Queen Victoria Memorial Clock Tower — Attraction in George Town

Being one of the landmarks and attractions in Penang, the Queen Victoria Memorial Clock Tower is a testament to Penang’s royal connections. Commissioned in 1897 by a local millionaire, Cheah Chen Eok, to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, it stands 60ft-high, with each foot representing a year of the Queen’s 60-year reign.

There are plenty of streets and landmarks all over the island named after blue bloods but The Queen Victoria Memorial Clock Tower, set on King Edward’s Place in Georgetown, is one of its best known. Interesting fact: although it is hardly noticeable, due to the impact from bombs being dropped around it during WWII, The Queen Victoria Memorial Clock Tower leans to one side, much like the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Located south of Fort Cornwallis, The Queen Victoria Memorial Clock Tower was built at a cost of 35,000 Straits dollars and the gleaming whitewashed tower is topped by a Moorish dome. It has four tiers: the base is octagon-shaped and the following two tiers comprise four distinct sections with elaborate windows, balconies and a working clock on each side. The topmost tier is rounded off with Roman pillars and topped with a golden dome cupola.

The six steps leading up to the main entrance denote the number of decades of Queen Victoria's reign. Right beside The Queen Victoria Memorial Clock Tower is a 48m-high Pinang structure (a metal betel nut sculpture), which looks like two halves of the...

In guide-books you will find a lot on the clock-tower, but hardly anything on what is the stainless steel structure in the centre of the roundabout where it stands. Well, I managed to figure it out what it represents. The clock tower stands at a very busy roundabout. This place is often the first thing the people will see when they arrive at Penang Ferry terminal - that is where many giant cruise ships disembark. The taxis and rikshaws like to take passengers here as they abandon when the ferries arrive. The 60 feet high clock tower is divided into four tiers. The first tier is octagonal, followed by square base. Second and third tiers and finishes by arched and domed cupola. Moorish design elements such as the dome and arches, the balconies on the second tier with horse shoe arched openings, battlemented parapet of the first tier and etc. were used in the design. The clock placed on the third tier. From a far the clock tower look more like a minaret of a mosque. The longest tier, the base tier is octagonal in shape and lined with the words "This clock tower is presented to Penang by Cheah Chen Eok in commemoration of Her Majesty Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee 1937-18".

A stainless steel betel nut structure was recently erected at the roundabout next to the clock tower, making it a striking contemporary landmark right next to the more traditionally-built clock tower.

Picture was taken in...

One of the interesting colonial landmarks in Georgetown is the Queen Victoria Memorial Clock Tower (Jubilee Clock Tower) found in the centre of the small roundabout at King Edward's Place, at the junction of Light Street and Beach Street come together. It is just south of Fort Cornwallis and quite simple to find.

The tower was built in 1897 to commemorate the jubilee celebration of Queen Victoria. The base level is octagonal in shape, followed by two four-sided tiers with decorative windows and clock faces, followed by a last level of Romanesque pillars, topped by a Moorish style dome and spire. The clock tower is an interesting design and has the appearance of a layered cake, similar to some of the Christopher Wren churches in London.

Interestingly, there is a metal sculpture of a betel nut sharing space with the clock tower in the roundabout green. It is contemporary design and is supposed to represent a local Pinang fruit, This sculpture is surrounded by waterspouts and makes for a stark contrast to the earlier period clock tower.

The Queen Victoria Memorial Clock Tower and the Betel Nut sculpture can be seen in just a few minutes, before or after visiting nearby Fort Cornwallis or other attractions in this area of George...