Newsletter Issue 98 /October 2010 Support Conservation Efforts in Your Community! 26 Church Street, City of George Town, 10200 , Malaysia Tel: 604-2642631 | Fax: 604-2628421 Email: [email protected] | Website: www.pht.org.my

Editorial

Plus ça change... the Botanic Gardens, Balik Pulau, Ayer Itam, the historic cemeteries (Muslim, Christian, Chinese and Returning to Penang after a n a b sence of even a few Jewish), the shoreline and the harbour as well as Se- months reveals how much things have changed but barang Prai. All are integral to Penang’s unique herit- also how much they remain the same.T he completed ageand an in ventoryis needed f orthe documen tation restoration of the imposingWhi teaways Arcade and and protection of heritage assets beyond the George Logan Heritage Building on Beach Street not only re- TownW orld Heritage Site. Moreover, in support of opensan hist oricand elegant str eetscapebut pr omises increased heritage awareness, advocacy and conser- to reinvigorate the city’s o l d banking and commercial vation there is a requirement for improved access to district. A short distance away, however, the slowly relevantmuseum and libr aryres ourcesby r esearchers disintegratingstruc tureof the f ormerlygra nd“ Chinese as well as members of the public. Residency”( andsometime Shih Chung Branch S chool) on Northam Road greets visitors as a conspicuous Talks organized by PHT this year – on the 1914 and embarrassing reminder that heritage conserva- Emden raid and on the 19th century defence of tion cannot be taken for granted d e spite the UNESCO Penang -- have reminded us that Penang’s strategic listing. Similar sorry reminders are the two dilapidated location was a s igni" cant aspect of its history.T hus, villas opposite the E&O Hotel on Farquhar S t reet, one there are stories to be told not only by Fort Cornwallis formerly the pre-war Mission House and Chapel, and but also by Fort Auchry, Batu Maung, Pulau Aman, next door to the E & O another crumbling mansion the Cenotaph and other war memorials, as well as the once home to St. George’s Girls’ School, this year cel- numerousSec ondW orldWar p i ll-boxesdotted about ebrating its 125th anniversary. E l sewhere, sad to say, the landscape. wreckingcr ewscon tinuet odemolish ir replaceableher- itage houses -- as on Pykett Avenue (illegally), Brook Determined public campaigns have registered wel- Road (with MPPP approval) and Argus Lane.. come successes on two important fronts in recent months.T he " rst was the reversal by the authorities of In July Penang marked the second anniversary of theill- conceiveda n dinappr opriatebuilding pr ojectat GeorgeT o wn’s inscription as a World Heritage Site the Botanic Gardens.T he second was the announce- with the month-long GEORGE TOWN FESTIVAL mentat last of F ederalGov ernmentguidelines r equir- 2010, a celebration through art, music, opera, theatre, ing the removal of swiftlet breeding from theWor ld dance, " lm, food, photography, s p ort and much more. Heritage Site within three years. Vested i n terests Wecon gratulatethe or ganisersand sponsors of the F es- continuet obaulk at this sensible decision and G eorge tival.W ith the success of this year’s event it is planned Town residents will have to remain vigilant and insist- that the George Town Festival will held annually. ent that the guidelines be rigorously implemented. (Full details of the swiftlet issue are contained in this Following the second anniversary of GeorgeTow n’s year’s PHT Annual Report.) World Heritage listing it is timely to recall that concern for P e nang’s heritage does not end at the boundary of Guest Editor the core and bu# er z o nes of theWor ld Heritage Site. The r e mit of the Penang HeritageT rust extends to the NOTE: We apologise for the late publication of this wholeof P enang,encompassing the hist oric,social and issue of the Newsletter which was caused by the pressure of so many events on the workload of the geographic fabric of the former p o