A Night Like No Other: Sultan Abu Bakar of Johor's Grand Ball at Istana Tyersall in 1895
With the launch of Palace of Ghosts: Singapore’s Untold History, (available now on Amazon), I wanted to share a highlight event that features prominently in the story.
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In 1895, Sultan Abu Bakar hosted a grand ball to celebrate, in an ostentatious fashion, the opening of Istana Tyersall—a momentous occasion marking not only the opening of Istana Tyersall, but also the launch of a new royal dynasty, one officially recognized by Britain’s Queen Victoria.
There are no known photographs of the Sultan's grand ball, but this depiction of a European royal ball, painted by Wilhelm Gause in 1900, showcases a scene that would have been recognizable to attendees of the Sultan's grand ball at Istana Tyersall in 1895.
Throughout his life, Abu Bakar was fixated on inheriting the sovereign title of the defunct Johor-Riau Sultanate: Sultan of Johor. The new state of Johor had been under his firm control for decades by the time he finally achieved his objective in the mid 1880s. Now, with the title of sultan secured, he intended to reclaim the old sultanate’s legacy, if not its physical domain. The remarkable story of his achievements unfolds through a series of extraordinary events detailed in Chapters 5 and 6 of Palace of Ghosts. These events hold particular significance today, as his great-great-grandson now sits on the throne as the king of the modern-day state of Malaysia.
Istana Tyersall in Singapore, officially opened in December 1892 and designed by his fourth wife Sultana Fatimah, was a bold statement that Sultan Abu Bakar’s time had come. Yet it was the sultan’s grand ball, a lavish event held two years later, that truly ignited Singapore’s social scene, captivating the region's elite and signalling to the world the emergence of a new monarchy destined to establish a dynastic legacy. Sultan Abu Bakar was well acquainted with the various royal dynasties that still retained influence in much of Europe and aspired to join their ranks. Today’s Johor royal family often point to a heritage stretching back long before Sultan Abu Bakar. However, Sultan Abu Bakar was in fact the first in a new bloodline that ruled over a territory very different in shape and form from that of the old Sultanate.
The journey that brought Sultan Abu Bakar to this pinnacle of achievement began generations earlier, tracing back to his grandfather’s time. It was a multi-generational effort that led to this historic moment, one Sultan Abu Bakar was determined to celebrate in grand style. The Sultan’s ball, held on January 14, 1895, stands out as one of the most dazzling events described in Palace of Ghosts, an integral chapter of the book’s narrative. For those fortunate enough to attend, it would forever be remembered as one of the most glamorous and opulent nights of revelry they had ever experienced. On this special evening, some of the richest men in the region, and representatives of two of the most powerful empires on earth, hobnobbed with royalty at the Sultan of Johor’s brand new palace – his Istana Tyersall.
Imagine this: a luxurious palace on a hill, the epitome of modern luxury; its unfathomably wealthy owner a handsome, sophisticated sultan hosting a ball; a guest list comprising society’s rich, famous and influential with no expense spared to make the whole experience unforgettable. Who wouldn’t have dreamed about receiving an invite to such an occasion.It was to be the party of the century, one that would become a legend.
Local society was simply not used to such lavish hosting and entertainment on this scale. For months excitement about the ball had buzzed through the settlement. There had been nothing like it before in Singapore. Who would get an invite, how to get an invite, and what strategies and intrigue would be involved in trying to secure one became the talk of the town. Gossip, from drawing rooms and parlours, bars and billiard rooms to shop fronts and government offices, spoke of little else. Palace of Ghosts captures the excitement as the big day approaches:
“Rumors swirled around town of a magnificent banquet, music, entertainment, overflowing wines and spirits, games with smoking and card rooms assigned for the chaps and endless dancing for the ladies.”
Istana Tyersall’s staff had been hard at work well before the time of the ball, allowing them time to become accustomed to their roles and to the expectations of their sultan. Much of this was the somewhat mundane routine of ensuring a very large stately palace was run efficiently and in a manner in keeping with its master’s reputation. The housekeeping had to function like clockwork; the gardens tended to match those of England’s grand stately homes; there were stables to be managed; and a market garden to get up and running, which by all accounts was more like a full-scale farm. The ball was to be a carefully stage-managed event: attention to detail was paramount and nothing could be left to chance.
“The sultan already had a reputation for generosity and glamour in the various events he had hosted over the decades, however, this time it was different. Even though it was less than three years old, Istana Tyersall was already a legend, widely regarded as the last word in luxury and glamour and certainly the most spectacularly modern venue in the region.”
As excitement fermented into a stronger sense of an approaching moment in history, anticipation grew and expectations soared until, finally, the great day arrived. The guest list numbered in the hundreds, with carriage after carriage making its way along the sweeping driveway through Tyersall Park, up to the grand terrace before the stately porticoed façade of Istana Tyersall. This grand portico, offering visitors shelter from sun and rain alike, opened directly into the majestic reception hall of the palace, where the sultan personally greeted his guests. The sweeping staircase behind him provided a stunning backdrop to this elegant scene.
“Everybody who mattered was there: the extended Johor royal family, representatives from the other Malay royal families, including from Riau, all resplendent in their traditional Malay dress; the leaders of the Chinese communities from throughout the region in their ornate robes, silk jackets and pants; attachés and consuls from all the European embassies each dressed in their national garb; the 14th Straits Settlements Governor, Sir Charles Mitchell, his wife lady Mitchell and their senior staff, including the top brass of the British military presence and numerous others in their crisp uniforms.”
As proceedings commenced and the day’s itinerary unfolded, it was the magnificent banquet – as well as the sultan himself of course - that initially drew the attention of the guests. Its scale, which included enough alcohol to floor a herd of stampeding elephants, was truly breathtaking. It was catered by the Sarkies brothers, the owners of the now legendary Raffles Hotel. Widely reported and discussed by the settlement’s press, it remained news for weeks afterwards. The menu was heavily influenced by the Victorian’s penchant for elaborate meals and formal dining, at least as far as it could be when there were hundreds of diners eagerly awaiting their meal. Wealthy households of the time often held lavish dinner parties with multiple courses and, even given the scale of the banquet, Sultan Abu Bakar excelled in his aim to deliver on expectations.
A typical Victorian feast included soups, fish, beef, lamb or game, poultry, vegetables and desserts and the sultan’s menu featured all of these and more. Multiple courses with dishes in a specific order served a dual purpose: to impress upon everyone the wealth and status of the household, as well as to provide an opportunity for socializing and conversation in between servings. With the increasing availability of eastern flavors and ingredients in Victorian England, the sultan was no stranger to the trend among some wealthy households of spicing up the menu by introducing various new and exotic dishes. However, in a nod to his many European guests, homesick to the last, the sultan turned the tables and served up a mouthwatering selection of thoroughly western dishes.
The menu for the event appears in Palace of Ghosts, as well as a full account of the evening’s entertainment and festivities. When the guests could eat no more the famous ballroom came into its own. Revelers flocked to the beckoning dance floor, its highly polished teak dazzling under the modern marvel of electric lighting that many in the room that night had never seen before. The splendid ballroom was transformed into a sea of swirling, occasionally staggering, dancers determined to make the most the evening – which they did – carousing the night away until the first rays of the new day started to glance through the gaps in the sumptuous curtains which seemed to sway slightly with the tempo and rhythm of the room.
As the cool morning mists began to shimmer at first light, the tropical sun rose above the dense and steaming foliage that surrounded Tyersall Park. When the tired and mostly intoxicated guests stumbled into their waiting carriages, such was the congestion that it took the entire Singapore police force to organize an orderly departure from the palace grounds. For those among them who had spent the best part of their lives living in Singapore or Johor the sultan’s ball was the crowning glory of everything they had witnessed so far. The Governor of the Straits Settlements himself had said, on the opening of Tyersall Palace, that he could not imagine Singapore without the sultan. Just about everyone felt that an event of this nature had been a long time coming. However, it was far more than just a celebratory party.
It was a coming of age for the sultan and his rule, to be sure, and for Singapore and Johor too, as they had jointly rebuilt a viable commercial trading centre from the wreckage of collapsed Johor-Riau Sultanate. One could, arguably, point to earlier events that might indicate a recovery from such a calamity. However, at the sultan’s ball power brokers from the British, Malay and Chinese communities stood shoulder to shoulder in a common cause and felt good about it. There had been tense, even violent moments along the way, but here Sultan Abu Bakar embraced all stakeholders in the project. Bristling with prestige he fed and indulged the elite from all communities as the rest of the population cheered him on.
What none of them would have realized at the time was that this was to become a major turning point in the history of both Singapore and Johor, and therefore the immediate region. Under the sultan Johor had established itself as the only truly independent modern state on the Malay peninsula and the most strategically positioned to boot. While its economy had become dependent on that of Singapore, it was also the case that Singapore had become dependent on its Johor hinterland in a symbiotic clasp. There was a sense that Singapore and Johor would engage with the rest of the world together, regardless of the sometimes animated and heated discussions between the two parties. Sultan Abu Bakar had succeeded in compelling the British to treat him, and therefore Johor, with a respect rarely seen elsewhere in the Empire, and in return the sultan became a reliable and stable partner.
The horses would have stamped and snorted as their carriages became loaded down with departing guests. The early morning light was not just a signal to the revelers to go home, but also symbolized the dawn of a new age for Singapore and Johor, and therefore the whole region. For most attendees, the evening had been the most enjoyable and entertaining they had ever spent. Furthermore, the twin cities of Singapore and Johor had finally made it onto the world stage with an ostentatious display of status. More poignantly, perhaps those with a heightened level of perception may have observed that while the British rotated their representative of the British government every four years or so, along with many other similarly itinerant administration officials, the local Malay population looked to one man for such leadership. Even Tan Yeok Nee, the leader of about half the Chinese population across Singapore and Johor, was fiercely loyal to the sultan. It was perhaps with some concern then that a few of the more sober guests at the sultan’s ball that night noted that despite Sultan Abu Bakar soldiering on until 2am to ensure the festivities continued unabated, he did not appear to be in the best of health.
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