No 25 China Street, George Town, Penang 10200, Malaysia
Lot No 310, Mk/Sek/P.B. 20 D.T.L/D.B.D. Pulau Pinang
Land Area : 570sq. metres
Built Up Area: 850 sq. metres
Cost of Property: USD370,000
Cost of Restoration: USD420,000

Synopsis of project:
In 2006 No.25 China Street was to the ordinary by stander, an abandoned site. It was purchased because of its size, the fact that it was originally a residence, and its footprint was ideal for the personal needs of the Wilkinson Family. The project was entirely self funded by the Wilkinsons. The feeling and sense of its past glory was also apparent in the aura of the building and the Wilkinson's really wanted to maintain this. The footprint was basic and simple, and from the standing walls and what was left, it was agreed that the site would be repaired & restores according to the original layout as the proportions of the rooms and the spaces were well balanced and totally functional. The building had lost, from exposure to elements & neglect, most of it's surface plaster but this exposed old details & allowed new wiring and plumbing, and so the project would on completion, look like the original house but be refitted with modern wiring and plumbing without compromising the original structure of the house.

The restoration was started with a very tight budget, a decision to use local contractors, carpenters, plasterers, etc, and the original materials and salvaged wood and other materials where possible. A quality restoration was very much in the mind of the owners, and it has to be noted that the fact that they had a tight budget led to the creative use of original and salvaged materials, rather than all new materials. This has contributed to the success of the overall restoration of this building. A decision was made to keep any original features, walls, floors etc that could be restored or reused, rather than rebuild. This has resulted in the completed project looking like it has always been there, a very authentic restoration. We believe that if we had a much larger budget available to us, we would have been tempted to make different decisions that may have resulted in compromising more of the authentic features of the building.

Conservation goal and objective:
The goal was to have this property as their long term family home. They had built their own homes before in unusual locations so to take on a large neglected building in George Town was not an issue. The decision to purchase No.25 was made on the basis of its size, that it had special architectural features and details, and its location amongst 'Little India' within walking distance access to sundry shops, local vegetable sellers, fruit sellers, many local restaurants, as well as banks and places of personal interest to the family . Use as a modern family home was the main objective of this project. It was also important to the family to highlight the building, return it to its 'former' glory' and start the process to give China Street back its original status as a residential street for Chinese merchants. However, to be totally honest, the project was not started with the goal of having a purely conservation project. It was started on the simple basis that the family 'fell in love' with the site, the 'feeling' inside the site and wanted to live there.

History:
25 China Street - Is a fine example of a wide 3 bay shop house(三开间). These are unusual in George Town. China Street was within the area developed first after Francis Light landed in Penang. It was laid down within 6 years as documented on the Popham Map dated 1798. China Street was so named because it was the street of Penang's earliest Chinese traders and was called Tua Kay(Main Street) because it was laid out by Francis Light. George Towns oldest 'elite shophouses' or townhouses are found here. No.25 is one of these, important in that it marked the residence of one of the first Chinese immigrants and businessmen to settle here. The size and architecture of the house tells us a lot about the family, their wealth and standing in the community at the time. It did belong to Chung Keng Kwee  the leader of the Hakka company called Hai Shan Kongsi or the Five Groups and Liu Shan. Between 1872-1888, it changed into the hands of the MIN clan businessman by the name of Ong Boon Keng, who apparently made his money in tin out of Phuket. A Penang merchant, Ong Boon Keng make clear in his testament that this house should be the ancestral home and can only be sold through open tender 40 years after his death. After the death of Ong Boon Keng, the house was sold to Hong Seng Estate's leader Hu Chong Ning's grandson Hu Qing Xiang.

The house eventually passed into the hands of The Great Eastern Life Company. It was from this company that the Wilkinson's purchased the property. After purchasing the property, the history of the place came to light as they researched the house a bit more. In 2001 it was saved from total demolition by The Penang Heritage Trust who managed to get the City Council to grant an immediate 'stop demolition' order on the building because of its status 'as an unusual example of a 3 bay residential shop house belonging to a prominent merchant in the mid 1800's'. The house dates back to about 1846. The house was then left to the elements. It was set on fire and then completely neglected. It is supposed that if the property fell into total disrepair and became a danger they could then demolish it completely. It was at this point of abandonment that Rebecca and David found it.

Subsequently after moving in to the restored house, Rebecca has found out from local food hawkers, that at one stage it was used as a soya sauce factory. They all mention the granite courtyards and the fact that the soya sauce fermentation jars were placed all around these open courtyards.

 25 China Street is a very large residence, facing onto China Street and opening up onto Lorong Chee Em on the rear. It is described as a 3 bay house because the frontage looks like a row of three houses(a total width of 13.6m). In addition along its length(48m), the house has been built in three sections, each separated by an open courtyard but all connected by side balconies that run along each side of these courtyards. This enables access along the whole length of the property.

The architectural style of No.25 China Street is based on the original Fujian Chinese house. The layout is very clear that using the so called 'deep courtyard arrangement'. Leading from the front to back, there is the front settlement, the central settlement and the back settlement. The traditional pattern of the three-bay structure uses the central axis as it's main space, so the 3 'settlements' central area was divided into the front entrance hall walking into the side halls on the first courtyard, then into the central hall of the middle settlement(which was the used as the main hall), then into the back hall through the second courtyard.

This building consists of 2 floors, six halls and 12 rooms and was considered a very large mansion for a Chinese merchant in the 19th Century. Even by today's standard this is a very large house with a built up area of 10,000 sq. feet. In addition there were many decorative architectural details that tell us that this merchant had spare cash. Murals within the house, especially in the rear hall, and the first courtyard created a grand highly decorated space. In addition the facade of the house was embellished with porcelain cutwork decoration which was unusual in that it used broken chinaware including pieces of willow pattern, spongeware and other valuable decorative imported chinaware of the time. A separate report on the facade is included and we have just been awarded a grant by Khazanah to restore this facade. This work will start in July.

Fung Shui was also very much considered in the original design of this house with the floors stepping up a level at each section so that the rear of the house was higher going lower as you move to the front entrance of the house, in effect giving a 'view' down through the central area of the house. As a result a visitor is forced to step up at each section of the house, 'bowing' as he makes his way through to the main private areas of the house.

Stages and Time frame:
No. 25 was purchased in mid 2006. Restoration work started in June 2007 and the Wilkinson's moved in on February 15th 2009. This date coincided with the contractor, Eric's birthday, the day after Valentines Day, Chap Goh May and Thaipusam- a day of celebrations!

Our contractor Eric, had been working on smaller scale renovation and restoration projects earlier but No.25 China Street was a big step for him. The scale of the project and the team he would have to put together was much larger than any before. A long time antique,salvage dealer and furniture restorer, he had many local contacts that were all called in to the project.

1st Stage:
The site was totally derelict, neglected and was in a sad state of abandonment. In addition an illegal extension upwards on the building next door had resulted in the owners of this property dumping all their building rubble into the site of No.25. completely filling in the 2nd courtyard. The first stage was to clear the site of rubble and accumulated rubbish, and it was decided to do this section by section starting at the rear section. This process was done entirely by hand. Labour shoveled all rumble into gunny sacks and these were then removed by 3 tonne lorry. Because of traffic congestion during weekdays, the lorry was used to clear only at weekends. After clearing the ground floor section by section, the dilapidated remains of the upper floor, creating another layer of rubbish, were removed. We removed in total 110 x 3 tonne lorry loads of gunny sacks from the ground floor and a further 60 x 3 tonne lorry loads of gunny sacks from the upper floor, over a period of 3 months.

2nd Stage:
Work proceeded, section by section starting from the rear. All unsafe beams were dismantled, and if salvageable were cut and stored. Salvaged wood was found and as it was purchased was brought to site in batches where carpenters planed down and sanded all these beams. All this work was done by hand on site. Beams were then all replaced and erected using a rope and pulley system and man power. No machinery was brought onto site because of the difficult access and the delicate condition of the site.

In the rear section, where structural walls were missing, reinforced concrete beams were erected, brickwork was replaced using a mixture of lime and cement to maintain consistency with the original materials, and the roof structure was erected using salvaged wood (2"x6") sourced out of Malacca. The architectural details that survived were noted and then reproduced in the columns and balcony feature on the top floor of this section. While this was being done salvaged roof tiles were brought onto site where they were washed and then put up. A decision to add a layer of insulation (bitumen) under the tiles would help prevent leaks in the long term. The tiles were not put up in the traditional method of just stacking and pinned, but were sealed into place by a dab of cement to stop movement by heavy rain and birds.

After the roof was erected and in place, plumbing and electrical came in and this was completed in section 1. After this, plastering of the whole section took place using the traditional lime plaster mixed with a small quantity of cement. Advise was taken on this and the recipe decided and experimented with.

At this point we were still waiting for the arrival of our traditional wood fired terra-cotta tiles(we kept the original size 40cm x 40cm found on site) from China, and so plywood sheets were laid on the top floor of this rear section so that various contractors could carry on with work.

In this rear section the upstairs floor was originally made up of a double layer of terra-cotta tiles, between which there was a layer of plaster. It was decided to maintain this feature; from downstairs the terra-cotta tile was visible between the wooden floor beams. It was further decided that this floor design would be repeated under any new bathroom areas allowing us to have a concrete base under all bathrooms areas while keeping the original wooden beam and terra-cotta feature on the ceiling below.

The upstairs rear section is used as a large den area for the family's teenagers with multimedia equipment, and a snooker table. There is also a small bedroom with en-suite bathroom with excess onto the balcony overlooking Lorong Chee Em. Another bathroom was added, accessed from the main balcony at the top of the staircase, just outside the den, to allow shower facilities for ever frequent teenage visitors.

On the ground floor, one section is main family kitchen and 'hang out' area. This opens through an arch- a detail added to mirror the original arches in this lower section- into the dining area situated in the original hall of this section. The other room has been split into downstairs guest toilets and to the rear, a maids room with an entrance through an original door from the back open courtyard, under the balcony at the rear.

3rd Stage:
Work on the midsection began. The upstairs area featured decorative plaster patterns on the remaining walls over the window and door structures. This was recorded and we decided to repeat this feature over all doorways in this section. The whole wall facing into the inner second courtyard was totally dilapidated and unsafe. This was brought down carefully and the bricks salvaged. The window and door frames in this wall were completely rotten and could not be reused, so 'new' window and door frames were made with the salvaged wood from the beams dismantled in the house, and from salvaged wood purchased. The outer wall was then erected using the original salvaged bricks and other old bricks purchased outside.

The roof was then put up, electrical and plumbing put in, followed by plaster work and decorative details. This midsection is the location of the master bedroom and a bathroom was added on the upper veranda overlooking the side of the 1st courtyard. With this plan, the original floor plan and size of the rooms here was not compromised and the bathroom has great a indoor/ outdoor feel to it with doors opening over the courtyard. The upstairs flooring of this mid section was wooden and we had to purchase new kiln dried wood 'chengal mas' (red meranti) to lay down for this as there was no supply of equivalent salvaged wood.

Each room upstairs had 2 entrance doors coming out onto the middle hall. The entrance to this section from the second courtyard required a door way that could be locked for security reasons, and where originally there would have been a window, now destroyed, we created a doorway and small hall, creating a double door entrance; a main entrance from top balcony and staircase into a secure mini entrance hall with another door into the middle hall area. The second room, opposite the master bedroom has been sectioned using lightweight cement board for the young daughter's bedroom, and a dressing room/walk in wardrobe.

Downstairs one of the rooms has been split to house a wine cellar in which the original brickwork has been left exposed and unplastered, and a small family office. On the opposite side the whole room has been used as the family gym. The central hall has been left and is used as the main entertainment area around the 1st courtyard.

4th Stage:
The 1st Courtyard (the central courtyard) had to be fully restored and rebuilt. Salvaged green decorative ventilation tiles were replaced and the details in which murals were originally painted were restored to the original size and design. In these section only 1 original wooden column and cross beam survived and luckily the decorative detail was intact. We repeated this detail on the 3 wooden columns and crossbeams.

Work continued to chip off all the concrete that had been poured into this courtyard and we were very lucky then to find the original granite floor below. This was laid out in the 'Pak Kua' design, or 'swallow tail' design and was unusual. The granite was then all cleaned, lifted out and relaid as it has settled very unevenly under all the concrete.

At this time, we also found salvaged granite and laid this on the floor of the second courtyard, as well as the whole rear courtyard opening onto Lorong Chee Em. It was at this stage that we considered putting in a small swimming pool to the side of the second courtyard. We inquired about a pool system with jets. We made preparations and dug up this area in front of our kitchen and family room and found the the original well in tact, a small circular, brick well going down. A well is marked on the original plan but was situated under the stairs, so it was concluded that this was a much older well. We decided to clear the well and find the level of the water table. On doing this and letting the water settle and clear we tested it to find fresh water. We decided to do away with the pool idea and keep the area as a garden space with the original well as a feature. Old bricks were found and we build up the well to the garden level.

We then had to stop work on the next stage, the front section because we could not find a supply of 5" x 8" wood beams. This kept the project stopped for 1 and a half months. During this time we contracted Dr Gywnn Jenkins to record the facade of the the house. The facade and front section of No. 25 was totally compromised, had split way from the main body of the first section over looking China Streeet and was being held up by a support beam set on China Street. We took down the original metal hoarding, erected scaffolding and Gywnn got to work. Our intention from the start was to restore the original decorative 'chin yin' work on the front of the building and Gywnn's report would allow us to do so properly.

5th Stage:
Once Gywnn had completed her work, the front section was brought down by hand and all decorative details that we could salvage were kept. These are now at No. 25 and will allow craftsmen to see the original details and patterns of the facade. This facade was brought down in 3 weeks and then the hoarding re-erected to secure the site again. It took 2 months to rebuild the frontage of No 25 to Dr Gywnn's specifications.

This front entrance section had very special details that are rare in a lot of buildings in George Town. The entrance way and main wooden door were intact. The entrance door jam was made from granite and the 2 lion dogs carved directly into the granite frame were all perfectly preserved. The 2 window frames on either side of the entrance door were also made of granite with granite bars, impossible to enter. All the other outside window frames had wooden bars on the outside and originally would have had wooden shutters opening inside.

Again we followed the same routine of getting the floor beams up, brickwork then roofing, followed by electrical and plumbing. We were very lucky with our plumbing system because we could apply to connect to the mains water and sewage lines, a junction of which was available on Lorong Chee Em. Most old houses of this age in George Town are not connected to the mains sewage system.We also decided that we would have air-conditioning available in each of the bedrooms, the TV den and the kitchen and dining areas.

At this stage with the whole house plastered and painted with limewash. All inner rooms were whitewashed while we opted for a green limewash for the frontage. Inside the 1st courtyard we maintained the green limewash while the 2nd courtyard we used a combination of green and blue lime washes. In the front suites we highlighted back walls with either green or blue limewash and in the TV Den area and kitchen we used a pink limewash. These colours were chosen based on colours we found on the original existing walls. No 25 was complete and it was ready for details.

6th Stage:
Ground Floor Terra-cotta Flooring: This was done at the later stage of the project. Wood fired terra-cotta tiles from China, 40cm x 40cm, were on the original floor and we decided to maintain this, ordering the tiles from China. This took 3 months to delivery. We waited for the ground to compact and under the advise of Dr Gywnn who inspected the floor levels as we cleared and leveled the area, we laid down a layer of wood ash, then charcoal ash, topped with a layer of burnt padi husks. This traditional under layer would help absorb moisture from the ground and encourage longevity of the terra-cotta tiles.

These tiles are wonderful to live with, they absorb water and keep cool. The natural uneven firing levels give the tiles a character and sheen that is absent from the more commercial terra-cotta tiles that we see today.

Doors and Windows: We required 23 pairs of doors, 4 single doors, 2 pairs of long window shutters, 17 pairs of solid window shutters, and 26 pairs of shutters with louvres. The dimensions of all the doors and many windows were different and had to be made to measure to each door and window frame.

In addition we had to make the inner windows to all the louvre shutters. We decided to use 'kampung' (patterned glass) for these with a wooden frame. This would allow us to open the louvre shutters, let in light and use air-conditioning if needed. The patterned glass would give us privacy especially on the China Street and Lorong Chee Em frontages. These were made by the carpenters in co-ordination with the our glazier, 'Yee Fung Kedai Kaca dan Cermin'.

Our entrance main door was intact and rehung. For the outer entrance door we found an old decorated wooden door with the traditional wooden carved panels and this was hung on the outside and left in its unfinished plain wood state. It is this door that is used for entrance and exit all day. During the day the inner solid door is left open, closed only at night for extra security.

All the solid window shutters were made from old recycled wood, as were all the door and window jams. The wood used here was 'chengal mas' ( red meranti). All the doors were ordered from the carpenters 'Sri Tanjong Furniture'; the main carpenter, Kang Teik Boo. He also made the doors from new wood using an old design. The wood used here was 'merbau' which matched the colour and density of the original old wood.

All these doors and windows were stained and then coated with a solar screen shellac. This is not normally practiced in restorations but we did this in layers, applying the shellac, then sanding down and then reapplying. Several applications were done in this fashion and has resulted in a finish that is smooth, matt and very durable against exposure to the weather.

The doors and windows arrived on site and further work had to done to them and each piece had to be planed and sanded to fit into each frame. The frames were all made with old wood and so none of the lines were straight and each window/door had to fitted individually. This was an extremely time consuming part of the project.

In addition to the doors and windows, the inner screens and door sections had to be made. Evidence of these had totally disappeared, except for the points in the wall where we could see their original location. We decided to keep to a simple pattern in keeping with similar screens seen in other houses. We managed to salvage some old lattice carved screens with details and we used these and incorporated them into the top decorative banners in the screens in the main entrance hall leading into the 1st courtyard and repeated these same screens in the central hall where you enter the 2nd courtyard.

With regards to doors we had to figure out how to create features to enclose our dining and kitchen area without taking away light, allow air-conditioning but also provide protection from weather. Originally there were no barriers here and we wanted to maintain this feeling. We had thought of metal shutters, accordion style doors, sliding doors etc. but these were not visually pleasing and altered the width of the openings. Eventually between them, David and Eric, came up with a system of tall glass doors with wooden frames that pivoted in the middle allowing them to be opened and closed very easily allowing them to be left open all day, but still allow the air-conditioning to work, when closed.

We also had to make a decision with doors that ran the whole length of the den and TV area. We did not want to wall this whole area up as it opened onto the balcony overlooking the 2nd courtyard. Fortunately I had purchased sets of doors during the demolition of the old Uplands school site on Kelawei Road and Gurney Drive and had these stored. Although these doors were 1950/60 glass doors with wood frames we decided to use them as this section of the upper floor had been rebuilt and no reference was available to suggest another design. These doors can all be opened onto the balcony giving us a large open entertainment area on the upper floor.

The Staircases: Through out the project we had erected a temporary staircase at the site of the original off the second courtyard. There was no evidence that this staircase had any overhead cover but in order to make the main staircase practical to use we designed a small flat roof over the area and then a pergola structure onto which we would grow creepers.

The final staircase was salvaged and then modified to fit into the space. The gradient of the salvaged staircase was different and the carpenters had to cut and adjust the old stairs and restore parts of the decorative carving in order to make the staircase look as if it had always been there.

In effect we had only 1 staircase in the whole house. We also needed to connect the downstairs guest living rooms to their upstairs guest bedrooms in the front section of the house. We decided that the simplest solution was a set of metal spiral staircases in each of the downstairs guest living rooms.

With the 3 staircases in place, one can now go up one staircase in the lower guestroom, walk the whole length of the house to the back, come along the other side and down the other spiral staircase. Access to the whole house is now viable and this sorted out our concerns for safety and emergency escape.

Lighting and fans: Over the years we had collected a large selection of vintage lighting fixtures. These had been stored and we decided that we would use all of these for this project. Not all the lighting fixtures match within the the rooms but this had added further character to the interiors. Our electrician Andi, from ID Multi Construction and Engineering Sdn. Bhd. was willing to re-wire and restore the old fittings. The wiring was exposed along the ceilings. We reached a simple solution and ran along the back and top of the wooden beams with casing and then this was painted a brown colour to match the wood. As a result the wiring along the ceilings in 'invisible'.

We wanted fans in all areas rather than be forced to use air-conditioning. I sourced for old ceiling fans and we managed to salvage 16, of which 14 were reconditioned by Andi and resprayed an off white tone. This colour is much more neutral than bright white and where we had to use new fans, we asked Andi to spray paint these too.

Back entrance and courtyard: No 25 exits onto Lorong Chee Em with a large, wide opening. This lane is busy with restaurants and swift house compressors blowing out into it. We opted for a large electronic roller shutter which stays closed most of the time. This entrance and back courtyard has enough space to park our cars if we are away. The roller shutter was a practical solution to this area.

This back courtyard has a sheltered section on each side- from the small balconies above, and an open central area. The sheltered sections make way for our laundry area and on the other side, our outside kitchen for any deep frying.

Kitchen fitting: We opted for a simple open plan kitchen. Our storage cupboards were built on site, a brick and cement top and sides, tiled with new Vietnamese cement tiles on the surfaces, and lined with basic white tiles on the inside for easy cleaning. The doors are wood with louvres allowing airflow and light into the cupboards. This has dealt with the problem of damp and cockroaches which do not like airy cupboards.

Bathroom finishes: In all the bathrooms, we opted for showers only, except in the master bathroom where we have a salvaged claw foot bath. On the floors we laid new Vietnamese cement tiles, and these are used in the shower areas. In the rest of the bathroom we opted to keep the walls just lime washed as there is no contact with water. The sink tops and surfaces were built in situ with a brick and cement, then tiles and sets of wooden louvre doors added below. All sinks sit on the counter top.

Owner Satements:
1. No 25 has been successfully restored back into a family residence. This has changed the whole look of the street and has in effect 'upgraded' the area. In addition the Wilkinson's have restored No 29, next door, from a swift house into a gallery and apartments for their 2 boys. This has made a deep impression on the street resulting in the area looking more secure, neat and tidy. The combination of the buildings has attracted more people into the street to view the houses, view the gallery and interact with the other buildings on the street.

2. The fact that the family now live here has lead other interested parties to view the other derelict buildings in the same row, with interest. Just recently No 15, the first 'Tan' Residential House built in George Town has been purchased to be restored back into a residence.

3. During the restoration process the contractor and owners constantly stopped to work out solutions for the restoration and discussed techniques and methods throughout the project. Original materials were inspected and studied and then copied. There was constant discussion with all the contractors to reach solutions and often it was these contractors that participated in the final ideas that were followed through. It was decided that this flexible approach was far more successful when dealing with problems on site. eg. several recipes were tried to work out the best lime plaster, solutions for the courtyard doors and staircases, the double tile terra-cotta floors upstairs were discussed at length and the original samples pulled apart by contractors, Dr Gywnn and the owners.

4. All contractors on this project learnt a huge amount. Most of the subcontractors had not worked on a heritage building before. The carpenter who made our screens had only ever worked in plywood. It was Eric's decision to use him and make him really use his skill that resulted in the great screens that he produced. He has now gone on to work with other heritage restorations in George Town. Our electricians, ID Multi Construction and Engineering Sdn. Bhd. learnt to find solutions to deal with wiring that is compatible with a heritage building and was also willing to go the extra mile to restore salvaged fans and lighting fixtures. These are not easy tasks. The older carpenters we used have had to hire new younger apprentices, not only for this project, but for projects they have gone on to. It has been great to see that their knowledge and skill is being passed down to a younger set of traditional carpenters. Even the basic labour used on site, our unskilled laborers who were the muscles behind everything in lieu of machinery, all learnt to appreciate the beauty of No 25 as a heritage building, it's architectural design and learnt from the solutions we all reached to resolve problems. Everyone on site learnt something from this project. It was particularly touching when one of our older labourers, quite an elderly woman (who wore beautiful jade earrings) who sieved the sand for the plaster, stopped to talk to us about the beauty of old houses that she remembered from her younger days and how good she felt that this house was being given a chance to be reborn.

5. Sharing of skills was evident on this project. Once Dr Gywnn has come into the project to record the facade, she was on site at the same time, the floors were being dug up. It was her passion for old buildings that she then recorded these procedures and offered advise and information on the processes needed to lay the tiles, mix lime plaster and again, the interaction between all parties on site and the passion that they all displayed has to be noted. No 25 was very lucky to have this group of people working on it! NOTE: These good feelings were, in the opinion of everyone on site, not imaginary; during the whole course and length of the restoration, not one accident occurred on site, no one even got scratched. In addition all the workers were surprised that there were no snakes or 'dangerous' animals like centipedes- especially in the initial cleanup stages. This meant a lot to all these very local workers and they have insisted that it is because the house is protecting them and wants to 'live' again.

6. Effect on the local community has been very positive. Local people have been interested in the whole process, a lot of them came onto site during the restoration out of curiosity and the house is willingly opened now to the local community for selected house tours through heritage groups, schools, by request and it will be opened on the UNESCO World Heritage Day for free tours to members of the public. The house has created a lot of awareness and created interest in the idea of restoring these old houses back into full time residences. Once you live in them you really realize how well they were designed for the local weather conditions, creating a cocoon from everything outside.

7. By living in the core heritage zone, Rebecca Wilkinson, a council member of the Penang Heritage Trust, has been able to influence key figures and can argue on policies that affect conservation and heritage in the local George Town area. Living as a full time resident here has allowed her to justify certain policies that State has to address; the problem of surrounding swiftlet farms are her biggest worry and the high profile of No 25 on China Street offers her a lot of credibility in this issue.

8. The long term intention for No 25 is to maintain it as the Wilkinson family home and residence. The facade is to be restored with the help of a grant from Khazanah. The work is to start in July and on completion, the house will have an even greater impact on the street. The work as it takes place, will also be of of great interest to the local community who will be able to view it openly from the street. It has been important that a private residence restored with personal funds has been highlighted as an awardee of a Khazanah grant.

9. Living on China Street, on a personal level, has changed some of the habits of the family. Instead of getting in a car, walking and riding bicycles has become the norm. The family uses public areas to walk and play(the Esplanade) which it never used before. The discovery of early morning cricket games by the Indian foreign workers on the Esplanade has been a great and nice surprise. In addition, shopping habits have totally changed and the use of the local restaurants, the local vegetable shops, sundry shops. clothing shops, wholesalers etc. has helped the family became a part of the local community. This has been important especially for Rebecca as David often has to travel with his work. Connections made with the local Indian waiters, the manager of the Chettiar Hostel opposite, the gas delivery man, the clothes shop assistant, all contribute to a feeling of general security. The foreign labour in the area are often relaxing on the street at night and there is a feeling of friendliness. This atmosphere has been very important to the family and has encouraged Rebecca to keep pushing for policies that can benefit all this local community in the long term.

10. In terms of long term maintenance, the fact that it is a private home means that the owners will be responsible for this and with any house, maintenance is on going.

List of Contractors and Labour:
Glazier - 3
Tiler - 4
Plasterer - 8
Electrical - 6
Screen and Window Carpenters - 5
Carpenters on site - 6
Mason - 10

Straits Furniture Arts and Antique - Chang Keng Hong(aka Eric Chang) - Main Contractor
Goh Ah Lam - Carpenter/Mason
Sri Tanjung Furniture - Kang Teil Boo- Carpenter/Screens/ Windows/Doors
KK Plumbing Sdn. Bhd.- Plumber
ID Multi Construction and Engineering Sdn. Bhd. - Andi
TSJ Bina Sdn Bhd. - Plasterer
Teoh Ah Beng - Tiler
Yee Foong Kedai Kaca dan Cermin - Glazier
Dr. Gywnn Jenkins- Heritage Consultant for Facade of No. 25

Report 1 (1Mb)	Report 2 (1Mb)	Report 3 (469Kb)

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