One of the main attractions of Teluk Intan is the Leaning Clock Tower. This tower a Chinese-style clock tower that was built in the 19th century during the colonial era, and was built by a Chinese architect Mr Leong Choon Cheong and it also acts as a reservoir to supply water to the residents and also acts as a clock tower.





Formerly known as Teluk Anson in Perak, the brick-and-wood building is slightly slanted northwest, making it the Malaysian equivalent of the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy. After the flood in 1889 and 1895, it began leaning over due to soft soil foundations. The weight of the water in the tank also contributed to its slant. However - worries not, it is not in any danger of falling over.





Today, this tower no longer holds water but the clock stil functions and chimes every 15 minutes. The area surrounding the tower has been restored with bricks and now is being used as a plaza for various formal or informal activities. But its unique leaning standing has become an attraction where visitors from outstation would make a stop to visit the tower specifically.



Visitors can also make a visit into the tower during 9am to 5pm to explore the architecture, albeit with a limited number of visitors allowed during a period.

Although the 25.5m tower looks like an eight-storey building from the outside, it is actually divided into three storeys, with a large steel water tank at the topmost level. Each storey is roughly 5m high, and there are a total of 110 curved steps leading from the ground to the top floor.









Design

The pagoda style structure was greatly influenced by Chinese architecture, because the majority of the population of the town at that time was Chinese. Each storey is 5 metres high and there are a total of 110 steps from the ground floor to the top of the tower.

The water tank, which is 5 metres high and 18.36 cubic metres deep, is on the third floor and is made of steel. The foundation is 13 metres in diameter and tapers to a diameter of 8.2 metres at the top of the tower.





The tower is very easily visible from most part of the town, nestled among the lower shop houses buildings surrounding it.

The tower is also brightly lit up at night. Visitors can take the opportunity to visit in the evening to take some great night shots of the magnificent building.







Consider stopping by Teluk Intan to visit this landmark the next time you plan for a trip North.