Esplanade | |
---|---|
Esplanade and city square | |
Opening date | 1786 |
Owner | Penang Island City Council |
Location | Jalan Tun Syed Sheh Barakbah and Esplanade Road George Town, Penang, Malaysia |
Type | Cultural |
Criteria | ii, iii, iv |
Designated | 2008 (32nd session) |
Reference no. | 1223 |
Region | Asia-Pacific |
Coordinates: 5°25′19.92″N100°20′30.948″E / 5.4222000°N 100.34193000°E |
The Esplanade is a seafront city square in the heart of George Town within the Malaysian state of Penang. It covers the field adjacent to Fort Cornwallis, known locally as the Padang, and the seaside promenade along the edge of the field. The City Hall faces the Padang, while the Cenotaph is also located along the promenade.
The Esplanade was the site of a significant event in Penang's history; it was here where Captain Francis Light, the founder of George Town, first landed on 17 July 1786. Upon claiming possession of Penang Island (then Prince of Wales Island) for the British Empire, the Esplanade became the first area to be cleared by Light, while Fort Cornwallis was constructed immediately east of the clearing.
The cleared field was then used as a military parade ground, prior to its recreational and sports use beginning in the mid-19th century. The planned layout of the Padang is similar to that of the Padang in Singapore and Merdeka Square in Kuala Lumpur. The Esplanade is currently a major venue for celebrations and cultural activities in Penang.
The Esplanade is the site on Penang Island where Captain Francis Light, a trader for the British East India Company, first landed on 17 July 1786. Having obtained the island for the British Empire, Light then ordered his ships to fire silver coins into the then forested area to entice immigrants to clear as much land as possible. Fort Cornwallis was also constructed next to the cleared field.
The field, now known as the Padang, was the place where sepoys from India, who were deployed to Penang by the British East India Company, disembarked from their transport vessels. [1]
The Padang has been used for recreational purposes since the mid-19th century. A bandstand, donated by Cheah Tek Soon, a local businessman, was erected at the Esplanade, providing a stage for music bands to entertain the public. The Padang was also utilised as a cricket ground; a two-storey pavilion, designed by Wilson & Neubronner, was built in 1908 by the then Penang Cricket Club. Its rival, the Penang Recreational Club, had also erected a similar structure at the Esplanade for its supporters. [2]
However, these structures were destroyed during World War II, when Allied bombers targeted the Esplanade, which was at the time used by the Imperial Japanese Army. [2] [1] The Cenotaph, which had been constructed to honour the Allied personnel of World War I, was also reduced to ruins. After the war, the Cenotaph was rebuilt and reopened in 1948.
The cleared field was then used as a military parade ground prior to its recreational and sports use beginning in the mid-19th century.
Today, the Esplanade is a major venue for celebrations and cultural performances, such as the anniversary of George Town's inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Bon Odori (a Japanese cultural festival) and Chap Goh Meh (the last day of the Chinese New Year). [3] [2] A portion of the Esplanade has also been converted into a Speakers' Corner, the first of its kind in Malaysia. [4] [5]
In addition, every first Saturday of the month, the 'Esplanade in Action' cultural performances are held at the Esplanade, featuring the various cultures of Penang. [2] [6] A night market also opens at the Esplanade every Friday, Saturday and Sunday between 5pm and midnight. [2]
Another landmark within the Esplanade is the Cenotaph, which was originally built in honour of Allied personnel who lost their lives during World War I. The Remembrance Day commemorations are held annually at the Cenotaph to honour not just the Allied personnel of World War I, but also those who were killed during World War II, the Malayan Emergency and the Indonesian Confrontation. [7] [8]
A cenotaph is an empty tomb or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere or have been lost. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been reinterred elsewhere. Although the majority of cenotaphs honour individuals, many noted cenotaphs are also dedicated to the memories of groups of individuals, such as the lost soldiers of a country or of an empire.
An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of esplanade was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide clear fields of fire for the fortress's guns. In modern usage, the space allows the area to be paved as a pedestrian walk; esplanades are often on sea fronts and allow walking whatever the state of the tide, without having to walk on the beach.
Fort Cornwallis is a bastion fort in George Town, Penang, Malaysia, built by the British East India Company in the late 18th century. Named after the then Lieutenant-General The 2nd Earl Cornwallis (1738–1805), the Governor-General of Bengal at the time of the fort's construction, it is the largest standing fort in Malaysia. The fort never engaged in combat during its operational history.
Jerejak Island is a 3.62 km2 (362 ha) islet off the eastern coast of Penang Island in the Malaysian state of Penang. It is also a short ferry ride from Bayan Lepas, a suburb of George Town. It was formerly the main leper asylum for the Straits Settlements (1868), a Quarantine Station (1875) and a penal colony (1969).
The architecture of Penang reflects the 171 years of British presence on the island, coalescing with local, Chinese, Indian, Islamic and other elements to create a unique and distinctive brand of architecture. Along with Malacca, Penang is an architectural gem of Malaysia and Southeast Asia. Unlike Singapore, also a Straits Settlement, where many heritage buildings had to make way for modern skyscrapers and high-rise apartments due to rapid development and acute land scarcity, Penang's architectural heritage has enjoyed a better fate. Penang has one of the largest collections of pre-war buildings in Southeast Asia. This is for the most part due to the Rent Control Act which froze house rental prices for decades, making redevelopment unprofitable. With the repeal of this act in 2000 however, property prices skyrocketed and development has begun to encroach upon these buildings, many of which are in a regrettable state of disrepair. The government in recent years has allocated more funding to finance the restoration of a number of derelict heritage buildings, most notably Suffolk House, City Hall and historic buildings in the old commercial district.
Ayer Itam is a suburb of George Town in the Malaysian state of Penang. Nested within the central valleys of Penang Island, it is located approximately 6 km (3.7 mi) southwest of the city centre. The suburb is home to Kek Lok Si, touted as the largest Buddhist temple in the country.
Gurney Drive is a popular seafront promenade within the city of George Town in the Malaysian state of Penang. The road is also famous for the street cuisine at the seafront's hawker centre and has been listed as one of the 25 best streets worldwide to visit by the Australian travel magazine, The Traveler. In addition, Gurney Drive has become part of George Town's Central Business District due to the mushrooming of commercial properties and shopping malls.
The State of Penang, one of the most developed and urbanised Malaysian states, is located at the nation's northwest coast along the Malacca Strait. Unlike most Malaysian states, the history of modern Penang was shaped by British colonialism, beginning with the acquisition of Penang Island from the Sultanate of Kedah by the British East India Company in 1786. Developed into a free port, the city state was subsequently governed as part of the Straits Settlements, together with Singapore and Malacca; the state capital, George Town, briefly became the capital of this political entity between 1826 and 1832. By the end of the 19th century, George Town prospered and became one of the major entrepôts in Southeast Asia.
The City Hall is the local government headquarters of George Town within the Malaysian state of Penang. Built by the British, it now serves as the seat of the Penang Island City Council and was previously the seat of the George Town City Council.
The State of Penang in Malaysia, home to the country's third largest city as well as part of Malaysia's second most populous conurbation, has a relatively well-developed transport infrastructure. The city-state is well-connected by land, air and sea; the Penang International Airport is one of Malaysia's busiest, while the Port of Penang is the main harbour and transshipment hub within northern Malaysia. The North–South Expressway, the main highway along western Peninsular Malaysia, runs through Penang, while the two geographically separate halves of the state are now linked by two bridges and a ferry service.
The Cenotaph also known as Penang War Memorial, is a cenotaph located at the Esplanade in George Town, Penang, Malaysia. The site of the Cenotaph is situated at the shoreline of the Esplanade, at Jalan Tun Syed Sheh Barakbah and Jalan Padang Kota Lama, by the padang and the City Hall that it fronts.
The Seri Rambai is a seventeenth-century Dutch cannon displayed at Fort Cornwallis in George Town, the capital city of the Malaysian state of Penang and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the largest bronze gun in Malaysia, a fertility symbol and the subject of legends and prophecy.
The Penang High Court, founded in 1808, is the birthplace of Malaysia's judiciary system. It is housed inside a Palladian-style building at Light Street, George Town, Penang. To this day, the High Court sits at the top of Penang's hierarchy of courts.
Light Street is the oldest road in the city of George Town within the Malaysian state of Penang. It was named after the founder of Penang, Captain Francis Light. As the epicentre of George Town, the street was created soon after Light established the settlement in 1786 and has been serving as a major thoroughfare within the city centre ever since.
Dato Keramat Road is a major thoroughfare in the city of George Town within the Malaysian state of Penang. It is one of the main roads leading out of the city centre towards the suburb of Ayer Itam.
Padang Kota is a state constituency in Penang, Malaysia, that has been represented in the Penang State Legislative Assembly since 1974. It covers George Town's historic city centre, including its old administrative core and the central business district (CBD) at Beach Street.
The Town Hall is a British-built administrative building in George Town, Penang, Malaysia. It is located adjacent to the City Hall, which now serves as the seat of the Penang Island City Council.
George Town, the capital city of the state of Penang, is the second largest city in Malaysia and the economic centre of the country's northern region. The history of George Town began with its establishment by Captain Francis Light of the British East India Company in 1786. Founded as a free port, George Town became the first British settlement in Southeast Asia and prospered in the 19th century as one of the vital British entrepôts within the region. It briefly became the capital of the Straits Settlements, a British crown colony which also consisted of Singapore and Malacca.
Rifle Range is a residential neighbourhood within the city of George Town in the Malaysian state of Penang. Located 4.4 km (2.7 mi) west of the city centre, the area was once home to a shooting range used by the British Army. The Malaysian federal government constructed nine blocks of low-cost public housing at the area in 1969, making them the first residential high-rises in Penang. Until 1977, the Rifle Range flats were considered the tallest buildings in George Town.