The
Crag hotel | 1929
Up on Penang hill sits the Crag hotel, it actually first opened
for business here around 1895. By 1905 the famous Sarkies
brothers had by then taken over ownership of the hotel. The
Sarkies were the same brothers behind such hotels as the Raffles
in Singapore, the Strand hotel in Rangoon and of course the
E&O down the hill in George town.
With the completion of the funicular railway in 1924 as well
as a road to the top of the hill, business and tourism expanded
greatly on Penang hill. The new funicular and dirt road also
allowed easier transportation of building materials up to
the top from the lowlands, seeing many new structures and
buildings being built. So it was no surprise to see in 1929
a large new main building for the Crag hotel also being built,
which still dominates the site today.
The Crag was a choice destination for honeymooners of the
time and saw good business up to the beginning of WW2. During
the war the site was left abandoned, although it is very possible
the Japanese used the site for some purpose.
Only until 1955 was the site brought back to life when the
Uplands school took up residence. Uplands was a school for
planters children of all races. In 1977 the Uplands School
then relocated to new facilities leaving the Crag site abandoned
right up until this day.
The original Crag hotel comprised of several chalets for guests
dotted around the main building, these were all linked by
winding pathways and lush tropical planting. The main building
had dinning rooms, entertainment and lounge areas.
Today the site is owned by the electricity department. A huge
radio antenna also blights the site and as far as I know there
are no plans in the pipeline to conserve this historic location.
The Crag site is one of those rare locations that still retains
that period feeling of history in many of its buildings. As
you walk through each space it's like stepping back in time,
a truly memorable walk back into history!!
Period postcards of the Crag hotel:
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