View of Loke Mansion from Gurney Drive.

Endangered Penang Heritage Site
Loke Mansion

Also likely to be adversely affected by the proposed development on the former Uplands School site is the Loke Mansion next door on Gurney Drive. The proposed construction of three massive tower blocks, two of them over 40 storeys high and one of them very close to the property boundary with the Loke Mansion, is bound to have a damaging effect on this important historic building. Piling and "de-watering" will put the structure at risk. Furthermore, a huge high-rise immediately to the west of the Loke Mansion will deprive the Loke property of afternoon sun, leaving it in perpetual shade for the better part of the day.

The Loke Mansion is a handsome heritage villa facing the sea on Gurney Drive. It was built in 1924-25 by Alan Loke, the son of tycoon Loke Yew. It was built in the English "arts-and-crafts" style of the period and as was the habit of the well-to-do was originally given an English name, "Chatsworth". Its frontage was on North Beach before the construction of the North Coastal Road (later named Gurney Drive).

For many years, Loke Mansion was occupied by Alan's brother Loke Wan Yat, who raised his family in its grand surrounding. After the family left Penang, Loke Mansion was left uninhabited, safe for its loyal caretaker who continued to maintain the building in as well a condition as could be expected. However, natural wear-and-tear manifested in the form of leaky roofs, broken gutters, and other general dilapidation. A restoration was carried out in 2003, after which it was rented out to an expatriate family.