Carnarvon Street & area, Georgetown

In honor of Penang finally being listed as a UNESCO Heritage Site yesterday (July 7/08), I present this photo journal full of typical heritage buildings, especially Chinese shophouses, in Georgetown's Chinatown. (Shophouses have the business on the lower level & the living quarters on the upper level.) Carnavon Street runs east>west between Chulia Street & Jalan Lim Chwee Leong (behind Komtar). At Chilia Street, it becomes Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling. The other streets & lanes in this journal branch off a block or ... (more)

LEBUH CARNARVON
(Lebuh = Avenue, Jalan = Street). The light was bad so I 'tarnished'...

Cheery yellow row

Star Hotel
(tarnished)

These still have the red clay tile roofs

Seng Thor coffee shop & hotel
(kedia = shop, kopi = coffee)

Li Teik Seah building
This youth club took over the building in 1921. Originally, it was the...

Hanging in there....
(tarnished)

Note the delicate painting
on the cornice under the eave.

Waiting for mommy
who was operating an adjacent food cart.

LARONG CARNARVON
(Larong = Lane). That's Komtar in the background, the tallest building on...

Elderly Chinese lady
heading to the market. Note she is wearing a jacket just on her arms. That is...

Competing for color? ;o)
Those square decorative columns attached to the building are called pilasters.

The one on the right

LEBUH MALAYU
Interesting sculpted entrance. This street is famous for its fine late 19th...

MCA Penang headquarters
MCA = Malaysian Chinese Association. It was formed 27th February,...

Lung Yen Association building
(greyscaled). I think this style is called Art Deco?

Wonderful craftsmanship on these
especially the triple windows with flattened Tudor arches with...

This one too
Note that the decorated cornice has dentils (they look like teeth) &...

Pretty in pink
This building has many interesting features including a balustrade...

The business next door,
same design, different color.

LARONG PRANGIN
Part of a godown (warehouse with living quarters)? (This photo was tarnished.)

The left part of that previous photo.
Note especially the keystone arched windows (they have a keystone...

Delicate painted carvings
on the frieze (lower) portion of the cornice.

Note the triple windows (Palladian)
on the lower level with tracery (lacy carvings) in the arches. I also...

These windows have the flattened
Tudor arches with keystones (central ornament), fancy fluted pilasters, &...

Roman arched fanlight windows
plus unusual pilasters & attractive cornice carvings. (I am not...

back to the flat arched keystone
Tudor windows with tracery topped with intricate carvings above the...

Lots of interesting detail here too,
especially the wider windows with delicate shutters.

Dried pods or leaves of some kind?
If you know what this is, please let me know & I'll update the caption.

KAMPUNG KOLAM
I've always loved this place. This is where Kapitan Keling, head of the...

Wanna bike?

Penang Heritage Center
This corner building was formerly the medical clinic of Dr. Ong Huck Chye, a...

JALAN CHEONG FATT TSE
Another striking pink number.

Tea & coffee powder factory

Flakes of something drying

OTHER SIDE STREETS

A nice row of townhouses

Commercial properties or shophouses

article published 07/09/2008

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Hi Lorraine, I always look forward to seeing your photo's to remind me of home. Many thanks. P.S. I live in the next block to you at Batu Ferringhi, while you're there you may see my wife (Ruby) and kids.
— Ian Bell, July 10, 2008

This is great news that Penang is now a Unesco Heritage site. Super photos and details Lorraine . Thank you .
— Margaret Sherwood, July 9, 2008

Many thanks Lorraine, I really enjoyed your article and great photos, makes me feel homesick for my second home, Penang. Kind regards Richard Freeman
— Richard Freeman, July 9, 2008

Thanks Ben...
I should have mentioned that Melaka was also designated as a heritage site. They had made joint submissions to UNESCO.
— Lorraine Brecht, July 9, 2008

Thanks Lorraine for this beautiful article. Georgetown is indeed attractive and it really reminds me of Melaka and Singapore. The history of MCA is fascinating.
— Ben Hsu, July 9, 2008

what a timely article.. to celebrate the unesco designation.. let's hope Georgetown doesn't change too much.. i like it the way it is..
— Jon J. Tan, July 9, 2008

Thanks so much, Lorraine!! You are lucky to live there (part-time!?) and so glad, you are making the World more aware of this fascinating part of the world!!
— Eleanor Robb, July 9, 2008

How appropriate ...
... that it should be listed as a UNESCO heritage site on your birthday -- you who have probably done more than anyone else to make the world aware of what a great place it is. Be happy, and be proud!
— Fred Perry, July 9, 2008

Carnarvon Street used to be the place to go for 2 things- books and coffins! Those days are gone now and the road is no longer famous for that. HP
— HPLow, July 9, 2008

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