Jim
Thompson's House
 Despite
the name, Jim Thompson's House is one of the best-preserved
examples of the traditional Thai house in the city. Once home
to the American silk entrepreneur Jim Thompson, this remarkable
house-cum-museum accommodates Thompson's vast collection of
antiques and artworks from all over the Southeast Asian region.
Notable items include priceless examples of blue and white
Ming porcelain and 19th century jataka paintings, which cover
the walls of the rooms. Don't miss the headless Buddha figure
in the garden, which dates from the 6th century. This early
Dvaravati image is one of the oldest surviving Buddha statues
in the world.
 Jim
Thompson's House is located alongside Saen Saeb Canal on Soi
Kasem San 2, off Rama I Road. Opening hours are 9.00 am to
4.30 pm daily except Sundays. Photography is not allowed in
the house. The admission fee is 100 baht and guides are available.
Who
was Jim Thomson?
Perhaps
even more fascinating than the house itself is the tale of
the mysterious owner, American Jim Thompson. A former member
of the US Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the forerunner
of the CIA, Thompson revived the flagging silk weaving industry
at the end of the Second World War. His marketing skills helped
turn the fortunes of the ailing Thai silk industry around,
and Jim Thompson is to this day regarded as the very finest
brand of Thai silk. As his business grew, Jim Thompson became
a well-known Bangkok socialite, dedicated to reviving Thai
crafts and arts. Much of his art collection is still on display
at his Ayutthayan house in Bangkok's Rama I Road area.
Jim
Thompson disappeared under mysterious circumstances whilst
on a walk in the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia in 1967. Many
theories have been put forward to explain his disappearance
but the truth remains a mystery. Suggestions of a conspiracy
involving his CIA connections have been proposed in explanation,
but so too have jungle tigers, heart attacks and Communist
insurgents. 
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