Go Back
Agnes Keith's House in Sandakan
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Agnes_Keith_House#/media/File:Sandakan_Sabah_AgnesKeithHouse-01.jpg
CEphoto, Uwe Aranas
Agnes Keith House (GPS: 5.84305, 118.11563) is a heritage building in Sandakan, Sabah, that was once the home of famous American writer Agnes Newton Keith. It is located on the hill with Sandakan Bay in front of it, and the Sulu Sea behind it. Agnes Keith came to live in Sabah with her husband in the 1930's. While she was in Sabah, Keith wrote several novels, the most famous of which was Land Below the Wind, written in 1939.
Agnes Keith's house was destroyed during the Second World War. During that time, Agnes Keith endured imprisonment under the Japanese, while at the same time trying to raise her young son. This is documented in the house.
In 1946, following the war, the government rebuilt it on the same foundation. The Keiths continued to stay in there house, as Mr Keith worked for the government as the conservator of forests. Their son George was born in the house. After the Keiths left Sabah in 1952, the house continued to be known as the Agnes Keith House. It fell into disrepair by the 1990's, but was eventually restored and conserved as a heritage building, providing visitors a glimpse of life during the British administration of North Borneo. There is also an English Tea House within the compound - a departure from Agnes Keith's attempt to make her home more American and less British.
Another view of the exterior of Agnes Keith's Househttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Agnes_Keith_House#/media/File:Newlands-the-home-of-Agnes-Newton-Keith-Sabah-Borneo.JPGWarren Apel
The living room at Agnes Keith Househttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Agnes_Keith_House#/media/File:Sandakan_Sabah_AgnesKeithHouse-12.jpgCEphoto, Uwe Aranas
The dining room at Agnes Keith Househttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Agnes_Keith_House#/media/File:Sandakan_Sabah_AgnesKeithHouse-02.jpgCEphoto, Uwe Aranas
Getting there
Go along Jalan Singapura and then turn right up the hill.Address
Agnes Keith HouseJalan Istana
Admission: RM15.00, includes entry to other branches of Sabah Museum even in Kota Kinabalu.
Agnes Keith House is 
on the Map of Sandakan, Sabah
List of Historic Buildings in Sandakan, Historic Buildings in Sabah and Historic Buildings in Malaysia
Latest updates on Penang Travel Tips
Discover with Timothy videos on Sabah
What to see when in Sabah? Here are some suggestions from my videos.Disclaimer
Please use the information on this page as guidance only. The author endeavours to update the information on this page from time to time, but regrets any inaccuracies if there be any.About this website
Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.
While I try my best to provide you information as accurate as I can get it to be, I do apologize for any errors and for outdated information which I am unaware. Nevertheless, I hope that what I have described here will be useful to you.
Copyright © 2003-2025 Timothy Tye. All Rights Reserved.