When Einstein Cruised into Penang
8 min read
THE CRUISE SHIP, Spectrum of the Seas, a behemoth 18-storeys high and a third of a kilometre long, sailed into Penang’s Swettenham Pier on 2 July 2022 guided by...
Pepper Estate: The Untold Story
11 min read
RESIDENTS OF Tanjung Bungah would sometimes use, as a shortcut, the well-shaded and narrow winding hill road that snakes around the Guillemard Service Reservoir...
FUN on Mount Pleasure: The Life and Times of Uncle Templeton
8 min read
ON THE MORNING of 9 September 1940, a Friday, Police Constable (PC) Ahmad bin Haji Abdul Rahman was on duty in front of the Penang Swimming Club. It was the sec...
James Dollery Fettes and Penang Waterworks: A Legacy of Public Service (Part 1)
8 min read
JALAN TANJONG TOKONG, the main thoroughfare leading to the tourist beaches of Batu Ferringhi, is often clogged with traffic during public holidays. Torrents of...
General on the Great Hill: US Civil War Hero Visits Penang – Part 1
9 min read
Enter the GeneralON FRIDAY, March 28, 1879, the 1,615-tonne schooner, S.S. Simla[1] of the British-India Navigation Company (B.I.S.N. Co) – a swift, “pleas...
A Quaint History of the Mystical Islet We Call “Pulau Tikus”
9 min read
IT IS SAID that Francis Light, after negotiations with the Sultan of Kedah to take possession of Penang, anchored his three ships off the islet, Pulau Tikus, an...
Hong Seng Estate: The Urban Kampung by the Hill
7 min read
JALAN MOUNT ERSKINE, the busy thoroughfare beyond the western-most end of Jalan Burmah, cuts through vast tracks of Chinese cemeteries and links together the su...
Mount Erskine: Penang’s Forgotten Flagstaff Hill – Part 2: The Pulo Tecoose Boat Establishment
11 min read
THE MOUNT ERSKINE signal station was built for “the purpose of obtaining earlier communication with vessels entering the harbour”. Previously, incoming ships co...
Mount Erskine: Penang’s Forgotten Flagstaff Hill – Part 1
10 min read
TANJUNG BUNGAH, an affluent suburb on the North Coast of Penang Island, is known for its international schools, well-established neighbourhoods, mid-range beach...