Church Street Ghaut (Gat Lebuh Gereja), George Town

Gat Lebuh Gereja, Penang (13 December 2023)


Church Street Ghaut (Malay: Gat Lebuh Gereja) is a minor street in George Town, Penang. It is a two-way street connecting Weld Quay to Beach Street. The street is within the core zone of the George Town World Heritage Site. The street used to be lined with warehouses called godowns but in the past decade has seen gradual gentrification as the warehouses make way for the F&B and hospitality businesses.

Map of Gat Lebuh Gereja, Penang

Sights along Church Street Ghaut

About Church Street Ghaut

Church Street Ghaut is the extension of Church Street following land reclamation in the fourth quarter of the 19th century.

The land reclamation came about for two reasons:
Firstly, the decades from the 1860's was a boom period for George Town, due to increased demand for tin from the Larut district. This resulted in increasing the activity of the port in Penang.

With that came the importation of raw material as well as piece goods (finished products) from all over the world. The need for warehousing became more pressing. However by then much of George Town has already been developed for commercial use. Hence land reclamation was the answer for warehousing. The newly created land on Church Street Ghaut was to house warehouses, called godown (after the Malay word, gudang).

Secondly, the shoreline was extended out from Beach Street because it was a mix of sandy shore and mudflats which were not ideal for shipping. The introduction of steamships made it necessary for Penang to have a new deep-water anchorage that is close to shore. In that way, the steamships can berth directly at the quay. Until then, ships berth along piers that were built out into the sea from Beach Street.

Today Church Street Ghaut is holds the remnants of warehouses from the time when Penang harbour was much busier. It awaits rejuvenation, now that Church Street Ghaut is within the core zone of the George Town Unesco World Heritage Site.

In Other Words

Church Street Ghaut was known in Penang Hokkien as Ciu1long33 Lor33thau2 (CN: 酒廊路頭, PY: Jiǔ láng lùtóu), meaning "at the head of the distillery", in reference to a distillery that once stood at the junction of Church Street Ghaut and Beach Street.

Updates

21 September, 2013: Church Street Ghaut is pedestrianized on Sundays from 7:00 am to 1:00 pm for the staging of various activities under the Occupy Beach Street Project.

9 May, 2012: According to The Star, two hotel projects are being developed on Church Street Ghaut. The developer is Public Packages Holdings Bhd.

Church Street Ghaut (12 November 2008)


Gat Lebuh Gereja road sign (12 November 2008)


Church Street Ghaut history plaque (12 November 2008)


Church Street Ghaut (14 November 2012)

Gat Lebuh Gereja on Google Street View

Gat Lebuh Gereja (Sep 2024)

List of Streets in Penang and Streets in Malaysia