The Mystery of the Faded Image at the Birch Memorial Clock Tower

Ipoh is famous for its many colonial-era buildings constructed by the British, reflecting the city's status as the British administrative center for the state of Perak.

This shows how strategic the British considered the city for their interests, alongside the abundant tin deposits found around the Kinta Valley. The Birch Memorial Clock Tower, located next to the Perak State Mosque, was built in 1909 to commemorate the 34th anniversary of the death of the first British Resident of Perak, J.W.W. Birch. He was killed at the hands of Malay chiefs during the famous Perak Malay uprising in Pasir Salak. Interestingly, the clock tower, which was built at a cost of 25,000 pounds sterling, was inaugurated by the 8th British Resident of Perak at the time, Sir Ernest Woodford Birch. He was also the eldest son of J.W.W. Birch and served as the Resident of Perak from 1904 to 1910. Sir Ernest Woodford Birch also reminded the Sultan and the Malay chiefs at the time not to forget the story of his father's murder and hoped that the good relations between the British and Perak after the event could be continued for the sake of the rapid development of the state of Perak.

The tower features one large clock measuring 6 feet by 6 inches, along with 4 smaller clocks, and includes a chiming system similar to the Big Ben clock tower at the Houses of Parliament in London. When the tower first began operating, it is said that the local community living nearby was amazed and puzzled by how the clock could chime on its own, with the sound described as somewhat eerie at night. Surrounding the clock tower are 4 terracotta statues representing the 4 principles of British administration: Loyalty (depicted by a figure holding a sword and shield), Justice (depicted by a blindfolded figure holding scales), Patience (depicted by a figure without weapons), and Fortitude (depicted by a figure with a calm expression holding a spear).

There are also panels depicting figures representing the development of world civilizations on all four sides of the clock tower. One of the 44 figures was an image of the Prophet Muhammad. However, the image of the Prophet Muhammad was painted over with white paint in the 1990s after long-standing protests, not only from the Muslim community around Ipoh but also from people worldwide who were angered by the issue at that time.