Stroll along Lebuh Light next to Esplanade, pass the old colonial Penang Town Hall and Fort Cornwallis before stopping at the next open intersection, a roundabout that leads to Weld Quay, Little India and some of the oldest parts of the heritage site. Perked next to the betel nut roundabout, is the Queen Victoria Memorial Clock Tower, also known as the Jubilee Clock Tower.
The Moorish–style memorial clock tower can be appreciated via different angles depending on where you are standing. Built to commemorate Queen Victoria’s 1897 Diamond Jubilee by the local millionaire, Cheah Chen Eok, it stands 60ft-high, with each foot representing a year of the Queen’s 60-year reign.
Built at a cost of 35,000 Straits dollar, it is a gleaming white-washed tower, a four-tier monument consisting of an octagon-shaped base followed by two tiers of four distinct sections. Some of the most intriguing features of the tower are its elaborate windows, balcony, the golden dome cupola, and the Roman pillars.
For a closer appreciation of the tower, walk straight to the entrance. There you will find six steps leading up to the main entrance, which mark the number of decades of Queen Victoria’s reign.
Termed as the Isle of the Betel Nut, Pulau Pinang or popularly called Penang derived its name from the plentiful betel nut palms that line its sandy beaches, hence, the huge exaggeration – a 48m-high betel nut metal sculpture and fountain roundabout next to the clock tower.
For a bit of sea breeze, head towards the Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal to check out the slow gliding ferry that cruises between Butterworth and the island.
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