Sanam Chan Palace was built by King Rama VI. Construction began around 1907 when he was still Crown Prince. The plan of the complex, drawn up by the Oxford educated Prince, was almost a complete departure from traditional Thai palaces, and strongly resembles a modern suburban development. The Crown Prince, by some accounts, considered himself a true English gentleman and wanted an English style country residence.
The complex includes several 'cottages' around the park-like setting, but the main royal residences are grouped around a circular drive on an island in the center of the park. One of the cottages surrounding the island is the Tab Kaeow residence, which was briefly used by the crown prince while the first main buildings were under construction. The first buildings of the palace itself were a group anchored by the Phiman Pathom Residence. This was later connected to the Vajariromaya Residence, which was built after the coronation of the crown prince.
After the king's death and the 1932 revolution ending the absolute monarch, the palace building were used by the provincial administration. Part of the grounds were given over for a new campus of Silpakorn University, Thailand's main arts university. In 2003 the university returned the main palace buildings to the royal household to be restored and opened to the public.
King Rama VI also built Phayathai Palace in Bangkok, which like Sanam Chan palace resembles a European country mansion.
Admission to the palace is 50 Baht. Be sure to keep your admission ticket handy, as you will need to show it to gain entrance to each of the buildings.
Getting there: The Sanam Palace is due west of the Phra Pathom Chedi. If you visit the chedi, leave by the west gate and walk down the road leading away from the gate (Ratchadamnoen Road). You will come to a traffic circle with a fountain in the middle spinning a big marble ball. At the traffic circle, veer left and take the road that follows the canal, keeping the water on your right. You'll come to an entry gate and ticket booth a short way up this road. See the Nakhon Pathom city map for more information.
The Chali Mongkhon Asana Residence with the statue of Ya-Le in front. The Chali Mongkhon Asana Residence is actually a rather small building, built completely in the style of a European medieval castle. It was, for a time, called Tamnak Ya-Le. "Ya-Le" was the name of the king's favorite dog, and there's a statue of him in front of the building.
The small two story structure was used for royal audiences, although there are private apartments on the second floor.
The Phiman Pathom Residence at Sanam Chan Palace in Nakhon Pathom The group of buildings anchored by the Phiman Pathom Residence were the first to be constructed at Sanam Chan Palace. They were built when the future king was still a crown prince, so the details are more modest than the more palatial structures built after the prince was crowned king.
While it may appear to be a single structure, there are actually three separate buildings in the group, joined by covered walkways, which were something of a trademark of residences built by King Rama VI.
The Tab Kaeow Residence at Sanam Chan Palace in Nakhon Pathom The Tab Kaeow Residence was the very first structure built at the Sanam Chan site. It was designed as a typical English country cottage, right down to the three fireplaces (one of which even has a stove). As you might imagine, it doesn't look like the fireplaces were ever used in tropical Thailand.
The house was used by the crown prince while the Phiman Pathom buildings were under construction.
The traditional Thai house called Tab Khwan in the Sanam Chan Palace The Tab Khwan residence is the quintessential central Thai styled house. Made of wood, there are eight rooms, each of which is a small building in itself, arranged around a large plank court. The four larger rooms were used as bedrooms, a reception hall and dining room, while the smaller rooms served as the kitchen, aviary and servants quarters.
The Wild Tiger Corps was a paramilitary militia formed by King Rama VI in 1911, modeled on the British Volunteer Force, which the king had observed during his time in England, where he was educated at Oxford and Sandhurst. The name was a homage to a scout corps founded by the Ayutthaya King Nareusan around 1600.
The Wild Tigers were drawn from all levels of society, including commoners, and espoused the principles of meritocracy, discipline and mass education.
The Vajariromaya Residence in the Sanam Chan Palace, Nakhon Pathom Vajariromaya Residence and its attached Samakkhi Mukmat throne hall are the only buildings at Sanam Chan Palace that look like traditional Thai palaces. These structures were built after Rama VI was crowned. The two story residence building has apartments on the second floor and a reception room on the ground floor. It is connected to the Phiman Pathom residence by a two story walkway.
