Phrae houses a number of impressive teak wood mansions. They were built a little over a century ago for the rulers and noblemen of Phrae when the area was one of Thailand’s centers of the teak logging industry.
Before Phrae was incorporated into Siam (present day Thailand), it was an autonomous state, governed by local rulers who built imposing mansions for their families. Several beautiful buildings remain, of which Ban Wongburi and the Phra Governor’s House are the most impressive.
Turned into museums, the mansions provide a chance to see how the rulers of Phrae lived during the late 19th, early 20th century.
Vongburi House
Vongburi House or Ban Wongburi is an impressive, very large teak wood mansion in pink color located in the old town. At the start of the 20th century a local ruler (Chao Muang) of Phrae ordered the house built for his daughter. The colonial European style mansion with elaborate embellishments both outside and inside was built by Chinese craftsmen. The two storey building with a high hip roof is richly decorated with intricate wood carvings on gables, eaves and over windows. Just under the rooms ceilings are ornately carved open clerestory to let light and air into the rooms. At the front is a square portico protruding out of the building.
The very well kept private residence has been turned into a museum. Twenty nicely decorated rooms contain the original antique furniture, photos, documents, artifacts and paintings of family members. In Thailand the house is known as the scene of several TV series. Ban Wongburi, which is in an excellent state of preservation has received the conservation award of the ASA Association of Siamese Architects.
Vongburi House is located on Kham Lue road near the Wat Phra Non temple in the old part of town. The museum opens daily from 9 am until 5 pm. Admission is 20 Baht.