Runnymede, George Town, Penang

The Runnymede at Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah, formerly Northam Road, is the name for a group of buildings located by the sea front in George Town, Penang. Also known now as Wisma Persekutuan, Runnymede is famous because Sir Stamford Raffles, who later founded Singapore, used to reside there when he was living in Penang.

The main 3-storey wing of Runnymede which was built in the 1930's.© Timothy Tye using this photo

In March 1805, Raffles was just an assistant secretary to the new Governor of Penang, then called Prince of Wales Island. He had just married Olivia Marianne Fancourt nee Devenish, a widow whom he met when she was submitting a petition for a pension from her late husband, Jacob C. Fancourt, a surgeon in Madras before he died.

Olivia was almost a decade older than Raffles, but it did not seem to matter to him. The newly-weds arrived in Penang together with Raffles's sister Mary Anne and found temporary accommodation in the Government Guest House before moving to an attap bungalow at the foot of Mount Erskine (then called Mount Olivia).

In 1807 Stamford Raffles commission a new home to be built along the North Beach. According to Olivia, in a letter to John Casper Leydon, an old friend of Raffles, it was to be a brick house which she hoped would be completed in eight to ten weeks.

This seafront building is said to be the closest to the original structure where Raffles lived in and which has since been destroyed by fire.© Timothy Tye using this photo

The house was named Runnymede, after the field on which King John of England signed the Magna Carta. It was to be a single storey building with louvered wooden window shutters, carved balconies, deep cool eaves and large, open living spaces within. During their stay at Runnymede, Raffles' two sisters came to live with them, which adds to the liveliness of the place.

In 1811, Raffles was transferred to Malacca and Runnymede was put up for sale. It transferred ownership through many hands until 1921, when the roof of the house where Raffles used to stay in caught fire and the house was totally destroyed. After the fire, the surrounding buildings were bought over and renovated into a hotel. Two Scotsmen, W. Foster and H Parker, ran the hotel, called Runnymede Hotel, providing some competition to the Eastern & Oriental Hotel down the road.

The main three-storey seafront building was built in the 1930's. It houses a huge ballroom on the ground floor, with guestrooms on the first and second floors above. In 1935, the Runnymede Hotel has its own post office, telegraph office, hairdresser, book stall, reading room, billard room, railway ticketing office, and a fleet of chauffeured motorcars. There were cocktail dances every Monday, Wednesday and Friday with dinner dances every Thursday and Saturday.

The British Navy took over the hotel in 1940, but in 1942, with the Japanese occupation, the Japanese military used it as a base. It was again used by the British Government for military occupation in 1951 until 1957, when the British sold it to the government of the newly independent Malaya for a token sum of M$1.00. Since then, Runnymede was known as Wisma Persekutuan, and was used as a government resthouse. Recently the military has moved out, having secured a new site at Bukit Gedung, Penang, and so when we paid Runnymede a visit, it was temporarily between owners.

Stretching your budget in Penang

If you are a prudent traveller, you can spend less than $20 per day in Penang, including your accommodation! Here's some useful tips for budget travellers to Penang, to help you manage your budget and have a great time. If you book your trip flights and accommodation as a package through a company like Tripbase then you may find the rates slightly better.

Penang Tour Guides

If you're on a shoestring budget, you can explore Penang using the travel articles in Penang Travel Tips. You may print them out for your own personal non-commercial use. However, nothing compares to having a professional tour guide to show you around. If you need a tour guide, contact me and I'll arrange one for you, according to your schedule and interest. If I happen to be free, I would gladly show you around too. Just write to me at:

Finding Budget Accommodation in Penang

If you're coming to Penang on a budget, you'd be pleased to know that there's quite a number of places in George Town as well as in Batu Ferringhi that offers good clean accommodation without costing you an arm and a let. If I am allowed to be biased, I would recommend Hotel Mingood, which happens to belong to a friend of mine. If it is occupied, there are plenty of other places that cost less than US$12.00 per night. Here are some suggestions:

Hotel Mingood, from US$10.00

Hutton Lodge, from US$8.25

Baba Guesthouse, from US$7.57

E.T. Budget Guesthouse, from US$6.05

YMCA Penang, from US$6.53

Despite the best intentions to provide you information that is as accurate as possible, do be aware that prices may have changed and exchange rates fluctuated since I wrote this. So please personally and carefully screen through the available accommodation before making your booking, to avoid any disappointments.

This seafront building is said to be the closest to the original structure where Raffles lived in and which has since been destroyed by fire. © Timothy Tye using this photo