. Tun Aung Hlaing, who operate the Salay House.
The restored warehouse is filled with antique furniture, which captures the flavor of this historic time period. The building, which provides an ideal road stop on the way to Mandalay from Yangon, also includes a gift shop.
Steven Stubblefield has a long-time fascination for this part of the country, and was a cruise director and hotel manager on a riverboat named the Irrawaddy Explorer before working at the Salay House.
“During our journeys between Pyay and Mandalay our ship visited so many riverside villages and towns. I began to seek out items in small shops and markets that I could identify as having a British heritage. Over the years, and piece-by-piece, the collection grew. All the items were found and purchased in Myanmar,” Steven said.
Steven explained that although visitors were always keen to find out more about the colonial history of the country, seldom were travelers allowed a first-hand experience inside any heritage buildings.
“While escorting travelers on their journey aboard the Irrawaddy Explorer we would always show visitors the impressive colonial buildings. They would walk them past, but we never had the opportunity to go inside,” he said.
“Out of all the buildings that we visited, Salay House was the favourite among travelers. Win Thida Khine was an English and German speaking guide for the tourists on the boat, and one day we began talking about buying the old building and restoring it so the guests could go inside and have a look.”
This discussion led to their partnership and the purchase of Salay House. Salay House was purchased in February of 2015 and restoration started in May of 2015. The doors were opened to guests in October of 2015.
“Today the Salay House allows visitors to experience the world of a British-Colonial trading company - the Ayeyarwaddy Royal Trading Company (ART Co),” he said.
Visitors are invited to learn about, and explore, how British-Burma operated with displays and information panels throughout the Salay House.
Ref: mmtimes