A tree-shaded space on Soi Captain Bush is where the oldest European embassy in Bangkok has made its home for almost 200 years. The Embassy of Portugal was established in 1820 (as the Consulate of Portugal) during the reign of King Rama II and under the supervision of Ambassador Carlos Manoel da Silveira. It was the first European consulate in Thailand.
The grounds are home to the Embassy office and the Ambassador’s Residence, which was built in 1860 using local materials (the ships carrying materials from the then Portuguese State of India had sunk). The two-story structure flaunts classic Portuguese colonial architecture, and boasts a spacious veranda.
The ground floor, once an office, is now a reception area where you can find plenty of decorative objects dating back to the Ayutthaya era as well as a prison cell used to hold Portuguese convicts before they were sent back to Portugal (when extraterritoriality was still enforced). The upper floor houses a living room, dining room and private area where you can find plenty of paintings done by Portuguese artists as well as Somboon Hormtientong, a famous Thai abstract artist.
Note: The Ambassador’s residence will open to the public as a part of 500th Anniversary of Thailand-Portugal relations in November or December. Stay tuned for more information.