‘Speechley has broken new ground with this detailed and insightful study of classical architecture on the Malay Peninsula. [Malayan Classicism] adds substantially to the history of classicism, including our understanding of the architecture of the colonial encounter more generally.’
— G.A. Bremner, University of Edinburgh
‘Speechley narrates the long pageant of Malayan architectural history, paying simultaneous attention to political and social milieu, architectural professionalism and client aspirations. Malayan Classicism succeeds in decoding architectural Babel without the usual distortion of cultural bias.’
— Khoo Salma Nasution, Penang Heritage Trust
‘Malayan Classicism is a commendable addition to the growing literature on Southeast Asian architecture, colonialism, and cultural identity… Speechley’s work is an essential read for anyone interested in the intricate mosaic of Southeast Asian architectural history, offering comprehensive analysis and a compelling narrative that bridges the past with the present.’
— Johannes Widodo, National University of Singapore
Malayan Classicism: From the Architecture of Empire to Asian Vernacular. London: Bloomsbury Visual Arts, 2023.
ISBN: 9781350360341
Available in hardback, paperback, and ebook editions.
Through a broad range of case studies spanning from imperial monuments to rural residences, Malayan Classicism puts forward a fundamentally new understanding of classical architecture in the Asian colonial context.
Across Malaysia and Singapore, thousands of historic buildings are richly ornamented with motifs drawn from Ancient Greece and Rome – as plump volutes, lush acanthus leaves, and neat rows of dentils decorate mosques, palaces, government buildings and innumerable terraced shophouses. These classical details jostle with ideas drawn from other architectural traditions from across Asia in a style that is unique to the region.
Presenting the first comprehensive account of what was, prior to World War II, Malaya’s most widespread architectural style, Malayan Classicism explores how the classical architecture of the British Empire was transmitted, translated, and transformed in the hands of local builders and architects. Addressing a critical gap in the scholarship, this book charts the metamorphosis of an imperial language of power into a local vernacular style, and provides a new way of reading classical architecture in a post-colonial context that will be applicable throughout the Global South.
Press Coverage & Reviews
‘Malayan Classicism: The History of Classical Architecture in Singapore’, The Historyogi Podcast, Episode 40, 10 February 2025.
Review of Malayan Classicism by Professor Johannes Widodo (National University of Singapore), Fabrications, 20 March 2024.
‘The fascinating history of Malayan classical architecture captured in Soon-Tzu Speechley’s “Malayan Classicism”,’ The Malay Mail, 27 December 2023.
Dr Soon-Tzu Speechley 