St Nicholas' Home

St Nicholas' Home for the Blind, Penang (8 October 2012)


The St Nicholas' Home is a special residential school education, training and employment opportunities for the visually impaired. It is located along Jalan Bagan Jermal in George Town. The organisation also help in promotion awareness on the prevention of blindness.

The St Nicholas' Home is part of the welfare ministry of the Anglican church. It traces its history back the early part of the 20th century, when the church ran the Malacca Medical Mission in 1911 and the St Andrew's Medical Mission in Singapore in 1913. The mission took in crippled and blind children which would otherwise have been discarded by their parents.

In 1926, the mission under the leadership of Miss May Satchell set up its first home in Malacca. It occupied a Malay-style house within the compound of the Malacca hospital. Three years later, the mission relocated into a rented house in Klebang.

In 1931, the home was relocated again, to Penang where it remains since. It was initially housed in a bungalow along Scotland Road.

In 1938 the English philanthropist William Richard Morris, 1st Viscount Nuffield (1877-1963), founder of the Morris Motor Company, gave a gift offering that enabled the committee of the St Nicholas' Home to buy the six acre piece of land in Bagan Jermal as well as to prepare the existing buildings on it for occupancy.

In 1960, four blind pupils from the St Nicholas' Home were given mainstream education in regular secondary school. The initiative enabled some of the better students from the Home to gain tertiary education.

Generous contributions from social and other charitable bodies have enabled the St Nicholas' Home to continue expanding over the decades, and further improve on their services to the visually impaired. A swimming pool was even built for the home in 1976. It was a contribution of the Lions Club of Georgetown.

In 1995, the St Nicholas' Home expanded its reach to provide residential care for the elderly blind. Other facilities include improved computer education with the donation of computers and software by the Rotary Club of Tanjong Bungah, a massage training centre was set up in 2002 and an Eyes IT Laboratory was sponsored by Samsung in 2005.

Contact Information

St Nicholas' Home
4, Jalan Bagan Jermal
10250 Penang
Tel: 229 0800
Fax: 227 8590

Nearby Sights

How to reach the St Nicholas' Home

As mentioned, the Home is located along Jalan Bagan Jermal. Rapid Penang Bus 101, 104 and 304 pass through Jalan Bagan Jermal.

Location of St Nicholas' Home