4 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE SHOP HOUSE
Heritage shop houses in Penang were classified into 6 styles since 1790s to 1950s. They are the “Early Penang” Style, “Southern Chinese” Eclectic Style, “Early Straits” Eclectic Style, “Late Straits” Eclectic Style, Art Deco Style and lastly the Early Modern Style. The British colonization on Malaysia has influenced our building’s architectural styles and elements. This prompted “Attap” houses that were standardized in the said era to be replaced after discovering the building could catch on fire easily. They were replaced with fire proof brick houses. At this time, the “Early Penang “style was introduced. In the 1840s, tin mining plays an important role in the industry due to high demand in aluminum products. Around this time, Chinese workers would migrate to Malaysia due to employment opportunities in the tin mining industry. In addition, the migration of Chinese workers influenced architectural style of buildings. This later sprawled the “Southern Chinese” Eclectic Style where creative elements were added as Chinese from Canton were valued for their artistic sense and skills. Several of the adopted elements include carved timber door, air vents, air wells, etc. In the 1890s, younger generations were sent to study abroad in Europe. As a result, many styles and influences from diverse parts of Europe were brought back when they returned home. Notable examples found were full-length shuttered windows and geometric patterned colored clay floor tiles. This was later introduced as the “Early Straits” Eclectic Style.
Figure 37: Windows Of Different Shop Houses Styles Source: Georgetown World Heritage Property Leaflets
LIAN HUAT COMPANY 27 TAYLOR’S UNIVERSITY