Samre ( th, สำเหร่, ), also spelled Sam Re and Samray, is a subdistrict (''

khwaeng A ''khwaeng'' (, ) is an administrative subdivision used in the fifty districts of Bangkok and a few other city municipalities in Thailand. Currently, there are 180 ''khwaeng'' in Bangkok. A ''khwaeng'' is roughly equivalent to a ''tambon'' in othe ...

'') of

Thon Buri District Thon Buri ( th, ธนบุรี, ) is one of the 50 districts (''khet'') of Bangkok, Thailand. On the west bank of Chao Phraya River, it was once part of Thon Buri province. Neighboring districts are (from north clockwise) Bangkok Yai, Phr ...

, Bangkok, Thailand. It is also the name of a neighbourhood around the area.

History

The word ''samre'' is a name for the plant ''

Malabar melastome Malabar may refer to the following: People * Malabars, people originating from the Malabar region of India * Malbars or Malabars, people of Tamil origin in Réunion Places * Malabar Coast, or Malabar, a region of the southwestern shoreline o ...

'' (also known as ''khlongkhleng''), which probably used to grow in abundance in the area, leading the neighbourhood to be known by the name. It was also the name of a Buddhist temple (''

wat A wat ( km, វត្ត, ; lo, ວັດ, ; th, วัด, ; khb, 「ᩅᨯ᩠ᨰ」(waD+Dha); nod, 「ᩅ᩠ᨯ᩶」（w+Da2)) is a type of Buddhist temple and Hindu temple in Cambodia, Laos, East Shan State, Yunnan, the Southern Provi ...

'') in the area, Wat Samre, believed to have been built around 1717 and now known as Wat Ratchawarin. Samre used to be a site of public executions during the late seventeenth to early eighteenth centuries, where prisoners were beheaded and their heads set on spikes by the riverside. It was a place locals feared to be heavily haunted, and is described as such in ''Nirat Thalang'', a travel poem written c. 1815–1816 by Muen Phromsomphatson, a student of

Sunthorn Phu Phra Sunthorn Vohara (Phu) ( th, พระสุนทรโวหาร (ภู่), , ; 26 June 1786 – 1855), known as Sunthorn Phu ( th, สุนทรภู่, , ), is Thailand's best-known royal poet. He wrote during the Rattanakosin pe ...

. In the 1850s, a plot of land in the area was purchased by American missionary

Stephen Mattoon Stephen Mattoon (May 5, 1816 – 1889) was an American Presbyterian missionary who worked in Siam from 1847 to 1864. His works include the translation of the New Testament into the Thai language. Career Mattoon served as translator for Townsend H ...

, and it became the location of the

First Presbyterian Church, Samray The First Presbyterian Church, Samray is the oldest Protestant church in the Thailand, Thai capital Bangkok. Originally founded in 1849, the church was built in its current location on the western bank of the Chao Phraya River in 1857. The present ...

as well as Samray Boys' School, the country's first formal school.

Geography

Samre is in the southeastern corner of

. Samre is bounded by other subdistricts (from north clockwise):

Bang Yi Ruea Bang Yi Ruea ( th, บางยี่เรือ, ) is a '' khwaeng'' (sub-district) in Thon Buri district, Thonburi side of Bangkok. It has a total area of 1.523 km2 (round about 0.588 mi2). History Originally, this area was called "Bang Sakae ...

in its district (Krung Thonburi Road is a borderline),

Bang Lamphu Lang Bang Lamphu Lang ( th, บางลำภูล่าง, ) is a ''khwaeng'' (subdistrict) of Khlong San district, Bangkok's Thonburi side (west bank of Chao Phraya river). History Originally, Bang Lamphu Lang was a name of all Khlong San area. I ...

in Khlong San District (Khlong Bang Sai Kai is a borderline), Wat Phraya Krai and Bang Kho Laem in

Bang Kho Laem District Bang Kho Laem ( th, บางคอแหลม, ) is one of the 50 districts (''khet'') of Bangkok, Thailand. The incumbent district officer is Samita Xanthavanij. The district is bounded by (clockwise from north) Sathon, Yannawa, and across th ...

with

Dao Khanong Dao Khanong ( th, ดาวคะนอง, also spelled: ดาวคนอง; ) is a ''khwaeng'' (sub-district) of Thon Buri district, Bangkok's Thonburi side. It is also the name of the surrounding area. History and etymology ''Dao Khanong'' ...

in its district (

Chao Phraya River The Chao Phraya ( or ; th, แม่น้ำเจ้าพระยา, , or ) is the major river in Thailand, with its low alluvial plain forming the centre of the country. It flows through Bangkok and then into the Gulf of Thailand. Et ...

and

Mahaisawan Road 250px, Krungthep bridge carry the Mahai Sawan road across Chao Phraya River from Thonburi (west bank) to Phra Nakhon sides (east bank) Mahai Sawan Road ( th, ถนนมไหสวรรย์, , ) is a short road and intersection in Bangkok. It ...

are the borderlines),

Bukkhalo Bukkhalo ( th, บุคคโล, ) is a '' khwaeng'' (sub-district) of Thon Buri District, Bangkok. Its name is also the name of surrounding area. Geography Bukkhalo is the central area of the district. The area is bounded by other subdistrict ...

in its district (Somdet Phra Chao Tak Sin Road is a borderline).

Places

*First Presbyterian Church, Samray *Samre Police Station *Bukkhalo Police Station *Samre Post Office *Wat Bang Nam Chon * Samitivej Thonburi Hospital (formerly Krungdhon 1 Hospital) *

Rama III Bridge The Rama III Bridge ( th, สะพานพระราม 3, , ), also known as the New Krungthep Bridge, is a bridge crossing the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, Thailand. The bridge was completed in 1999 and was designed to alleviate traffic co ...

(New Krungthep Bridge, Krungthep 2 Bridge) The local temple Wat Samre, or Wat Ratchawarin, indeed, it is located in the area of neighbouring Bukkhalo.

References

{{Coord, 13, 42, 34.6, N, 100, 29, 29.44, E, region:TH_type:landmark, display=title Neighbourhoods of Bangkok Subdistricts of Bangkok Thon Buri district