Japanese Consulate Residence

This use to be the old house Allan Lee Winthrop lived when he was young. Allan has kindly send some old photos to trace back the house his family used to lived. Actually I should say it used to be the house of Richard Winthrop who had an architect firm in 39 Beach Street.

It is now the residence of the Japanese Consulate. Can you imagine how happy Allan was when he found that out? Allan has been following my site http://www.my-island-penang.com about the Penang he knows.

The Japanese Consulate Residence is a beautiful house in Tanjung Bungah. Really it is the starting point of Batu Ferringhi. Some of you may remember, this is the place we used to come and have our ice cream from Swensen,ya! It is just round the corner.


Previously, the address is 259 Tanjung Bungah but to our surprise when researching for Mr Allan Lee of Uk, we found the address changed to Batu Ferringhi.

This house 259A is Baiduri and is presently up for sale. I am not able to find out who lived here but I know it used to belong to Jimmy Yeap of Ban Hin Lee Bank. This area must be great Feng Shui in the past, i think. Loh Boon Siew has a house round the corner too called Boon Siew Villa.

Here are some great shots taken on the house and its surrounding. And an excerpts from Allan mail to me.

Allan says:

My father was an Architect in Beach Street (I think it was No 39, there was a doctors practice on a first floor and he was on the top floor). A big white building on left looking towards the sea.

(Allan, this is the beaches called Sunshine Bay opposite your 259 house) It is still a beautiful beaches, unspoilt. The only addition is an Indian shrine down the beach.)

His business was Richard Winthrop Architects from early 1950's to 1968.
He did domestic houses, schools, churches, factories in Penang and also Malaya.

He built a number of houses. There was a prestigious house he built going down to the sea, after you passed the Penang Swimming Pool , driving out from Georgetown. I believe it was called Sock Finn and had something to do with a tin mining company. It has the most expensive of ceramic roof tiles in cobolt green/blue, shipped from Europe. I think there are probably hotels now on the site. Their garden used to lead down to the other side of the Penang Swimming Club boat club and was full of seedling grown Frangipani.

(This apartment is just opposite the Mt Pleasure complex in Jalan Low Yat) Allan, the boulders, a huge one is just in front of the filtration plant and apartment. I enclosed the Google Map.)


He also build houses furthur on the road, beyond Batu Ferringhi Beach, with views over the sea from up the hillsides. There were two isolated ones I remember
.....above each other and one of the owners kept an otter!

If you ever used the Chinese Swimming Pool, my father was the architect who built the
long club house. I believe that this swimming pool is now closed. (No Allan, the swimming club is still in use but under different ownership).


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Thank you Allan for tracing your roots and as for us, my husband Chandra and I are revisiting many parts of Penang Island and growing to love it day by day.

We are so glad to be able to help Allan in his quest.

Pearly
http://www.my-island-penang.com