Canrnavon Street

Lebuh Carnarvon (Penang Hokkien: Lam1 Chan3na4 沓田仔 Click to hear), formerly known as Carnarvon Street, is a major street in George Town, Penang. It starts at Lebuh Chulia and ends at Jalan Dr Lim Chwee Leong.

Lebuh Carnarvon was created in the 1860's, and named after Henry Howard Molyneux Herbert, 4th Earl of Carnarvon, who was Secretary of State for the Colonies (the person in charged of the colonies within the British cabinet) between 6 July, 1866 and 8 March, 1867. The year 1867 also happens to be the year that racial polarization erupted into open warfare called Penang Riots, which pitted the Cantonese against the Hokkiens, and both affiliated with Malay groups called White Flag and Red Flag societies.

The Cantonese (Ghee Hin) are based around Jalan Pintal Tali while the Hokkiens (Khian Teik Secret Society and Hai San) are based in Lebuh Armenian. Lebuh Carnarvon became the border between the Cantonese sector and Hokkien sector of town.

Today, in the 21st century, part of Lebuh Carnarvon forms a new border, between the core zone and buffer zone of the George Town Unesco World Heritage Site.