Padang Kota Lama

 

The last place we visit was padang kota lama.. Padang Kota Lama, or simply called The Padang, is the parade ground and playing field created by the British colonials in the civic district of George Town. It is bordered by Fort Cornwallis on one side, Jalan Tun Syed Sheh Barakbah, Jalan Padang Kota Lama and Light Street.The name "The Esplanade" is usually used collectively to denote the whole area that includes Padang Kota Lama and Jalan Tun Syed Sheh Barakbah, although historically The Esplanade refers only to Jalan Tun Syed Sheh Barakbah, between the bend in the road (called Fort Point) and where the road ends, near the Cenotaph. Padang Kota Lama is located in one of the oldest section of George Town and was among the earliest part of town to be cleared. When Francis Light landed at the cape in 1786, he found that this part of the island was uninhabited (there were small Malay and Acehnese riverine settlements along Sungai Pinang) and densely forested. The land was flat but overgrown with hardwood trees such as the Penaga Laut (ironwood). The northern shore was sandy while the eastern shore was covered with mangrove swamp. Light was said to have blasted silver coins into the forest to induce the workers to clear the land. These coins would have landed in the area where Padang Kota Lama is located today.

Penang City Hall

The Padang

Seaside View