Front Cover: The cover of each issue of the Journal of the Malaysian
Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society presents a picture of
a building or location that is a significant part of the
national heritage of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.
The current issue features a building from the
1920s that houses the offices of the Heritage Trust of
Malaysia (Badan Warisan Malaysia). Located at No.
2 Jalan Stonor in Kuala Lumpur, the building sits in
a two-acre compound and was part of a group of
bungalows built to provide accommodation for colonial
civil servants, most of which have been demolished as
the area underwent commercial development.
The building is flanked on the left by the Rumah
Penghulu Abu Seman, which was built in stages
between 1910 and the early 1930s for the headman
of Kampung Sungai Kechil in Mukim Bagan Samak,
Bandar Baharu, Kedah. In 1996–97 Badan Warisan
Malaysia moved the structure to Kuala Lumpur and
restored it. One of the finest surviving examples
of Malay vernacular architecture, the house is
surrounded by a herb and heritage garden that
contains more than 50 species of culturally and
historically significant trees and plants.