Build at the turn of the 19th century in Suffolk Estate owned by Captain Francis Light, the founder of the British Settlement of Penang, Suffolk House was the home of the early governors and the scne of many important social and official events.
Over the years, it has undergone many alternations and had many uses. In the 1810s and 1820s it served as Government House and critical political issues, such as the founding of Singapore, were in all probability first discussed here by Sir Stamford Raffles. Subsequently it was a home and a school before falling into severe disrepair by the 1970.
The campaign to restore Suffolk House began in 1961. Full, grade one restoration to international standards was only completed in 2007, as a result of a tri-partite effort between the state government of Penang, HSBC Bank and Penang Heritage Trust.
In 2008, the restoration won an Award of Distinction in the UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage Awards for the Culture Heritage Conservation Program.
There to receive the award was Penang Chief Minister, Lim Guan Eng.
Video by Jimmy Leow
Thanks for the video post, but the accompanying music is a sad case of flippant anachronism!
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