Old Shih Chung Branch School Building

 

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Old Shih Chung Branch School

The old and derelict building was once a large mansion of five-storeys tall built in the late 1880s at Northam Road, George Town. It is locally known as “Goh Chan Lau” or “five-storeys villa”, with a rich history from its origin till the current state it is now. The mansion was built by local tycoon Cheah Tek Soon as a private residence, and incorporated a mix of Asian and Western architecture styles. It later on became the site of the old Shih Chung Branch School but the school was also eventually relocated years ago.

Penang Street Art (MAS @ Different Strokes)

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Likely part of the street art created during the Different Strokes art exhibition at the derelict shophouses located along the old Maxwell Road in George Town.

Penang Street Art: Different Strokes Street Art Exhibition

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In April, Hin Bus Depot Art Centre and UK’s Graffiti Prints launched a collaborative project that featured street arts from various international artists (15 of them) at several areas in George Town, one of them being the old ruined shophouses located along Maxwell Road (Jalan Maxwell). The decaying walls and ruined structures of the once thriving area made up a nice canvas for the display of the street arts.

The project was titled Different Strokes street art exhibition and the art works can also be found at the Hin Bus Depot Art Centre.

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Some of the art works found in the ruined buildings as shown above.

George Town Street View: Maxwell Road

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Maxwell Road (or Jalan Maxwell) is a small road located at the heart of George Town and was named after Sir William Edward Maxwell, a colonial secretary and the Acting Governor of the Straits Settlements in Singapore between 1893 and 1894. The road used to be thriving with businesses and its row of shophouses were occupied by traders due to a nearby market which existed back then. However, after the market was moved out of the area, the road now only consists of empty, derelict and abandoned pre-war style shophouses.