Baba House

We had a very interesting little excursion this morning to Baba House located at 157 Neil Road.  The house is believed to have been built in the 1860s and is one of the few intact Peranakan homes to have remained in the hands of its original owners, in this case the Wee family. The house was purchased by NUS Museum with a generous donation from Agnes Tan, the last surviving child of Malayan political leader Tan Cheng Lock. She had specifically requested for the money to be used to purchase the Wee family home and for it to be restored and used to educate the public about Peranakan culture.

It is because of the generosity of Agnes Tan that we had the pleasure of visiting a traditional Baba home today. We learnt that the two lanterns hanging at the front of the house are surname lanterns (hurry get yours done in Malacca where there is only one known surviving maker of such lanterns!) and got up close and personal with lovely ornate Peranakan furniture and the girls' favourite feature of the house - the peephole in the second floor bedroom which allows you to spy on the person at the front door!

All the three girls now want to own shophouses. Not cheap I tell them. Tai Pi says one way is to gamble to raise funds but she decides that it is not a good idea. The other way according to Tai Pi is to take on many jobs - this is the possible career path she is considering: Taekwondo instructor cum fashion designer cum calligrapher cum restaurateur cum property agent cum bakery owner cum geriatric nurse cum horticulturist. Whew!

The Baba House at 157 Neil Road

Ornate pintu pagar indicating the wealth of the family residing in the house