All Saints Church

The All Saints Church is the only Anglican church in Taiping. The church can be considered a complex, with 3 buildings (plus a fourth which is in disuse and in need of repairs) within the church grounds:

• the original church building, erected in 1887
• the church management building, to the left of the church
• the new church building, where services are currently held

The church has a pipe organ, one of the few still left in Malaysia.

Sunday Services:

• 7.00 a.m. – Tamil Service
• 9.00 a.m. – English Service
• 11.00 a.m. – Bahasa Melayu Service
• 8.00 a.m. – Combined Service (2nd & 5th Sundays)

All Saints’ Church in Taiping, Perak, 2007. (Photographer: Howard Cheng). Source: WikiMedia Commons

History of the All Saints Church

The All Saints Church in Taiping is the first Anglican church in the Malay States. Its congregation with a salaried clergyman was formed in 1886, and the church itself was consecrated on 8 August 1887. The wooden structure was designed by G.A. Lefroy, who also designed many other notable buildings in Taiping. The building has Gothic and local influences. The timber used in the construction of this church was primarily Meranti. The 4-acre plot of land where the church stands was donated by W.V. Drummond, a plantation owner from Shanghai.

The church has cemetery grounds, and most of the tombstones here are very old, dating back to when the church was first opened.

In 2010, the church survived an arson attempt. In 2012, it was designated as a National Heritage Site by the National Heritage Department. In the same year, a new church building was opened to the public, right next to the original church. Sunday mass is currently held in the newer building, with mass being held in the original church at least once a month.

The old church is closed to the public, but arrangements can be made for a private tour.

The All Saints’ Church is stop number 34 on the Taiping Heritage Trail.