Ban Mo, Bangkok
The area was settled during the Thonburi period by Mon and Vietnamese settlers, whose primary trade was pottery. The area thus became known as Ban Mo, meaning "pottery village". The trade later shifted to goldworking, as well as diamond jewellery. Today, the neighbourhood has become a well known centre of shops specialising in electronics and audio equipment.
At present, remaining evidence of pottery is a pot sculpture on the gable of the entrance gate Ban Mo Market.
Moreover, Ban Mo was also site the first headquarters of Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) in 1904 as Book Club (now, the building is adjacent to Saowabha Vocational College) before moving to Talat Noi in Yaowarat neighbourhood soon after. Today's Siam Commercial Bank, Talat Noi Branch. And also home to the San Chao Por Ban Mo Lao Pun Tao Kong (Chinese: 萬茂老本頭公古廟; pinyin: wàn mào lǎo běn tóu gōng gǔ miào), Teochew's joss house is believed to be the oldest in Bangkok established since 1816.
References
- ^ Naenna, Oranee (2002). นามนี้มีที่มา [These names have origins] (in Thai). Bangkok: Praphansan. pp. 29–30. ISBN 9789742308483.
- ^ SCB Thailand (2014-07-14). "ในอดีต "ย่านบ้านหม้อ"" ["Ban Mo neighbourhood" in the past]. facebook (in Thai).
- ^ Chantaronanont, Pornpan. "ศาลเจ้าในกรุงเทพ" [Joss houses in Bangkok]. Encyclopedia of Thai Culture, Central Part 1 (in Thai).