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The oldest Anglican church in Southeast Asia was completed in 1818. The church was designed by Robert Smith, a military engineer who is known for his oil paintings of early Penang, which are now housed within the Penang State Museum. A memorial dedicated to Captain Francis Light, in the form of a Greek temple with a marble slab, stands within the church's compound. Services are still held at the church on Sundays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.
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Formerly the Penang Free School which was built in two separate stages in 1896 and 1906. The museum is an interesting starting point to discover the multi-ethnic background of George Town. Two floors display the history of the immigrant community that participated in the creation of the present city. The museum also exhibits the paintings of Captain Robert Smith and the lovely engravings of William Daniell. Other exhibits include a former Penang Hill railway carriage, a handwritten Qur`an and old Malay weapons donated by the family of the late Dato' Haji Fathil Basheer. The museum has moved from its original site in Farquhar Street, to 57 Jalan Macalister; only parts of the exhibition are on display.
Inaugurated in 1903, this Palladian-style building now houses the High Court of Penang, which had been established in 1809 as the first judiciary in modern Malaysia. The building is closed to the public; tourists can only view it from the outside.
Kuan Yin Teng
Built in 1801, the Goddess of Mercy Temple is one of the oldest Chinese temples in Penang. This Taoist temple is flocked to by pilgrims year round, particularly on the 1st and 15th days of each lunar month. The building is decorated with intricately crafted dragons and a pair of stone sculptured lions which guard the temple. Puppet shows and Chinese operas are staged in the temple's square on the Goddess of Mercy's feast days and there is an octagonal well in one corner, which was once a public well for the Chinese community.
The ground floor presents the origin of Catholicism in the Far East in general and in Penang in particular. It also informs about the activities of the diocese of Penang and the ethnic makeup of its members. The first floor exhibits artefacts and memorabilia of the Diocese. The Fr. Joseph Reuten's gallery, housed in the same building shows paintings of biblical and Catholic themes in an Asian manner.
The first permanent Catholic church to be built in George Town, the Church of the Assumption was established by a group of Eurasian immigrants who accompanied Captain Francis Light to Penang. It is also one of the few churches in Malaysia with church bells that were cast during British rule. It also houses one of the last remaining and oldest European-made air organs in Malaysia. Masses are on Saturday at 6:30PM and on Sunday at 10AM.
An interactive museum that features three-dimensional artwork about Penang's history.