This morning I visited the Little Penang Street Market in Upper Penang Road and as I watched the Zumba dancers, I suddenly realised that I was sitting right in front of Grandpa's old house.
Bearing the prestigious address of No.1 Penang Road, the house was sold to the Boon Siew group (the wellknown "Honda" motorcycle distributors) some years ago. The present owners have retained part of the facade and a modern office block now towers above it. The building has been named "Wisma Boon Siew". I must say they have done a good job of restoring the windows and I set about taking a few photos.
Although I didn't live at No.1 when I was small, I used to visit Grandpa together with my parents every so often.
As I remember it, the house was huge and cluttered with Grandpa's
souvenirs and other memorabilia. We kids were very wary of where we
treaded in case we broke something!
Grandpa had two other mansions - the first was "Sun Beam Hall" in Green Hall which was destroyed in World War II and "Hazelwood", his country home (where we lived). He also owned a bungalow in Penang Hill known as "The Great Wall".
This so-called "re-discovery" of Grandpa's townhouse sent me rummaging through my Pa's old photo albums and I managed to find a photo of the house which was taken during Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation way back in 1953. The main balcony of the house was decorated with buntings and a huge crown in true patriotic spirit! These old pictures are a real treasure; unfortunately we don't have any pictures of the interior of the house.
I wonder what Grandpa would have said if he were alive today to see his townhouse now converted into a modern business centre!
(Left: Lion dance troupe outside the main entrance of the house)
Bearing the prestigious address of No.1 Penang Road, the house was sold to the Boon Siew group (the wellknown "Honda" motorcycle distributors) some years ago. The present owners have retained part of the facade and a modern office block now towers above it. The building has been named "Wisma Boon Siew". I must say they have done a good job of restoring the windows and I set about taking a few photos.
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| (This photo by courtesy of Penang Travel Tips) |
Grandpa had two other mansions - the first was "Sun Beam Hall" in Green Hall which was destroyed in World War II and "Hazelwood", his country home (where we lived). He also owned a bungalow in Penang Hill known as "The Great Wall".
I wonder what Grandpa would have said if he were alive today to see his townhouse now converted into a modern business centre!
(Left: Lion dance troupe outside the main entrance of the house)
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