Tag: mansion

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 Isle: Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Centre

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The Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Centre is located at Macalister Road, George Town and is housed within the Penang Philomatic Union building (also the building’s former name). It was said that the Penang Philomatic Union was founded by a political party supporting Dr Sun Yat-sen (the founder of Republic of China) in 1908, and had provided some of the staunchest supporters of his cause for a Free World. Dr Sun Yat-sen also reportedly conducted his first speech in Penang at this building.

The Northam Lodge

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This elaborated European inspired mansion is located at the Northam Road (or Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah) in George Town.

This beautiful mansion was built by a famous architect named James Stark back in the year 1911 for Heah Swee Lee, a wealthy and successful rubber and sugar planter. The mansion was a symbol of George Town’s high society back then and even Straits Settlements Legislative Councillor A. R. Adams praised the owner for his “splendid domicile” and the architect on the “excellent results.

The mansion was originally named Northam Lodge before a subsequent change of ownership and was later renamed as Soonstead Mansion.

Penang Isle: Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion

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Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion is a historical and cultural rich building located along Leith Street in George Town, Penang. A winner of multiple historical and heritage awards including the ‘Most Excellent project’ Award at the UNESCO Heritage Awards 2000, the blue mansion is one of the most visited and a definite tourist destination in Penang. The mansion is said to be one of the two of its kind outside China which also features architecture design of both Chinese and Western influences. The mansion was built by a famous Chinese merchant in 1880s named Cheong Fatt Tze and it has 38 rooms, 5 granite-paved courtyards, 7 staircases with 220 vernacular timber louvre windows.

The mansion now serves as both a museum (with guided group tours) and a boutique hotel at the heart of Penang’s heritage zone. There is a daily guided heritage tours of the house in English (11am / 1.30pm / 3pm) with an admission fee RM 12 per person. For more information, please visit its official page HERE.

Wawasan Open University

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The Wawasan Open University in Penang is located along Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah and has its main campus housed in the grounds of a beautiful mansion, which was once known as the Homestead. The Homestead is the residence of Yeap Chor Ee (a wealthy businessman and the founder of Ban Hin Lee Bank), which was later donated to the university by the grandson.

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