工程照

慎之家塾于1899年建成，是一座典型的广东祠堂建筑，乃霹雳太平镇开埠者甲必丹郑景贵所建。家塾前有厚实的维多利亚铸铁花栏杆和皇帽门柱，中央石板路导向两进的广式建筑，第一进为前堂，门后天井前设屏门，左右有两廊可通上堂，堂内为神主龛。慎之家塾的建造在当时采用了极上等的造材，除了花岗石墙裙和檐柱，全座砖墙部分都是细腻的水磨对缝青砖。正堂地板是昂贵的大理石。两廊内壁嵌饰大幅彩金灰批（泥塑）大戏公仔，为全国仅见。

慎之家塾外观有粤式建筑常见的麻石方形檐柱，左右一对虾公梁和看梁狮子，檐柱纤巧的柱础立在垫高的石台基上。廊墙墀头有精细的砖雕。最夸张的是屋顶玲琅满目的石湾花脊和三色灰批，高大张扬，数层交叠，左右鳌鱼，中央双龙戏珠。文思古建公司于2004年受托修复慎之家塾，工程主要为修复屋顶、灰塑和彩绘。

Shen Zhi Jia Shu was built in 1899. It is a classical Cantonese-style ancestral hall built by Chung Keng Kwee who was the pioneeering developer of Taiping and the Kapitan of Perak. The front yard of the ancestral hall is guarded with Victorian wrought iron rails and crown-shaped entrance posts. At the center, a stone pathway leads to the two-sectioned buildings. The first section is the front hall, terminated by a screen just before the central courtyard. Two hallways at the sides link to the inner main hall in the second section. The best artisans and materials were used for the construction of the ancestral hall. Besides the granite dado and eave columns, the masonry walls of the ancestral hall were constructed with polished green bricks for a seamless appearance. The floor of the main hall was constructed with expensive marble stones. Above the hallways, one is visually feasted with magnificent gold-gilded stucco sculptures and figurines.

From the exterior, the facade of Shen Zhi Jia Shu is composed of the typical Cantonese eave columns, connected to the side walls by a pair of ha kong leong, or the bow-shaped tie beams. On the short beams, two lion sculptures support the load of the roof eaves. The bases of the eave columns are delicately sculpted and placed on high plinths. Delicate carvings are also visible on the gable eaves. The most jaw-dropping feats of all are the roof ridges decorated with meticulous Shiwan ceramic sculptures and colourful stucco works. In 2004, Wensi Heritage was commissioned to restore Shen Zhi Jia Shu. The commission included restoring the roofs, stucco works and decorative paintings.