Penang was part of the Straits Settlement from 1867 until 1942. As a crown colony, the Settlement’s governor had more power for self-government yet was still controlled by the British monarch. So, when Victoria celebrated her 60th year as the Queen of the United Kingdom in June of 1897, George Town wanted to honor the occasion. A prosperous local Chinese businessman Cheah Chen Eok commissioned the Jubilee Clock Tower. The 97 foot tower with a Moorish design was not finished until 1902, a year after Queen Victoria died.
