Tuesday 2 October 2018

The original Green House


The Green House, reachable from the Middle Station of Penang Hill, used to be the hillside retreat of a well-known Penang businessman, Ong Keng Swee. The place had been more or less abandoned for decades until its recent attempt at rehabilitation into a meditation centre. Due to its present condition, much has still to be done before the Green House, otherwise now known as the Passadhi Meditation Centre, can be fully restored. Below are several pictures taken during my recent trip there.

The Middle Station of the Penang Hill Railway. Trains will stop there either on the half hour or the hour.

The only access to the Green House is along this track...

...passing by this building.

And here we see the Lower Bungalow, part of the Green House estate

It is quite obvious that the wooden platform is near collapse and unsafe to walk on

Another view of the wooden platform

Going further up the steps will take you to the Upper Bungalow, still within the Green House estate

Breath-taking view of George Town below

This space above the Upper Bungalow used to be a basketball court until Mother Nature took over

The steps that connect the Upper and Lower Bungalows

And these are the steps that separate the Green House estate from the neighbours

Looking out towards the Penang Bridge and beyond to Province Wellesley


Grafftti in the Lower Bungalow, left behind by the Penang Free School Class of 1985 (Form Five) when they camped here in the 80s 

Patricia Goh and Leong Guan Gin, whoever you are, please come back to clean up your grafitti

This guy too, whoever you are!

Heritage tiles in the Lower Bungalow

The steps behind the Lower Bungalow

The roof of the Upper Bungalow desperately needs an immediate repair job


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