Court Building, Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia

Taken with Canon powershot A75, dated Jan 2009


Penang Supreme Court Building (or Mahkamah Tinggi Pulau Pinang in Malay) is magnificent neo-Palladian architecture built in 1809. The building's structure is reminiscent of classic Grecian temples, with tall, wide pillars dominating its facade. Located near the Esplanade and sit in its original corner of two roads of Farquhar Street and Light Street. It currently houses the High Court of the Penang state.

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• Logan Memorial

The Logan Memorial, Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia

Taken with Canon powershot A75, dated Jan 2009


A marble memorial has beautiful carvings of four statues representing the four cardinal virtues namely Temperance, Wisdom, Fortitude and Justice. It as a silent moral guide to the judges and lawyers who passed by the High Court of the importance in upholding the rule of law.

This monument was built in memory of James Richardson Logan, a prominent lawyer and one-time editor of the 'Penang Gazette'. Logan devoted his life to give free service to the public and was a strong advocate of freedom of speech, law and order until his death in 1869.

The memorial stands in the ground of the Supreme Court until 2007, and then it was shifted to a new location across the street, opposite the Supreme Court.

Goddess of Mercy Temple, Penang, Malaysia

Taken with Canon powershot A75, dated May 2006


Goddess of Mercy is the oldest Chinese temple in Georgetown, Penang built by early Chinese settlers. This temple is also called Kuan Yin Teng Temple (觀音亭) and situated at Lebuh Masjid Kapitan Keling.

The temple was built in the finest tradition of ancient Chinese architecture style. The ornate curved-ridge rooftops of the main hall made to look like an ocean waves decorated with dragons which act as the guardian of the temple, and is supported by dragon-entwined pillars, carved from a type of green stone. Within the temple, in an inner chamber, is a statue of an 18-armed Kuan Yin with each hand either holding a different cosmic symbol or expressing a specific ritual position.

There are two huge iron stoves in the courtyard where worshipers burn paper offerings (gold and silver paper), and beside has an octagonal well which was once a public well for the Chinese community. It attracts both ardent pilgrims seeking the guidance of Kuan Yin and tourists.

Jubilee Clock Tower, Penang, Malaysia

Taken with Canon powershot A75, dated May 2006

During the British Straits settlement, a Jubilee Clock Tower was constructed in Georgetown of Penang to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of British Queen Victoria's reign. The clock tower is sixty feet tall, a Moorish architectural style, landed at the junction of Light Street and Beach Street. It is resembles a minaret and pristine white in color.

St George's Church, Penang, Malaysia

Taken with Nikon D60, dated Apr 2009


Saint George Church, the one located on the corner of Lebuh Farquhar and Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling, built by convicts is the oldest Anglican Church in Malaysia. The church provides a superb example of the Western neo-classical style based on ancient Greece and Rome architecture. The most striking feature of the church's architecture are the huge Grecian columns lined outside the front entrance.

Within the sprawling church compound stands the Francis Ligh Memorial. It was built more than 120 years ago in memory of Captain Francis Light and in celebration of the founding of Penang. The memorial is built in similar Georgian-Palladium style as the church and has a dome ornamented with vases.

These days, mass is still conducted here every Sunday morning. For the couples who have fallen in love with the historical church often arrange for their wedding photographs to be taken in the compound.

Acheen Street Mosque, Penang, Malaysia

Taken with Nikon D60, dated Apr 2009

The Acheen Street Mosque, also known as Masjid Melayu Lebuh Acheh, is located on he southern end of Georgetown, on Lebuh Aceh. The mosque was built on the land donated by Syed Sheriff Tengku Syed Hussain Aidid, an Acheh-Arabian mechant who settled in Penang.

The mosque is surrounded by rows of shophouses, a cemetery including the mausoleum of Syed Hussain and members of his family, and the original Muslim settlement of the mid 19th century. Its structure reflects a strong Moorish (northern Indian) architecture, combined with Chinese and classical elements visible in the entrance arch, the small domes on the parapet, classical columns, plaster renderings upon the walls and mihrab, and the Egyptian style minarets.

Cheah Kongsi, Penang, Malaysia

Taken with Nikon D60, dated Apr 2009


Located at Lebuh Armenian, through a small gateway painted in bright red, the double-storey, porched bungalow plan with a distinctly Chinese courtyard layout, including an open balcony and a charming front lawn, the Cheah Kongsi. The sweeping roof of this double-storey building is decorated with stylised sculptures of sirens, dogs, lions of stucco and shards of both Chinese and Dutch porcelain crockery. The worship hall proper is located on the upper floor. There are several pieces of original furniture and artifacts that have been saved from the ravages of time and war are on display in thematic fashion in the temple's various chambers.

Cheah Kongsi was established in 1880's by Cheah Yam, one of the clan members who came from a village called Sek Tong in the Hokkien province. One of the first of the five great Hokkien clans to have settled in Penang.

Fort Cornwallis, Penang, Malaysia

Taken with Canon powershot A75, dated Jan 2009


Fort Cornwallis was named after the Governor General in Bengal, Charles Cornwallis. It is one of the most interesting historical landmarks in Georgetown, located close to the Esplanade.

The fort's wall is roughly 10 feet high, and is laid out in star-like formation. A stroll along the perimeters takes about 10 minutes. Inside the fort, one can still see some of the original structures built over a century ago, including a chapel, prison cells, a munitions storage area, a harbour light once used to signal incoming ships, and several old bronze canons, one of which is a Dutch canon called Seri Rambai, dated 1603.