Hardwicke House

Hardwicke House (27 November 2017)

Hardwicke House (GPS: 5.42764, 100.32058) or simply Hardwicke, is a heritage building at the junction of Pangkor Road and Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah. Today it houses a restaurant as part of Vouk Hotel Suites. Built at the turn of the 20th century, it was named after Hardwicke Hall, a mansion owned by the Duke of Devonshire, in Devonshire, England. The address today is 67 Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah.

Hardwicke House was bought by Khaw Sim Kong, scion of the Khaw family of southern Thailand (the most famous member of which is Khaw Sim Bee). It stayed in the Khaw family until 1920, when it was bought by prominent Penang lawyer Lim Cheng Ean (1889-1982, father of lawyer Lim Kean Siew) from the son of Khaw Sim Kong, Joo Ghee. Lim Cheng Ean was a member of the Straits Settlements Legislative Council from 1929 to 1934. He was also the first Chinese magistrate in Penang.

Over the past decade, Hardwicke House had been saved from demolition and was used for various purposes. It previously served as the Apple Centre for CG Computers and before that, another dining outlet called Bistro @ Hardwicke House.