Nature slowly reclaiming cemetery
Tree roots have been growing into tombs at 18th century graveyard
GEORGE TOWN: An 18th century cemetery here, which is also Captain Francis Light’s final resting place, is slipping into a deplorable state with the roots of frangipani trees growing into the tombstones.
Some trees are even growing out of the tombs themselves.
As a result, they are breaking apart the historic marble and concrete structures of Penang’s first Protestant cemetery located along Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah, formerly known as Northam Road.
“Even the ancient wall with a Catholic cemetery on the other side is cracking due to the tree roots,” said Penang Heritage Trust president Clement Liang.
Fortunately, Capt Light’s tomb has not been affected. He founded Penang in 1786.
The cemetery, which was also established that same year, recorded its last Protestant burial in 1892.
The cemetery is older than many well-known burial grounds in Europe such as Père Lachaise in Paris, Powazki in Warsaw, the Zentralfriedhof (Vienna) and the Highgate Cemetery (London).
It is also 35 years older than the Old Protestant Cemetery in Macau.
Now, it’s a state-owned property and the Penang Island City Council (MBPP) is the steward.
“The council does a great job getting the grass cut and making the cemetery look presentable. But tree saplings that are growing out of the tombs and causing them to collapse need to be removed.
“They need to reconstruct the broken tombs as they are a part of our history,” Liang said.
He acknowledged that it is a difficult task to restore the broken monuments due to the many rules as the cemetery is classified as a Class One Heritage Site under Unesco.
“Even uprooting the trees will be a challenge because that can damage the tombs further,” he said.
“We hope the council can find a way to preserve them before some of the tombs are broken beyond repair.”
Liang, who is also Penang Tourist Guides Association president, said he observed that the cemetery had become a place of interest to many people.
“I have met couples taking wedding photos there. They told me they found that it looks like a foreign location.
“Some said it looks like old England,” he said.
MBPP mayor Datuk Rajendran Anthony said the council not only kept the cemetery grounds clean but would even have the tombstones scrubbed and the trees pruned.
“We are preserving it as it is for now,” he said.
The council, he said, would also carry out inspections several times a month.
“We have not had cases of vandalism,” he added.
However, he conceded that the place is exposed to the elements.
About 500 tombs are located at the Protestant cemetery, some of which are small, ornate crypts.
Besides Capt Light, who established Penang as a British port, being entombed there, the cemetery is also the burial place of Rev Robert Sparke Hutchings, founder of Penang Free School.