Municipal Fountain

Municipal Fountain, George Town (30 January 2006)

Municipal Fountain (GPS: 5.42076, 100.34098) was donated by Koh Seang Tat, a wealthy man whose house is located a short distance from the Town Hall. This was done in 1883 in conjunction with the opening of the Penang Town Hall in 1883. Koh Seang Tat comes from a long line of illustrious individuals. His grandfather was Koh Lay Huan, the Chinese headman and first Kapitan Cina of Penang who sought and obtained permission from Francis Light for himself and his men to settle in Penang.

Koh Seang Tat was the first Chinese to be appointed Justice of the Peace. Together with Cheah Chen Eok and Dr. W.C. Brown, Koh Seang Tat was among the first elected members of the Penang Municipal Commission in 1887. Koh Seang Tat donated the fountain which is still functioning today beside the recently restored Town Hall building.

Koh Seang Tat died in 1899 and was buried at the Batu Lanchang Hokkien Cemetery, the same cemetery that holds the remains of his ancestors, including Koh Lay Huan, whose majestic tomb overlooks the city of George Town from the knoll of Batu Lanchang. There was great distress however when it was discovered that Koh Seang Tat's grave had been damaged.

By mid 2011, the Municipal Fountain underwent restoration. When it was completed in August, the fountain and pond looked as good as new.

Updates on the Municipal Fountain

7 March, 2018
The Star reports that the Municipal Fountain will undergo restoration in a project to create a continous public walkway from Dewan Sri Pinang to Fort Cornwallis and Swettenham Pier. The project, which will cost RM350,000, comes under the George Town Conservation and Development Corporation initiative, and is fully funded by ThinkCity Sdn Bhd.