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The 9th International Methodist English High School Reunion on Wed., 17th. February, 2016 in Penang – Part 3

A series pf photographs of interest to the participants at the second night dinner at a historical site in George Town, Penang – the Suffolk House of the British Founder – Sir Francis Light.

SP Lim

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Suffolk House

In Penang, Malaysia, the Suffolk House refers to two early residences built on the same site located some four miles west of George Town, Penang, on the banks of the Air Itam River (Black Water River in the Malay language). The earliest of the two buildings is notable for serving as the residence of Francis Light, the founder of the British settlement on the Prince of Wales Island, commonly known as Penang Island. Following Light’s death in 1794, and with Penang becoming the fourth presidency of India in 1805, a newer Suffolk House replaced the original house, assuming multiple roles and was later neglected before its current restoration.

The mansion and the estate it was built on, the Suffolk Estate, is presumably named after Suffolk county in England. Light was born in Dallinghoo, Suffolk in East Anglia.

Architecture

The original house was simply a humble timber-and-attap garden house, fashioned in a simple Anglo-Indian Garden House style formerly common in British India. The current Suffolk House is a detached double-storey building of Euro-Indian Georgian styling.