To mainstream tourists, Lampang could just only be the sleepy bypass province en route to Chiang Mai. It was once known for its burgeoning ceramics industry during the 1990s, the fashion craze of quartz family semi-precious stones back in the 1960s, and the first and once the longest train tunnel in Thailand completed and opened in 1918. Apart from all these, little is known that Lampang used to be one of the largest hubs for the timber industry in the northern part of Thailand with its apex during the interwar period.  Along with the flourishing industry, there came an influx of foremen and workers from Burma migrating into Lampang to work for major timber companies including Bombay Burma Trading Company, The British Boneo Co. Ltd., and Louis T. Leonowens Co., Ltd.  This working flock constituted not only the Burmese, but also the Mons, the Shans, and the Taungthus. Many of them became wealthy and permanently settled down there. These well-to-do figures later commissioned Buddhist monasteries to be built around the area of Lampang downtown. Donation of great religious effigies and structures has always been a common wish that one needs to fulfil once the mean allows. Hence, Lampang had gradually become the sumptuous repository of Burmese-style Buddhist structures. Till today, this splendid architecture galore still stands and has been maintained by the descendants of the original donors as well as the local authorities serving as a testament to an interesting facet of local history.

The Siam Society, under the leadership of Mr Thweep Rittinaphakorn, warmly invites you to explore this less-known Burmese architectural heritage of Lampang, along with other interesting colonial buildings in the town area from Friday, 28 February to Sunday, 2 March 2025.