St George's Church, Penang George Town

St. George’s Church, Georgetown Penang Overview

St. George’s Church is an Anglican church located on Farquhar Street in George Town. The 200-year-old shrine is the oldest Anglican Church in South East Asia and also one of the oldest buildings in Penang. The main highlight of St George Church is its recently inaugurated heritage centre.

The pristine church was awarded the National Heritage Status in 2007 and has been revamped several times. It is a great place to learn about history while exploring the beautiful architecture of the place.

Architecture of St George Chruch

The church is a combination of Neo-Classical, Georgian and English Palladian type of architecture. The building was built using Indian convict labor and at a cost of 60,000 Spanish Dollars. It uses bricks on a solid stone base. The original roof of the church was flat, however, it was soon discovered that a flat roof would be unsuitable for Penang’s weather. After ramifications, it was made into an octagonal shaped steeple. The interior of the church is tiled with marble floors and cool pastel blue. Grecian columns and a gable-shaped roof can be seen in front of the building.

The Francis Light Memorial is also located in the lawn of St. Georges Church. The memorial is in the form of a Greek Temple and the architecture of the temple is in Victorian Style. The church has also opened the Heritage Center in 2016 which sells souvenirs, books and other items of historical importance.

How to Reach St George's Church Penang

St. George’s church is a few minutes’ walk from Penang Esplanade and Penang Museum.

Take the City Hop-on Free Shuttle Bus from Rapid Penang and get off at Station No. 6. The Penang Hop- on Hop off Tourist Bus also stops at the Museum, from there; the church is located at the left of the Penang Museum.