Cheapside

Cheapside, George Town (25 January 2013)


Cheapside (GPS: 5.41805, 100.3365) is an alleyway off Chulia Street in George Town, Penang. It is lined with hardware stalls selling household tools and implements. The alley got its name from Cheapside, which is a street within the City of London. But while the contemporary Cheapside in London has been gentrified with restaurants and bistros, the Cheapside of George Town is still a struffy place.

Cheapside is believed to have originated in the early 20th century. That is also when most of the present shophouses on that part of Chulia Street was built. (Going back even earlier, before the influx of largely Cantonese immigrants in the late 19th century), the area was part of a sprawling village inhabited mostly by Indians and Indian Muslims.

The alleyway of Cheapside (25 January 2013)


Despite the proximity of the Kapitan Keling Mosque, Cheapside is today largely Chinese in character. As with the businesses along this part of Chulia Street, those along Cheapside are related in one way or another, to home improvement. Within the vicinity are shops selling mirrors, frames, furniture and other household items.

The lane that is Cheapside (30 June 2012)


When evening descends, a collection of food stalls begin operations in what is known as the Cheapside Hawker Centre.

Getting there

The nearest bus stop to Cheapside is along Chulia Street. It is served by Rapid Penang bus 10, 11, 101, 104, 201, 202, 203 and 206.

Cheapside is on the Map of Chulia Street, Penang

List of Streets in Penang and Streets in Malaysia