Heritage Buildings of Penang

So back when we were considering the opportunity to move to Penang, one of the things Rox thought she might enjoy was photographing and touring the many heritage buildings (and even some of the more common buildings that can be quite interesting).  There is an organization here called the Penang Heritage Trust that works to support the perservation and proper maintenance of the heritage buildings (as well as other aspects of the cultural heritage), particularly those that are part of the UNESCO world heritage area.  Well, she hasn't really had the time to look into joining the PHT, but was finally presented with an opportunity to visit one of the large waterfront houses we have walked by a million times.  This lovely house sits just two doors down from our condo on Gurney Drive facing the water.  The gates are always locked and the only time we see signs of people there is the odd wedding photo shoot.  Another item of interest is the use of the thistle on the gates - the thistle being a symbol of Scotland, we thought maybe this was the home of a Scottish immigrant during the colonial times.  So when we learned that the mansion would be open for a private tour as part of a fund-raiser for the Penang Heritage Trust, it was an opportunity Rox didn't want to miss.  With Chris away in KL, Brenna was forced to tag along.  Her favorite part was the two dogs at the front door and the turkey roaming the grounds (hmmm...now I know where to get next year's Thanksgiving dinner...cheaper than the frozen birds at Cold Storage).

The building was just beautiful and turned out to be the home of a Malaysian Chinese architect who designed several of the pre-war mansions along the waterfront and other notable buildings in Penang.  He had studied in Aberdeen, Scotland, so chose to use the thistle symbol, along with the pineapple which is commonly used in Chinese architecture to acknowledge his "western" and "eastern" inspiration.  Visitors were only permitted to photograph the outside of the building, so I can only share that the inside was more beautiful than the outside.  The style and craftsmanship reminded me of Pinewood Estate, the Biltmore in NC and other buildings from the 1920's and 1930's (pre WWII) in the US.  Tiled floors, wide staircases with carved ballisters and posts, glazed tiles on the walls (stretching from chair-rail to ceiling in the Loke Villa), etc.  There was heavy usage of classical (Greek, Roman) motifs, but also working in some "eastern" elements.  What was most amazing was, as with most homes of that era, the design permitted the free flow of air throughout the house and despite the fact that it was 3 PM on a typical Penang day, we were comfortable without air conditioning!  Sorry for rambling on as not everyone enjoys architecture and history as much as I (Rox) do.... but it was a nice outing and now I know where to go join the PHT so I can see more of this stuff!!