The Ye Olde Smokehouse Hotel is probably one of the oldest and most quaint-looking colonial buildings at Fraser’s Hill. During World War Two, this premise was used by the military as a medical centre to nurse wounded British soldiers who would retreat to this hill-top getaway to convalesce.
The main building of the Ye Olde Smokehouse Hotel is steep with the old world charm of a typical English cottage-like setting. From its quintessential chequered floor to its many delicate china porcelains found among other paintings and ornamental antiques, one is easily transported back in time. With the all-year-round misty chill and stillness in the air, it’s unbelievable that this amazing place is right at our very own backyard.
I had the opportunity to stay over for a night at one of its 14 rooms. My unit, the Halcyon Lodge 3 room was situated on the second floor of an adjacent building next to the main premise. Being the perfectionist I am, I did not photograph the room in which I stayed because I did not have with me the right equipment to do so. I only had my Fuji x100s. That means it only afforded me the chance to just shoot out of the room’s many windows. Here are some of those shots taken:
The angles I found available for these photographs with a fixed focal length camera were very limiting. I mainly used the window frames to compose my shots. Once the boundaries were set, depending on the shapes and lines of whatever objects that were beyond the window, I then decided on the final composition accordingly.
I especially found the fresh flowers in the room to be a rather uplifting and mood-boosting experience though it was just flowers. They held up pretty well in the cold weather and their bright colours contrasted nicely with the white window frames.
Of course, the moss-covered roof wasn’t something to be missed.