Description of the attraction
Suffolk House is a classic example of how organically British colonial architecture blends with bright blue Asian skies and tropical vegetation.
The house in the suburbs of Georgetown became the first colonial mansion on Penang Island. It was built as the residence of Francis Light, founder of the city and the English colony of Penang. The beautiful Georgian building was erected at the end of the 18th century from timber. The calm and elegant look of the house, surrounded by traditional English lawns, contrasted with the Asian pretentiousness and ostentatious luxury. To Francis Light, he was so reminiscent of East Anglia that he named the mansion Suffolk House after the county in which he was born. The first governor of Penang lived in this house until his death.
Subsequently, the mansion was the residence of several governors of the island, then it served as the home of the government. Its walls bear witness to the stages of the history of the British colony, from lavish receptions in honor of distinguished guests of their England to intense political negotiations on the creation of new territories in Southeast Asia. Suffolk House has also been the site of official and social gatherings.
In the 1920s, the mansion was sold to the local Methodist Church to organize a boys' school. During the Second World War, the building was occupied by the Japanese occupation administration. After the war, there were alternately a dental clinic, a school cafeteria, again a Methodist school for boys, etc. The building quickly fell into disrepair and in 1975 it was declared emergency.
The history of its restoration deserves a separate mention. A huge amount of preparatory work - on the transfer of land, the provision of another building for the boys' school, a survey of the condition of the building - was completed by 2000. After that, a unique restoration began. In addition to public funds, the local historical society has announced a fundraiser. A significant amount was contributed by the descendants of Francis Light.
Today Suffolk House is an authentic building restored in stone. It is under the protection of a non-governmental organization for the preservation of the country's architectural heritage. And also, like the whole of Georgetown - under the auspices of UNESCO.
The mansion has rooms where the life of the governor's families of the 18th and 19th centuries is reproduced. And also a restaurant stylized as a colonial.
