Malayan Railway Building and clock tower (Wisma Kastam), George Town

The Malayan Railway Building stands tall and proud along the Weld Quay waterfront, stealing the spotlight with its grand clocktower. Once a railway station – though an odd one with no actual railway – it's a true colonial landmark.

Islanders would swing by the ticket office here to hop on a train from Butterworth across the Penang Channel. Yep, you'd buy your ticket here, then catch a ferry over to Butterworth.

Completed in 1909, this place was the big cheese on Penang Island, with both the largest footprint and the loftiest clocktower around. But it wasn't all smooth sailing – the nearby Chinese community didn't exactly give it a warm welcome, as they felt it blocked their view of the sea from the Kuan Yin Teng Temple. Some even thought the Brits purposely pointed the clock at the temple, sending a not-so-subtle message about their time running out.

Nowadays, you'll find this landmark at the intersection of Weld Quay and China Street Ghaut, doing its duty as the Penang headquarters of the Royal Malaysian Customs Department, hence its Malay name, Wisma Kastam.