St Georges Church Penang (The Parish of Saint George the Martyr) is the oldest Anglican Church in South East Asia and was constructed between 1817 and 1818 under the supervision of Captain Robert Smith of the Madras Engineers and formally consecrated on 11th May 1819 by the Bishop of Calcutta, the Rt Rev Thomas F Middleton.
During World War II the church was badly damaged by one of the many Japanese air raids on Penang Island and then looted of most of its contents, so that today, the only original artefacts left are the Bishops Chair and the Baptism Font.
St George's was awarded National Heritage Status in 2007 and since then has undergone a full restoration and is now open to the public once again.
You can visit the inside the church at the following times :
St George's Church Visitor Opening Hours :Monday to Thursday : 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
Friday : Closed
Saturday : Open by appointment only.
Sunday : Closed
Also closed on public holidays and other church functions such as weddings and funerals.
The Church is also open to the public who wish to attend Church Services on :
Sundays : 8:30 am and 10:30 am
Wednesdays : 9:30 am
Entrance Fee : Free
The church has now also opened a new Heritage Centre in 2016, offering a historical photographic exhibition, souvenirs, books.... They also serve tea and coffee, as well as cake.
The Heritage Centre is open Tuesday to Friday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.
Address and Contact Details :
1 Lebuh Farquhar, 10200 Penang, Malaysia
Telephone Number : 604 261 2739
Email Address : admin@stgeorgeschurchpenang.com
Official Website :
http://stgeorgeschurchpenang.com
Location :
St George's is within walking distance to most of the hotels in the old part of the city, just a couple of minutes walk around the from the Penang Esplanade and just down the road from the Penang Museum.
It is also next to a RapidPenang bus stop as well as being on the route of the Free bus service that travels around the old part of the city between the Jetty and KOMTAR.
To check bus times and routes around Penang island please visit :
The Francis Light Memorial located in the front of the church
was built to commemorate the founding of Penang in 1786 by Captain
Francis Light.
You can visit the grave of Francis Light, along with many other founding members of British Colonial Penang, in the Old British Colonial cemetery, a 5 to 10 minute walk away from the church.
More places to visit in George Town Penang :