Church Street Ghaut, George Town

Gat Lebuh Gereja

Church Street Ghaut, or Gat Lebuh Gereja, is the extension of Church Street following land reclamation in the fourth quarter of the 19th century.

Church Street Ghaut Location Map

The land reclamation came about for two reasons:

Firstly, the decades from the 1860's was a boom period for George Town, due to increased demand for tin from the Larut district. This resulted in increasing the activity of the port in Penang. With that came the importation of raw material as well as piece goods (finished products) from all over the world. The need for warehousing became more pressing. However by then much of George Town has already been developed for commercial use. Hence land reclamation was the answer for warehousing. The newly created land on Church Street Ghaut was to house warehouses, called godown (after the Malay word, gudang).

Secondly, the shoreline was extended out from Beach Street because it was a mix of sandy shore and mudflats which were not ideal for shipping. The introduction of steamships made it necessary for Penang to have a new deep-water anchorage that is close to shore. In that way, the steamships can berth directly at the quay. Until then, ships berth along piers that were built out into the sea from Beach Street. Today Church Street Ghaut is holds the remnants of warehouses from the time when Penang harbour was much busier. It awaits rejuvenation, now that Church Street Ghaut is within the core zone of the George Town Unesco World Heritage Site.