Jim Thompson's House - Bangkok - travel guide

• Angkor Wat,
• Vat Phou and Associated Ancient Settlements within the Champasak Cultural Landscape,
• My Son Sanctuary

• The Inn at Temple Street,
• Sloane Court,
• The Scarlet
• and more

Jim Thompson's House

The life story of American-born James (Jim) Thompson reads like an adventure novel, right up to his mysterious disappearance on holiday in Malaysia at the height of his business success in 1967.

It was Thompson who made Thai silk famous throughout the world. He left behind a set of beautiful Thai houses that he had discovered in the region of Ayutthaya, where he had them dismantled and shipped by river to be reconstructed in Bangkok. These buildings presently house his fabulous art collection, now the property of a charitable trust. The seven houses form a unique grouping of a kind that sadly is seldom seen in Thailand nowadays. They contain treasures from every era of Thai art. A visit to Soi Kasem San is a must for any visitor to Bangkok. It is gloriously situated on the banks of a klong where Thompson’s silk weavers once exercised their skills. Nowadays the houses are surrounded by a pretty garden. Inside they testify to the good taste of the former owner. Alongside ancient pictures made from real Thai silk, there are Buddha statues from virtually all the recognized eras, along with everyday objects and even more works of art. Jim Thompson obtained the houses only when temple astrologers deemed the moment propitious, but he was not granted much time to enjoy them, since only seven years later he was to leave Bangkok for the last time.

Jim Thompson's House travel guide created by marco polo, last edited by marco polo