Penang Hill is well known as a popular retreat from the stifling humidity of Georgetown. As such, it was a common place for the British to build summer homes during the colonial era. There are several abandoned houses from this period in Malaysia’s history still scattered across the hill. Even the famous derelict Crag Hotel, formerly the Uplands School and abandoned in 1977, still stands. Now largely forgotten, these buildings are slowly decaying and returning to nature.
Key Facts
Location: George Town, Penang
Distance: 4.5km Penang hill to Botanical garden
Difficulty: 1/5 (downhill)
Guidebook: The Rough Guide to Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei (Rough Guides)(2018)
Accommodation: George Town
The particular abandoned house is beside the road running down Penang Hill towards the botanic gardens. Despite being literally next to the road it blends in well with the undergrowth and could easily be missed. A small name plate beside the house says ‘Edgecumbe’. Unfortunately I’ve been able to find no real information about it online.

‘Edgecumbe’ as seen from the side of the road
The two storey house is built above the road, with stone stairs leading up to it. There is a large semi circular garden area at the front facing the road, with a door leading out to it. The main door is around the back of the house. Inside the ground floor the interior walls have been destroyed, but it was possible to make out the outline of several rooms.

Close up of the exterior

Window shutters and shades still in tact

Stonework on the stairs leading up to the abandoned house
Inside, floor tiles were still intact under layers of dirt. Although there is very little in the house, it seems to have largely escaped vandalism. However, when I visited there was evidence of somebody sleeping rough – so caution would be advised when visiting. This is a fairly remote place where you wouldn’t want to run into a confrontational situation.

The front door to Edgecumbe
The stairs to the second level looked pretty solid so I decided to venture up.

Venturing upstairs

1st floor balcony of the abandoned house
The upper floor contains one large room and a large, enclosed balcony. I was actually surprised by how small the house was – I imagined colonial houses to be somewhat larger! The view through the balcony windows – some of which still retained their glass – was spectacular. It was easy to see why this location was picked. It was even possible to pick out the coast of mainland Malaysia.

View over Penang from the balcony
The structure seems somewhat more intact than other abandoned houses in the area. There is still glass in some windows and the wooden window frames have not yet rotted in the jungle heat and humidity. This makes me think the house may have been abandoned fairly recently. Comparatively, the Crag Hotel (abandoned in 1977) is seriously decaying, with outbuildings partially collapsing.
There are several other abandoned bungalows on Penang Hill, including Convalesence, Fernhill, Woodside and Hillside. Penang Travel Tips has information on two of them. Back in 2014 (before I visited Edgecumbe) these structures were apparently earmarked for ‘upgrades’, and again in 2016. I don’t know whether or not this has happened.
I’d love to find out more information about this house. Who lived here? When was it abandoned? And why? If you know anything about it, please do leave a comment below.


This is amazing! We loved the architecture in Georgetown, and the views from this house look fantastic. Such a cool find; I hope we’ll make our way back to Penang sometime soon and can check it out.
My copy of the 1900 Straits Directory gives the address of Mr and Mrs Reginald HOGAN as MOUNT EDGECUMBE, PENANG HILL.Likely this derelict house. Mr Reginald Arthur Philip Hogan was a Straits Settlements Solicitor and Barrister. He died in 1915
Thanks for the information – interesting stuff.
Hello 🙂 do you still remember how to get here? did you walk from Penang Hill, if so, how long did it take?
thank you 🙂
Hi. I walked from the top of Penang Hill – it is literally less than 10 minutes, downhill all the way. From the bottom of Penang hill, you’d need to start in the Botanic Gardens and it would probably take you some time. Better to start at the top and walk down!
I love ruined heritage building in Penang! Where can I know more information about this? Because Im very keen to know the story behind each historical building!
Hi, thanks for your post. Unfortunately it is quite hard to find much information about the history of these buildings. If you find any, please do let me know!