Buckingham Street (Lebuh Buckingham 新街頭), George Town

Buckingham Street, George Town (29 January 2005)


Buckingham Street , or Lebuh Buckingham, is a road within the core zone of the George Town Unesco World Heritage Site. It runs from Pitt Street (Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling) to the junctionn of Campbell Street and Carnarvon Street, with a junction to Seck Chuan Lane.

Buckingham Street was of course named after Buckingham Palace in London. It was created around the turn of the 20th century, when the Municipal Commission of George Town bought back land from the estate of the Kapitan Keling Mosque, to build roads and the Carnarvon Street police station.

The land on either side of Buckingham Street was an Indian Muslim settlement, and included the tomb of Cauder Mohuddeen Merican, the Indian Muslim leader that founded the mosque, located on a plot between Buckingham Street and Kampung Kolam. The Tamils called the site at the junction of Buckingham Street and Pitt Street as Yeela Muchanti, or auctioneers' junction, for public auctions that were carried out there.¹

Buckingham Street is called Sin3 Kay3 Thau2 新街頭 in Penang Hokkien, meaning "front portion of the new street". The "new street" in question is Campbell Street, which is also known as Sin3 Kay1 新街 in Penang Hokkien.

Map of Lebuh Buckingham, Penang

Sights along Buckingham Street

Eateries on Buckingham Street

Businesses on Buckingham Street

Getting there

Buckingham Street can be reached by bus. The nearest bus stop is at Pitt Street. Rapid Penang Bus 10, 101, 301, 302, 401, and 502 are some of the buses that ply Pitt Street.

Buckingham Street at night (7 July 2012)


Lebuh Buckingham road sign (2 November 2008)


Buckingham Street, George Town (30 June 2012)


Buckingham Street history plaque (2 November 2008)

References

List of Streets in Penang and Streets in Malaysia