The Residency, officially Seri Mutiara, is the

official residence An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless of whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority (either their own or that of th ...

of the

Governor of Penang The Governor of Penang, officially Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Penang (') is the ceremonial head of state of the Malaysian state of Penang. The role of governor is largely ceremonial with the power vested in the executive branch of the state gov ...

. Located at Western Road within downtown George Town, it was originally built in 1890 by British engineer Maurice Cameron as the residence for the British governor of Penang. Following Malaya's independence in 1957, the mansion has continued to serve as the residence for the

head of state A head of state is the public persona of a sovereign state.#Foakes, Foakes, pp. 110–11 "

he head of state He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...

being an embodiment of the State itself or representative of its international persona." The name given to the office of head of sta ...

Penang Penang is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia along the Strait of Malacca. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula. Th ...

History

Prior to the construction of The Residency, Suffolk House was the

of the British governor of

. In 1886, during a visit to George Town,

Straits Settlements The Straits Settlements () were a group of British territories located in Southeast Asia. Originally established in 1826 as part of the territories controlled by the British East India Company, the Straits Settlements came under control of the ...

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Frederick Weld Sir Frederick Aloysius Weld (9 May 1823 – 20 July 1891), was an English-born New Zealand politician and colonial administrator of various British colonies and territories located in Oceania and Southeast Asia. He was the sixth Prime Minis ...

participated in the selection of the site for the new Residency. The eventual site of the mansion encompasses an area of , bounded by Western, York and Ross roads. Designed by British engineer Maurice Cameron, The Residency was completed in 1890. The original construction cost of the mansion was $48,000 (

Straits dollar The Straits dollar was the currency of the Straits Settlements from 1898 until 1939. At the same time, it was also used in the Federated Malay States, the Unfederated Malay States, Kingdom of Sarawak, Brunei, and British North Borneo. Histor ...

), but the final cost rose to $81,173 due to additional furnishings and

electrification Electrification is the process of powering by electricity and, in many contexts, the introduction of such power by changing over from an earlier power source. In the context of history of technology and economic development, electrification refe ...

. Its architecture incorporates elements from contemporary buildings of the time, including a central tetrastyle portico and pediment reminiscent of the

Town Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

. The verandah extends to the sides with a connection to the garden, similar to the Madras Garden House in India. The roof is concealed by a

balustraded A baluster () is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its c ...

roofline. The first occupant of The Residency was Allan Maclean Skinner, the Resident Councillor of Penang and the highest-ranking British officer in the settlement. Following the independence of Malaya in 1957, The Residency was renamed Seri Mutiara and retains its function as the official residence of Penang's

head of state A head of state is the public persona of a sovereign state.#Foakes, Foakes, pp. 110–11 "

being an embodiment of the State itself or representative of its international persona." The name given to the office of head of sta ...

. Before Malaya gained independence, the mansion was accessible to visitors who were required to sign a guestbook at the entrance booth. However, since independence, access to Seri Mutiara has been restricted and the entrance booth has been replaced by a

guardhouse A guardhouse (also known as a watch house, guard building, guard booth, guard shack, security booth, security building, or sentry building) is a building used to house Security guard, personnel and security equipment. Guardhouses have histori ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Residency, Penang Official residences of Malaysian state leaders Buildings and structures in George Town, Penang Houses completed in 1890

History

See also

References