Tucked away at the foot of the Subok hill sat one of the oldest buildings in Brunei Darussalam, the Bubungan Dua Belas or literally translated as the House of Twelve Roofs. Bubungan Dua Belas was initially known as the Residency due to its function as a consulate for the British Residents after the establishment of the Residential System in Brunei in 1907. A street in Brunei Town, which was paved in 1925, was also named after the Residency.
Although the building of the consulate was completed in July 1907, the story behind the site extends back to the mid 19th century. It is generally associated with the history between Brunei and Britain. In 1856, during the reign of Sultan Abdul Momin, the area of the building was the original plot of the temporary ‘leaf’ house belonging to the British Consul General in Brunei, Spencer St. John, which was then upgraded to a permanent building in 1858. It is believed that his house used to stand in the same spot as the present house. The Consul General’s house endured for about three decades before it gradually fell into despair, and its remnants were rediscovered in 1907 after the Residential System was established.
The Residency was home to Malcolm McArthur, the first British Resident in Brunei, and the subsequent Residents from 1907 until 1941, and from 1946 to 1959. When the British Residency ended in 1959, a High Commissioner was appointed by Her Majesty the Queen to play an advisory role to the Sultan. Since then, until Brunei gained independence in 1984, the consulate was officially named the British High Commissioner’s Residence. In total, there were 25 British Residents, and High Commissioners had resided in the Bubungan Dua Belas.
On multiple occasions, the building also served as a rest house for prominent British figures, including Her Royal Highness Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent, the Duke of Edinburgh and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, who visited Brunei in 1952, 1959 and 1972, respectively. Against all odds, the building remained largely intact despite the war turbulence that hit the country in the 1940s. The Residency was left unscathed by the Allied bombing and was not demolished during World War II; instead, it became the headquarters for the Japanese troops posted in Brunei in 1941.
It was not known when the building started to be famously known as Bubungan Dua Belas, but its reason hinges on the architectural design of the unique layered roofs. The building lies three kilometres south of Bandar Seri Begawan, just around the first bend of the Brunei River and atop the Residency hill. Its strategic position allowed its occupants to bask in the warmth of the weather and its serene ambience overlooking the picturesque view of Kampong Ayer.
The building is deemed the oldest relic of the colonial days, and it is also considered the epitome of extraordinarily rare wooden architecture. In terms of its outward appearance, not much has changed in its form since it was first built, except modifications for extra support and sizing down due to land issues. Elevated slightly above the ground by supporting pillars, the structure is made of timber imported from Sandakan, Sabah, with its roof made out of wooden shingles while its floors are of Kapoor wood.
A flat roof was installed in front of the main staircase, making up the front entrance to the building. The veranda encircles around the frontal side of the building with an area to the right of the main porch that slightly juts out under the extended roof from the main building, shaped almost like a pentagon. In the past, it is possible that this odd-shaped area was used as an outdoor lounge for guests or leisure, offering the light cool breeze during the day and night. The porch railings enclosing the side and front veranda are decorated with an intricate Southeast Asian design akin to a fishnet mesh for the most part, while some are designed in simple louvres.
At first glance, the quaint design of the dwelling has similar characteristics to a traditional Malay house, infused with a European twist in its space. Perhaps what makes it resemble so, aside from its structure made entirely of wood, is how the walls are neatly arranged on top of each other and the incorporation of wood casement windows, both found in most traditional Malay houses.
Although there are some discrepancies in the interior layout and modified arrangements, it is believed the 1907 Residency initially had only two bedrooms with a living room area in between. Renovations did occur over the years, as the annual reports suggested, but the details before 1948 are unspecified, posing difficulty to discern. Post-1948, based on the Residency plans from the archive, more rooms were added, including the office, dining room and reading room on the front part of the building. A severy, three more bedrooms and a store room were incorporated in the back. Bathrooms were adjoined to each of the bedrooms to the left and right rear of the building.
After Brunei gained independence, the Bubungan Dua Belas was handed over to the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports as part of their Culture Department office and a cultural centre. Later in 1998, a joint project between Brunei and Britain was formed to restore the building into a zestful exhibition gallery. The building was transformed into a museum and a venue for entertaining foreign dignitaries and was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II in the same year. It had five main galleries that showcase and celebrate the history between the two countries, including the history and developments during the Residency and commemorations of royal and state visits. A fitting theme that reflects the magnitude of the building itself.
However, this was fleeting as the centre was closed down and became restricted from the public since 2013 for renovations. The fate of this historic architecture is still uncertain, but it is indisputable how remarkable it poses to the country. Bubungan Dua Belas is an architecture that provides a tangible link with the past that represents the long-standing diplomatic relations Brunei had with Britain. A building that has survived for more than a century and happens to be older than the whole population of Brunei. That, alone, is a cogent reason for it to be preserved and revered; a shadow of the past sequestered among the trees in the city that illustrates our deep and extensive history.
