Jim Thompson House is a museum of Thai traditional houses. It is located at 6, Soi Kasemsan 2, off Rama 1 Road, in downtown Bangkok, a short walking distance from the National Stadium and Siam Square. The house is actually a collection of traditional houses collected by the late American businessman Jim Thompson who is famous for bringing Thai silk to the world. The houses - six of them - come from different parts of Thailand. They were dismantled and reassembled as a single house in Bangkok. Jim Thompson House has since become a popular tourist destination in Bangkok.
Jim Thompson started collecting traditional houses in 1958. Most of these structures come from Ayutthaya, but the biggest of these - the weaver's house - come from Bangkrua. As you are taken on a tour of the house, your tour guide will explain to you how, in some instances, the exterior of some houses become the interior, and vice versa. Jim Thompson brought artisans and carpenters from Ayutthaya to reassemble the structures.
Behind the house is a canal, the Klong Maha Nag (also known as Khlong Saen Saeb), where boats continue to ferry passengers. There is a pier for the house that is no longer in use. On the opposite side of the canal is Bangkrua, a village noted for weaving, where Jim Thompson used to have his silk weaving industry.
Jim Thompson House is open daily from 9:00am to 5:00pm.
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