Haunted bridge? Yes? No? Victoria Bridge, Kuala Kangsar, Perak, Malaysia

Historical and nostalgic, this bridge sits over Sungai Perak is a lovely sight to behold and nice for photos. Situated at a small town of Karai, about 10 km from Kuala Kangsar town, it has some stories from the locals that its haunted. This Victoria Bridge is said to be similar to the famous "Bridge over river Kwai" in Thailand, but it is shorter in length.

 

Victoria Bridge is officially opened in 1900 but construction started in 1897. The length is 353 m long. It was used by trains to transport tin ore and coal in the old days as Perak has lots of tin ore mines then. It was no longer in use since 2002 and restored to this beautiful historical site in the year 2014-2015.  Therefore, I find it worth visiting to see this old relic that is named after the Queen Victoria of England. 

Loved the cool scenic surroundings, and I even spotted some cows grazing along the riverside. There is a  small lane in the this bridge where motorcycles still can ride on it as a short cut across Sungai Perak to get to the village on the other side of the river. Victoria Bridge is situated in a small village Karai, post code 33600, Enggor, Kuala Kangsar, about 20 mins of leisure drive by car from Kuala Kangsar town center. 

Haunted? The story from some of the locals said that a few people was sacrificed while building this bridge. Well, when I was small, I also heard some stories from my grandmother that in order to built a bridge, some human heads are needed to support it. Myth? Truth? Probably, because during the construction, some accidents may happen and someone may die. As we all know, there are not many safety precautions used in the days of 1900s, so some workers may fall and die. So some local village folks who are very superstitious may have said that it is haunted and heads are used to support it. Well, moreover, this bridge is similar in design to the Death Railway in Thailand, where lots of soldiers died! But the length of Victoria bridge is shorter than the Bridge over River Kwai (Kwai Bridge is double in length that is 688m long)  

It will be worth while to visit this Victoria Bridge which is not only picturesque for photos but there are signboards showing the history of it. Wow, this bridge has gone through WW2! Now there is even a small clearing for car park on the roadside near the bridge. There is also a nice hotel built nearby (D'Village Hotel). 

Photo of the inside of a nice perspective of Victoria Bridge

 Be very careful when snapping away photos on the bridge as there is a narrow motorcycle lane on the outside along the bridge. So do not walk or stand outside as suddenly a  motorbike may come by. 

I love old architecture and am happy to be able to visit our very own impressive Malaysia's oldest railway bridge.

 

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Here's a Google map of Victoria Bridge.