A Glimpse Inside the
Penang Heritage Trust

Hi there. My name is Tim and I'm a Council Member at the Penang Heritage Trust. Today, I'm going to show you around our office. You may have heard of us through the newspaper and learn of the things we do. I hope this little visit will help you get to know us better.

First of all, if you wish to physically visit us, our home is at No. 26, Lebuh Gereja. Also known as Church Street, Lebuh Gereja is one of the oldest side-streets in George Town. It was named after a Catholic church that used to be located there. Directly across from our office is the Chung Keng Kwee Ancestral Temple, which is part of the Pinang Peranakan Museum.


The PHT Signboard

After years of living on rented property, we were finally able to buy our own premises (sold to us at a very helpful price by a friendly heritage enthusiast). It is a mid 19th century shophouse which we had to restore and readapt for use as an office. We were thankful to the friends and members who chipped in to help us, including the Penang State Government, the Ministry of Tourism, the Ministry of Culture, Arts & Heritage all lend us a hand. The meticulous restoration of our premises was achieved though the financial support by American Express, through the World Monuments Watch, a program of the World Monuments Fund. We finally moved in here on Sunday, 25 June, 2006.


Our front door


Our front plaque was engraved by a noted signboard maker who is a Living Heritage recipient

Presently we have a membership of a few hundred people. At the core of it are us, the Council Members, elected once every two years to serve the Trust. For the 2008-2009 term, there are nine of us, namely Dr. Choong, Dato' Dr Sharom, Jack, Loh-Lim, Dr Tan, Gaik Siang, Ahmad, Clement and myself. We are as diverse a group as a group can be. The glue that binds us together is our passion for Penang's heritage.


Front Office

Like most of the 19th and 20th Century shophouses in George Town, our premises is narrow and long, and divided into several compartments. Upon stepping in through the front door, you arrive at the front office. This is where our two full-time staff, Mag and Sheau Fung, work. The floor is paved with terracotta tiles while the walls are adorned with replicas of paintings of early Penang. The office is where the Council Members meet up for our monthly council meetings, to update each other of the activities we are engaged in.

Each Council Member holds a portfolio. Mine is the website and tours. Hence I am the one who writes the PHT website as well as help to organise the monthly Site Visits.


Air well


Looking up from the air well

A swing door separates the front office from the rest of our premises. You enter through the swing door to arrive at the air well, which is paved with granite slabs and terracotta tiles. This is where we hold lunches and high teas. Further down, the kitchen area has been converted into a library.


Back Kitchen

Going further in, through a doorway, you arrive at the last part of the ground floor, the Back Kitchen. This is where we do the washing up. The restrooms are also here. A backdoor leads to the backlane.

Now let me take you upstairs.


Stairs going up

There's a conference room upstairs. This is where we do presentations. Trainings and seminars are also conducted here.


Upstairs

As you can see, the room is quite narrow. So it is often filled up whenever we have major engagements.


Tim at PHT

And so, this is a short tour of our premises. It is a nice place and I enjoy being there. But as you can see, without its members, PHT is just an empty shell. It is the people within it that breathes life into its activities.

Thank you for joining me on this little visit. I hope it provides you a nice intro to what we are about, and I look forward to your joining us in our activities.



Timothy Tye, or just Tim, is a full-time web-based travel and heritage writer. His websites include AsiaExplorers and Penang Travel Tips, etc.