The Bangkok Noi Museum - preserving the old Bangkok era

The Bangkok Noi Museum
preserving the old Bangkok era

The Bangkok Noi Museum is located on the Thonburi bank of the Chao Phraya near the Bangkok Noi canal. It's one of the community museums set up by the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority to preserve the rich history of the local community in the area.

The Bangkok Noi Museum records an aspect of Bangkok history that's sometimes overlooked, Bangkok in the pre- Rattanakosin era, before Bangkok was established as the capital.

Bangkok or "village of wild plums" existed on maps of early western traders to Ayuthaya in the 17th century. The village was located in the bend of the Chao Phraya between what is now the Bangkok Noi canal to the north and the Bangkok Yai canal to the south, which was the original course of the river.

The map below shows Bangkok Noi district (pink) and Bangkok Yai district (green). The old Chao Phraya cuts through Bangkok Noi, turns south and then east, just below Bangkok Yai. Click on the map for a link to the museum map.

The old course of the Chao Phraya River

In 1542, a canal was cut across the base of the meander to shorten the sailing time to Ayuthaya.

Over time, the new canal soon became the main course of the Chao Phraya and the original meander became the Bangkok Noi and Bangkok Yai canals.

Bangkok was divided into two, straddling the banks of the new channel.

The village grew rapidly, with a customs and immigration center and rest area for the foreign traders sailing to Ayuthaya.

In the reign of King Narai, Fort Vichayen was built on the west bank opposite Wat Pho to protect the river route to Ayuthaya. Old French records indicate another fort on the east bank near Wat Pho but nothing remains of this fort today.

The Bangkok Noi Museum goes on to record the history of Bangkok in the Thonburi era.

After the fall of Ayuthaya, King Taksin established his capital, Thonburi in the area between the Bangkok Noi and Bangkok Yai canals. A new canal was dug to link these canals to protect the capital from the west. Another canal was dug on the east bank of the Chao Phraya, which later became the first canal ring in Rattanakosin.

King Taksin established his palace near Fort Vichaiyen, which was later renamed Vichaiprasit. The home of Phraya Chakri, (later King Rama I) King Taksin's ablest general, was to the north near Wat Rakhang.

Besides the history of the area, the Bangkok Noi Museum also records the old trades undertaken by the people in the past.

The area strived as fruit orchards owing to the fertile soil and the active support by King Taksin. Reputed to be the fruit garden of Bangkok, the species of durian, mon thong, chanee and karn yao are said to have originated from this area.

Another old trade preserved in the Bangkok Noi Museum is the polished bronze bowl makers trade. Bowls are made from an alloy of bronze, copper and tin, heated and beaten into shape, polished with designs inscribed on the surface. An old shop in the area practicing this trade of Thai bronzeware still exists.

Today, the fruit orchards are gone. So have most of the old trades. Over time, owners have sold out to commercial interests and the area is very urbanized.

An interesting feature in the area is the Thonburi (Bangkok Noi) train station. The old station is further to the east near the Chao Phraya. During World War II, this old station was the rail terminal for the line that ran to the western province of Kanchanaburi, linking up with the infamous Death Railway built by Allied prisoners-of-war.

The Allies bombed the station to disrupt the supplies to the Japanese troops in Burma. The old station is still there but longer in use.

The exhibits in the Bangkok Noi Museum are about the only evidence left of the life in a community that's a few centuries old.

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