TWO YEARS AFTER setting foot on Penang Island in 1786, Francis Light set his sights on the hills of Penang—well, Penang Hill in particular, which consists of a range of hills with six peaks, today known as Tiger Hill, Flagstaff Hill, Western Hill, Laksamana Hill, Government Hill and Haliburton Hill.[1] It was said that Light constructed a horse track up to the Hill from the Botanic Gardens in 1788.

I’d like to think that when Francis Light circumnavigated the Island (which was likely, being an explorer and all), he would have caught a glimpse of what we see of the hills today when we drive towards it from the Penang Bridge. While not towering, the hills form a prominent landscape—it makes up the backbone of the Island—from Olivia Hill toward the north to Eagle Hill at the southern range, the dense forest on slopes, today forefronted by proliferating development, making a concrete jungle out of its plains.

Here, we look at what Penang was like during colonial times through old postcards and photos of, on and from the hills of Penang.

*Note: Special thanks to Eugene Quah and Rexy Prakash Chacko for their help in identifying some of the hills.

FOOTNOTES

[1] https://penanghill.gov.my/index.php/en/attractions

[2] https://gtwhi.com.my/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/A-Guide-to-George-Town_s-Historic-Commercial-and-Civic-Precincts.pdf