Jubilee Clock Tower

In 1821, a small watering reservoir was first completed at this site. Fed by an aqueduct commencing in the Penang Botanic Gardens, water was then supplied to shipping via a timber jetty projecting out into the bay. The building of a clock tower at Weld Quay was planned during the 100th anniversary of the East India Company's settlement in Penang, but it ultimately came to nothing. When the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria was drawing close in 1897, the municipal government of Penang had formed a committee to discuss plans for memorialising the monarch. The Chinese business magnate Cheah Chen Eok had offered to build a memorial clock tower for the occasion. His offer was taken and he became…

The tower was designed by Robert Peirce, the municipal engineer of Penang, and its construction was carried out by Barnett & Stark, with Lee Ah Kong as contractor. The general style of the tower is Indo-Saracenic. The tower is 60 feet (183 metres) high from the ground to the centre of the clock and 97 feet (30 metres) to the top of the cupola. Each of the 60 feet represents the years of Queen Victoria's reign until her Diamond Jubilee. The ground floor is 5 feet (1.5 metres) above road level and could be entered by a flight of broaded steps. The entrance door is octagonal with carved and moulded cornices at each angle. In each face of the tower is a small lion's head that could discharge…