Early History
The Royal Selangor Club was founded as Selangor Club in 1884.
It had its early beginnings as a wooden building near the Padang (Dataran Merdeka).
The Club served as a hub for colonial social life.
In 1890 it was a replaced by a double-storey structure, designed by AC Norman.
In 1910 it was redesigned by Arthur Benison Hubback. He was the same architect who designed the Kuala Lumpur Railway Station.
In the 1900s the Selangor Club was used for theatrical shows as there were no other staging venues available then.
Cricket is a popular sporting activity that was organized by the Club.
A section of the building was destroyed in a fire in 1970.
Modern Developments
In 1980 an extra wing, costing RM8 million, was added to the main building.
Under the benefaction of Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah, the Club was granted royal status in 1984.
Construction of this hard-to-miss landmark began in 1894. It was completed in 1897 at a cost of 152,000 Straits Dollars.
The Building, which faces Dataran Merdeka and the Royal Selangor Club was designed by British Architect AC Norman. Its frontage measures 450 ft (137.2 metres) in length.
Apart from a shiny copper dome it has a 40-metre high clock tower popularly known as Big Ben.
The Building is named after Sultan Abdul Samad, the Selangor ruler at the time of its coinstruction.
Construction Materials
Materials that went into the construction of the Building:
- 4 million bricks
- 2500 barrels of cement
- 18000 piculs of lime
- 50 tonnes of steel and iron
- 5000 pounds of copper
- 30000 cubic feet of timber
Sultan Abdul Samad used to house the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal. These courts have since been moved to the Palace of Justice in Putrajaya. It now houses only the Commercial Division of the High Court of Malaysia.
Background
Dataran Merdeka (Independence Square) was previously known as the Selangor Club Padang (Field).
The Selangor Club Padang was officially renamed Dataran Merdeka on January 1, 1990 in conjunction with the Visit Malaysia Year 1990.
The field was a popular spot for British social activities beginning 1884. Cricket was a mainstay activity at the padang.
The Malayan Flag was hoisted at Dataran Merdeka on 12.01 am on August 31, 1957.
The Padang faces the Sultan Abdul Samad Building, constructed in 1897. It used to house the British Secretariat.
Fountain
The fountain at Dataran Merdeka was imported from England and assembled in 1897.
It used to be housed at the Market Square (now known as Medan Pasar). It was moved to Dataran Merdeka as it obstructed the flow of traffic.
Flagpole
The flagpole is the tallest in the world - standing at a height of 100 metres. It is in close proximity to the spot where the Union Jack was lowered and the Malayan flag was hoisted for the first time on August 31, 1957.
Built at a cost of RM108 million, the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) covers an area of 35, 290 square metres.
Construction began in June 2005 and the LCCT was fully operational on March 23, 2006.
The Terminal was specially built to cater to low cost air travel, made popular by Air Asia, Malaysia's first low-cost airline.
Within a single floor operation area, international and domestic departures and arrivals, including passenger movement are facilitated.
The Kuala Lumpur International Airport is the main gateway to Malaysia via air.
There’s also the Low-Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) to support this state-of-the-art airport.
The LCCT is about 20 kilometres away from the main KLIA building.
KLIA Location
The Kuala Lumpur International Airport is located in Sepang, about 50 kilometres away from the Kuala Lumpur city centre.
As of the moment, there are 50 airline companies using KLIA.
A total of 750 inbound and outbound flights are recorded daily.
Other Air Entry Points
Apart from KLIA, there are other international airports in Penang, Kuching, Langkawi and Kota Kinabalu.
