Situated in the heart of UNESCO World Heritage zone, Beach Street is actually one of the first roads ever built in Penang, soon after the founding of Penang by Captain Francis Light in 1786. As you navigate yourself around George Town, take notice of the history-telling colonial architectural designs of bank headquarters and other commercial buildings that were built by the British. However, much of the original structure has been destroyed during World War 2.
Beach Street was named because it was once a coastal street, extending along the eastern shoreline of George Town. Nowadays, the shoreline has been moved further east due to the land reclamation in the late 19th century. Weld Quay has now replaced Beach Street as the eastern coastal shoreline in George Town.
The floor above the cafe where we host the majority of events was formally a paper mill that ran for 3-generations. It was alleged to be the venue in which the ‘Banana Money’ was printed.
Banana Money is a form of currency issued for use within the Imperial Japan occupied territories of Singapore, Malaya, North Borneo, Sarawak and Brunei between 1942 and 1945
Not all of the original architectures in Beach street were bombed away. In fact, the Black Kettle building, along with the 4-neighbouring units survived World War 2 undamaged! This can be seen by the 5-foot way (Untouched during WW2) which is in front of the main entrance of the cafe.