This museum was left to Bangkok by a previous owner who felt that it would tell the story of a family and how they lived through a period of great change in Bangkok. We found it fascinating as we could see the influence of England, India and Thailand in different objects. There are some fans but no air conditioning, so dress appropriately and take plenty of water.

Small private museums can be hit or miss, but the Bangkokian is charming and well worth your time if you're interested in a well-preserved look at domestic life in Bangkok during the middle part of the 20th century. When I went, the former owner, Acharn Waraporn Surawadee, was there to greet me, and provide some explanations. She inherited the main building from her mother, Sa-Ang Surawadee, and in 2004 transferred ownership/management of the museum (which incorporates two other buildings), to the city. The museum itself contains a range of possessions that an upper-class Thai family might own in the early/mid-20th century, and the layout of the home shows how families in that economic class lived. The second building in the museum was the home of Dr. Francis Christian, the former owner's stepfather, and contains artifacts from his medical practice, as well as also showing the layout and fixtures of a home of the same period. There's a third building, which is jammed with a variety of items from the same period, as well as posters (mostly in Thai) explaining Thai history going back over a century. Admission is free, and the hosts are very welcoming. Recommended!

If you only have a few days and you haven’t been to Bangkok before I would advise against it as it will take up travel time. However, we have been many times and we’re looking for something different and interesting and this certainly fitted the bill. It will only take an hour or so but you may green an understanding of Bangkok pre WW2, it’s free and very close to Talat Noi area so we did the two together.