This is a list of main roads and streets in Ipoh — the capital of the Perak state of Malaysia. Like many city streets in Malaysia and Singapore, these were named after British colonial officers or adjacent landmarks in English. Following the independence of Malaya in 1957 and the prescription of Malay as the country's national language, the city's streets were renamed after local politicians and royalty, with the Malay word jalan being used to indicate a main road.
The town is located on the Kinta River which was the main means of communication to the area until 1895 when the Kinta Valley Railway opened. It grew up at the point on the river at which it ceased to be navigable and the landing stage was by an old upas tree from which the town took its name. During the 1890s the town expanded rapidly from a market village to a booming mining town as large number of Chinese coolies came to the area to work the tin mines of the Kinta valley. The only two roads initially in the area were the cart tracks linking the mines to the landing stages. A wooden bridge was built across the Kinta river on the road to Gopeng which became Hugh Low Street.
Plots of land had been sold to the Chinese by the local land-owning aristocrat, the Dato Panglima Kinta, Mohamed Jusuf, who had laid them out with broad, straight streets but the rapid development had been disorderly so that the main road to Gopeng varied in width from 20 to 70 feet. There was then a great fire on 1 June 1892, which destroyed much of the town's wooden buildings which had attap palm thatch roofs. The reconstruction of the town was organised by the British Collector of Land Revenue, W.J.P. Hume, who straightened the road network, redrew the land boundaries and issued new title deeds. He had no formal authority to do so but his influence and good sense made a success of the scheme. The streets were now 50–60 feet wide, brick drains were laid and shade trees planted.
| British name | Chinese name | Malay name | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anderson Road | 安德申路 On Dak San Lou | Jalan Raja Musa Aziz | Formerly named after Sir John Anderson, Governor of the Straits Settlements and High Commissioner for the Federated Malay States. Now named after Raja Musa Aziz, Raja Muda of Perak. | |
| Ashby Road | 阿士比路 Ah Si Bei Lou | Jalan Raja Ashman Shah | The main road fronting the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital. Formerly named after William John Bernard Ashby, the first Secretary of the Kinta Sanitary Board, it was renamed to Jalan Hospital before it was renamed again after Raja Ashman Shah, the former Raja Kechil Sulong of Perak in 2012. | |
| Belfield Street | 微路菲街 Wai Lou Fei Gaai / 墨露菲街 Mak Lou Fei Gaai / 錫米街 Sek Mai Gaai | Jalan Sultan Yusuf | Formerly named after Sir H C Belfield, the 9th British Resident of Perak. Now named after Sultan Yusuf Izzuddin Shah, the 32nd Sultan of Perak. The historical Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation building, Jan Sahib's office, Jaya Villas, and Mikasa Photo Shop are located along this street. | |
| Brewster Road | 波士打路 Bo Si Da Lou | Jalan Sultan Idris Shah | Formerly named after E J Brewster, District Officer of Kinta. Now named after Sultan Idris Shah, the 33rd Sultan of Perak. | |
| Chamberlain Road | 張伯倫路 Zoeng Baak Lun Lou | Jalan C.M. Yusuf | Formerly named after Joseph Chamberlain, Secretary of State for Colonies in the Coalition Government. Now named after C.M. Yusuf, the third Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat (lower house in the Malaysian Parliament). | |
| Clare Street | 吉利街 Gat Lei Gaai | Jalan Mustapha Al-Bakri | ||
| Clarke Street | 卡叻街 Ka Lak Gaai | Jalan Sultan Abdul Jalil | Formerly named after Dr Tertius Clarke, Health Officer of Kinta. Now named after Sultan Abdul Jalil, the 29th Sultan of Perak. | |
| Clayton Road | Jalan S.P. Seenivasagam | Formerly named after R J B Clayton, who held many appointments in Perak. Now named after S. P. Seenivasagam. | ||
| Club Road | Jalan Panglima Bukit Gantang Wahab | A major road fronting the Royal Ipoh Club. Now named after Dato' Panglima Bukit Gantang Abdul Wahab, the first Menteri Besar of Perak. The historical Town Hall building, Railway Station, Court House, State Medical and Health Office, Central Police Station, Royal Ipoh Club and Padang are located along this road. | ||
| Cockman Street | 國民街 Gwok Man Gaai | Jalan Dato' Onn Jaafar | Formerly named in memory of Herbert James Cockman, Major of the 1st (Perak) Battalion, Federated Malay States Volunteer Force during the World War II. The street was previously named Togo Road after Japanese Admiral Togo, but quickly renamed after the war and the Japanese atrocities during the occupation. Now named after Dato' Onn Ja'afar, the founder of the United Malays National Organisation. | |
| Connolly Road | 十三閒 Sap Saam Gaan | Jalan Tun Perak | Formerly named after Dr R M Connolly, District Surgeon of Taiping and Ipoh. Now named after Tun Perak, a famous bendahara of the Malacca Sultanate. | |
| Cowan Street | 高溫街 Gou Wan Gaai | Jalan Raja Ekram | Formerly named after William Cowan, Protector of Chinese, Perak in Ipoh. Now named after Raja Ekram, Raja di-Hilir of Perak. | |
| Cross Street | Jalan Silang | |||
| Dairy Road | Jalan Raja Musa Mahadi | |||
| Fryer Road | Persiaran Tun Perak | Formerly named after G W Fryer, Chief Construction Engineer of FMS Railways. | ||
| Greenhill Drive | 青山道 Ching Saan Dou | Jalan Datuk Ahmad Said named after Datuk Ahmad Said, former Menteri Besar of Perak 1964-70. | ||
| Hale Street | Jalan Tun Sambanthan | Formerly named after Abraham Hale (*1854, †1919), Collector of Land Revenue at K. L and Ipoh and author (The adventures of John Smith in Malaya, 1600-1605, Leyden 1909). Now named after V T Sambanthan the fifth president of the Malaysian Indian Congress and a cabinet minister in the 1950s and 1960s. The historical residence and law office of the Seenivasagam brothers and Ali Pitchay's townhouse are located along this street. | ||
| Hill Street | Jalan Koo Chong Kong | Formerly named after Valentine Hill, District Officer of Kinta and British Resident, Negeri Sembilan The road may have been so named because it scaled the highest point in Ipoh. Now named in memory of Koo Chong Kong, the chief police officer of Perak assassinated during the communist threat. This road had been renamed Jalan Tabung Haji in 2001 after the Tabung Haji building along the road but has since been renamed Jalan Koo Chong Kong. The historical Pakistani Mosque is located along this street. | ||
| Horley Street | 賀利街 Ho Lei Gaai | Named after Reverend William Edward Horley, the Methodist minister who founded Ipoh's first schools.[1] | ||
| Hugh Low Street | 休羅街 Jau Lo Gaai (休羅 sounds like Hugh Low in the Hakka dialect) | Jalan Sultan Iskandar | Formerly named after Sir Hugh Low, the fourth British Resident of Perak. Renamed after Sultan Iskandar Shah, the 30th Sultan of Perak, in 1975. | |
| Hume Street | 棺材街 Gun Coi Gaai / 谦街 Him Gaai | Jalan Masjid | Formerly named after Colonel W J P Hume, the 11th British Resident of Perak. Now named for the historical mosque Masjid Panglima Kinta along this street. | |
| Jelf Road | Regat Tun Perak | Formerly named after Sir A S Jelf, Chairman of Kinta Sanitary Board. | ||
| Leech Street | 列治街 Lit Zi Gaai | Jalan Bandar Timah | Formerly named after J M B Leech, District Officer of Kinta. The historical Dramatists' Hostel is located along this road. | |
| Leong Sin Nam Street | 梁燊南街 Loeng San Nam Gaai / 点心街 Dim Sam Gaai | Jalan Leong Sin Nam | Named after Leong Sin Nam, a community leader and philanthropist during earlier days in the development of Ipoh. | |
| Maxwell Road | 麦斯威律 Mak Si Wai Leot | Jalan Tun Abdul Razak | Formerly named after Eric Maxwell. Now named after Tun Abdul Razak, the second Prime Minister of Malaysia. | |
| Osborne Street | 柯士文路 O Si Man Lou / 榴槤街 Lau Lin Gaai | Jalan Dato' Tahwil Azhar | Formerly named after Douglas Osborne, founder of the Osborne and Chappel mining company in Ipoh. Now named after Dato' Tahwil Azhar, the 15th Panlima Kinta. | |
| Panglima Lane Concubine Lane | 二奶巷 Ji Nai Hong | Lorong Panglima | Formerly named for the brothels and residences of businessmen's concubines flanking the street. | |
| Patrick Street | Persiaran Bijih Timah | Formerly named after Mr Patrick, the Assistant Inspector of Schools, Perak.[2] | ||
| Pike Street | Jalan Kledang | |||
| Post Office Road | Jalan Dato' Sagor | A road near the main post office in Ipoh. Now named after Dato' Sagor Ngah Kamdin, a Malay nationalist who revolted with Dato' Maharaja Lela and was his relative. The historical Birch Memorial and Municipal Car Park are located along this road. | ||
| Sheikh Adam Street | Jalan Sheikh Adam | Named after Sheikh Adam who founded the first aerated water factory in Kinta, and later an ice factory. | ||
| Station Road | Jalan Dato' Maharaja Lela | A road near Ipoh railway station. Now named after Dato' Maharaja Lela Pandak Lam, a pembesar of Perak and Malay nationalist. The historical Chung Thye Phin building, S.P.H. De Silva building, Mercantile Bank building, The Chartered Bank building, and Leong Yew Koh's legal firm are located along this road. | ||
| Sturrock Road | Jalan Sturrock | Named after A J Sturrock, District Officer, Kinta. | ||
| Thomson Road | Jalan Tun Dr Ismail | Formerly named after H W Thomson, the 17th British Resident of Perak. Now named after Tun Dr Ismail， the second Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia. | ||
| Tiger Lane | 老虎巷 Lou Fu Hong | Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah | From junction with Jalan Raja Dr. Nazrin Shah to junction with Jalan Raja Dihilir and Jalan Tambun. | |
| Treacher Street | 地理者街 Dei Lei Ze Gaai / 咸鱼街 Haam Ju Gaai | Jalan Bijih Timah | Formerly named after Sir William Hood Treacher, the sixth British Resident of Perak and second Resident General of the Federated Malay States. |
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