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 BUILT in 1924 by Alan Loke, son of business tycoon Wong Loke Yew, the Loke Villa is a breathtaking mansion located along Gurney Drive. In keeping up with Penang high society traditions in the British colonial era of assigning grand houses with ‘English’ sounding labels, the villa was also once known as Chatsworth.
Khoo Salma, in her book ‘Heritage Houses of Penang’ (2009) describes the details of the mansion best. Below is a short excerpt from her book on the Loke Villa.
 “A late adaptation of Arts and Crafts style architecture, this mansion by the sea has the ambience of a country house grandly conceived with two elongated wings splaying our from a central axis – hence its popular name, the ‘Butterfly House’.
The original entrance, on the town side, features a lofty cast iron gate and fence guarding the ample grounds...The wings of the Loke Villa used to frame a larger private garden, but this view was opened up by the creation of a seafront promenade in the 1960s. From this vantage point, this mansion is set back on a rise with walkways that step down to an expansive front lawn. The open terrace is graced with lion- headed fountains, a gazebo and a domed pavilion”. (pg 110). For more on the book, click here.
Another fascinating feature would the anagrammmed initials of Alan Loke, designed in a medallion, which can be seen displayed in prominent places throughout the house. Currently the villa is being rented out to a designer-entrepreneur couple.
Reference - Nasution, K.S & Berbar, H, 2009 Heritage Houses of Penang, Marshall Cavendish Editions
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