Historian: Raffles built Runnymede in 1808

Historian Marcus Langdon

THE original Runnymede was a brick bungalow that served as Sir Stamford Raffles’ residence when he came to Penang in 1805 to serve as the assistant secretary to the governor, according to the book Streets of George Town.

Author and historian Marcus Langdon (pic) said Raffles first built the Runnymede in 1808 and lived there with his wife till it was sold in 1810.

He said the British East India Company (EIC) then bought Runnymede for $4,800 Spanish dollars in 1815 and allocated it as a house for visiting navy captains.

Runnymede remains a private residence up until a fire on 17 September, 1901, as reported in The Singapore Free Press.

The house was then rebuilt in 1903, before the Runnymede Hotel was established.

In its heyday, the hotel was the chief rival of the Eastern & Oriental Hotel, another heritage hotel here.

The building was also a naval and military base in World War II and was last used as the base of the Malaysian Second Army Infantry Division.

It was used until 2000 after the Ministry of Defence took over the buildings in 1986.

In August 2014, the Penang Island City Council (MBPP) had instructed the owner of the former Runnymede Hotel in Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shahto restore the Class Two heritage building.