Times of My Life

…continued from Part 1

Sorry for the delay in Part 2 due to my poor health for the past few weeks.

It will be interesting to note the differences when we compared the old map of Singapore River with the current one. There seems to be more sources and the river seems longer in the past.

The area around and along the Singapore River was swampy and muddy even before the colonial times. This can be seen from most old maps of the Singapore River.

Credit : The Singapore River, A Social History 1819 - 2002, Stephen Dodds, Singapore University Press

As you can see from the above map, there were many sources of the river. Some seem to be at the foot of Fort Canning Hill (known as Bukit Larangan in the past), and Pearl’s Hill (known as Mt. Stamford in the past). Also from the above map, you will note that the areas near the Singapore River were mainly marsh (a marsh is a wetland submerged by water).

Let’s start with Area 1 (from the above map);

As shown above, this Area 1(island) is prone to flooding at the South Bank. What I’ve read was that the Area 1 at South Bank was raised and the marsh behind filled to overcome the flooding. This should be around 1822. So maps after 1822 may not show this island Area 1, I think so.

Area 2;

Credit : The Singapore River, A Social History 1819 - 2002, Stephen Dodds, Singapore University Press

From 1869, the area above Coleman Bridge were filled up to prevent flood and thus more godowns were built. As such, pollution of the river was another problem to be fixed from 1870 to 1970. Before 1860, most commercial activities were below Elgin Bridge and seldom up to Coleman Bridge and above.

Area 3;

This is the triangular shaped Pulau Saigon which Victor ever mentioned in the comments in my previous post. In Chinese, it’s called 浮罗西贡. Before I proceed on, I would like to highlight why sometimes it’s called “Pulau Saigon” while in some street directories, you see “Pulo Saigon”. Javanese called “Pulo“, while Indonesian called “Pulau“, both mean Island.

I have always wonder why it is called “Saigon”? Anyone has any idea?

Frankly even during my early visits to the Singapore River in the late 60s or early 70s, I don’t remember seeing any Pulau Saigon. Maybe I was too young to remember it…Peter, Chun See or Victor may have some memories of it.

When I took a look at my old Singapore Street Directory (the early 70s Chinese edition), the only thing I can find is the Pulau Saigon Road. You can find a footbridge to the north of this road. The original Pulau Saigon Bridge was built in 1890, but demolished in 1986. The reason for the demolition was that the Bridge was too old and it blocked the development of Central Expressway.

Pulau Saigon Bridge was also called Footbridge because the completion of Clemenceau Bridge in 1922 forestalled any need of developing it further and its status as a pedestrian bridge was maintained.

The map below shows 2 bridges connected to the Pulau Saigon island;

Credit : Old map from Cornell Education.

A new Pulau Saigon Bridge was constructed near the former location of the original Pulau Saigon Island as an extension of Saiboo Street. Before reclamation works merged the Pulau Saigon Island with the south bank of the river, there used to be two bridges which connected the island to both river banks. Both bridges were demolished by 1986. - BY National Heritage Board

Credit : Chief Surveyor, Survey Dept. Ministry of Law

This is how the Pulau Saigon looked like in 1900;

Credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS

Below shows the Pulau Saigon Bridge;

Credit : National Heritage Board

Take a look at the Pulau Saigon Bridge in 1974;

Credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS

Here is another photo of the Pulau Saigon Bridge which is also the Bridge No.1 from the Chinese Newspaper in 1985;

Credit : Nanyang Sinchou, Chinese Newspaper, 15 Dec 1985

This Pulau Saigon Bridge was also known as Butcher Bridge as there was a butcher staying nearby. This was also mentioned in the Straits Times 1985 copy;

Credit : The Straits Times, 30 Sep 1985

So from the above, I believed that the Pulau Saigon Bridge was still around in the 80s. Peter may remeber something about the old railway track via this Pulau Saigon island. But that railway track bridge is another bridge, not the same Pulau Saigon Bridge as show below;

Sources : Singapore Railways History

The railway joined on the same footbridge No.2 though but not on the footbridge No.1.

So what happen to Pulau Saigon Bridge now? Is it still around? The Pulau Saigon Bridge is now a Vehicular Bridge, completed in June 1997, linking Havelock Road to Robertson Quay;

Credit : URA

Credit : Sengkang (nickname)

Before I end, here is another view of the Pulau Saigon in the 80s;

Credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS

It seems the area around Singapore River has changed tremendously and whether there were islands or islets at the Singapore River before, is no longer important now..or maybe long forgotten…

When I was sorting out my stamp album, I came across this “Old Maps Of Singapore” collection;

And among these 4 stamps, I’m most interested in the 60cents Singapore River area stamp;

You can see the red arrow pointing at the darkened triangle “island”. Is that really an island? Even when I used a magnifying glass, I really can’t tell.

The map in this stamp was reproduced from the 1862 Jules Michael Moniot map as shown below;

Credit : Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, NUS

You can see the same darkened triangle island on that map too. So are there other islands along the Singapore River too? The river had changed over it’s shape, length and appearance over time. Let us take a look at some very old maps of the Singapore River.

1819 :

Credit : Belly of the Carp by Roger Vaughan Jenkins

This is probably the earliest map of the Singapore River I’ve come across. This part of the Singapore River is known as the “Belly of the Carp” as it probably looks like it. This is a very simple map but as we know, early maps are not so accurate due to lack of technology.

Below is another 1819 map from the book “The Singapore River, A Social History 1819 - 2002″ by Stephen Dobbs, Singapore University Press;

Credit : The Singapore River, A Social History 1819 - 2002, Singapore University Press, NUS Publishing

The above map shows a lightly shaded part known as “Kuala Bank” (River Mouth Bank) at the mouth of the Singapore River.

1822 :

Credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS

The above is the town map which shows an “island” at the mouth of the Singapore River. This is represented by the dotted lines at the previous “Belly of the Carp” location. This map is probably from the Raffles Town Map.

1825 :

The above map doesn’t show any “islands” at all. I don’t remember where I got this map from, sorry if I left out the credit for this.

1828 :

Credit : Singapore : A Pictorial History 1819 to 2000 by Gretchen Liu

This is probably the well know Raffles Town Plan map by Lt. Philip Jackson. From this plan, you can see those dotted lines showing like an “island” at the mouth of the Singapore River.

So what is the dotted line “island” shown on some old maps (but not all)? Is that really an island? Why is it missing from the river now?

I checked with a map enthusiast Mok Ly Yng and he told me it is not an island but a sandbar. What’s a sandbar? I didn’t learn that in my Geography lesson or I’ve forgotten about it haha. Thanks to Ly Yng, he explained that to me in his email clearly;

“Island’ no. 1 is actually a sand bar, this is indicated by the use of dotted lines for the boundary in the 1828 map and dots without a clear solid line boundary in the 1836 map. A sand bar can only be seen mostly during low tides and is usually not permanent in shape or size. This sand bar was removed by dredging sometime by the 1840s when the famous ‘Singapore Stone’ was removed too. I do not have a definite date or reference for this. Just an educated guess. That was part of the improvement plan for navigation in Singapore River. Dredging in Singapore River continued until the river was converted into its present state. Due to Singapore’s elevation and the volume of water in the river, sand deposit very easily at the mouth, forming obstacles for navigation.

I do not know of any record of this sand bar’s name.”

Credit : Mok Ly Yng’s Public Gallery of Old Maps

1869 :

Credit : The Singapore River, A Social History 1819 - 2002, Singapore University Press, NUS Publishing

Another reason for the sandbar is stated in the book “The Singapore River, A Social History 1819 - 2002″ by Stephen Dobbs mentioned earlier. In his book it was mentioned that in late 1822, a considerable amount of sand had built up around the mouth of the Singapore River due to the construction of the jetties on the North Boat Quay side. Those structures were interfering with the natural course of the river thus resulted in the silt near its river mouth.From the book, we understand that many dredges were put at the river to remove the silt but not really successful.

At least I learned something new despite my age - “sandbar”. I’ve never like Geography when I was young, so probably I was sleeping when my teacher was teaching about it or ….

Guess this sandbar is completely removed from the mouth of the Singapore River by now.

Update from Mr.Mok Ly Yng (dated 4 Jun 2008);

“Dear Laokokok,

I have read your post on the islands of Singapore River.

Sandbar (now apparently written as one single word) is also known as a ’sandbank’ (now also as one word). Perhaps it could have been a ‘mudbank’ then. It all depends on the type of sediment that was deposited there and then. The type of sediment is very much dependent on the type of rock or geological environment through which the river passes through upriver. This includes the main course plus any tributaries that feed into the main river. ‘White sand’ was observed at the Bugis area, hence the Chinese name of ‘White Sand Float(ing)’. Scientists have very precise definitions for ’sand’, ‘mud’ and ’silt’ etc.

I don’t have a geology map of Singapore handy with me. But the dredging is to remove any obstacles to shipping, it is not necessarily a reflection of the muddiness of the river at that time. Again this is educated speculation without knowing the dominant material that made up the river bed of the Singapore river near the mouth, and the sea bottom material at the mouth of the river. The tidal forces could also flush the river, but that depends on the strength of the tides. A combination of these factors could turn the water near the river mouth rather murky or turbid.

Thanks for the post and the interesting links to other maps.

Best regards,

Ly Yng”

I will talk about the other islands in my next part.

I was officially introduced to this Grand Old Dame when I was in Primary 3 (1971). I’m talking about the Fullerton Building and the Chapter on “A Bus-tour of our City” from the History book “The Pioneering Years”;

The top left corner shows the General Post Office which was the Fullerton Building at that time;

Closer view;

Above credit : Credit : Educational Publication Bureau, MOE, Singapore

In Primary 4, I was again introduced to it now from my Geography Book (Social Studies);

From the sea view;

From another page;

Above credit : McGraw-Hill Far Eastern Publishers (S) Ltd

From the past till now, It’s difficult to find a complete history write up of this Fullerton Building in our school textbook. It’s always a bit here and a bit there. Maybe we should ….. anyway below is a bit of the history on Fullerton Building and Fullerton Square.

Before Fullerton Building was built;

- 1829 : That year, Sir Robert Fullerton (first governor of the Straits Settlement of Singapore) built the Fort Fullerton at the mouth of Singapore River to defend the harbour and warehouses. The Fort was built with Artillery Barracks, a house for the officers and barracks for soldiers. On Battery Point, 68-pounder guns guarded the entrance to the River. The site it was located was now known as Fullerton Square.

Above shows a 1825 map. The Rocky Point was the site where the Fort Fullerton was built. It was then known as Battery or Artillery Point. The Singapore Stone was also found there.

- 1843 : The Singapore Stone (the monolith, a very large standing Sandstone about 3M height and width, with lines of inscription founded soon after the arrival of Raffles) located at the mouth of the Singapore River, was destroyed by the British to extend the Fort Fullerton.

Below shows a fragment of the Singapore Stone;

Credit : Curriculum Planning & Development Division, MOE, Singapore

- 1854 : The Fort Fullerton was expanded by Captain Collyer. By 1859, it was expanded by nearly 3 times its original size and at a cost of $840,000. The fort was demolished in 11 June 1873.

- 1876 : On this site, the first General Post Office was built. The first POSB was established here.

Below shows the first General Post Office building in the 19th century;

- 1879 : On the same site the Exchange Building was built besides the first General Post Office. opened in 1879, and was replaced by Fullerton Building in 1928.

- 1882 : A Victorian-styled fountain was built in Fullerton Square to commemorate the influential merchant Tan Kim Seng’s donation to the City’s Waterworks. In 1925, this fountain was moved to the Esplanade and the space vacant became a car park which was also the venue for many election rallies in the past. Many important buildings also then built around this Fullerton Square.

Below shows the first General Post Office, the Exchange and the Tan Kim Seng fountain in 1885;

Another postcard showing the General Post Office in 1900;

A 1910 postcard of the General Post Office;

- 1923 to 1924 : The Exchange Building was demolished.

After the Fullerton Building was built;

- 1925 to 1928 : The construction of the Fullerton Building began. During the initial groundwork, excavations revealed the gun casements of the old Fort Fullerton. In fact, the Fullerton Building was built over reclaimed land. This Neo-classical architecture was originally built to house the General Post Office.

2 tablets, one on each side of the entrance stairway reveals that the construction work began on February 1924, and the building was completed in June 1928. The building cost was estimated at S$4,098,808, but The Straits Times of 27 June 1928, quoted the cost of S$4,750,000, as the eventual bill.

A 1928 postcard showing the Fullerton Building;

Another view of the Fullerton Building in 1929;

- 1928 : The General Post Office moved in 2 weeks after the completion of the Fullerton Building. The GPO used the basement and two lower floors as sorting rooms, postal halls and offices. It utilized the waterfront along Collyer Quay to transport the post onto ships. A historic tunnel under Fullerton Road was used to load the mail onto waiting ships, bound for the world. The tunnel still exists today.

Other Tenants;

- The Singapore Chamber of Commerce was the first tenant to move in. Here were the headquarters of the international trade organization.

- The Singapore Club occupied the upper floors of the building. The Club’s 6,968 sq. m (75,000 sq. feet) of facilities included dining rooms, club rooms, billiards and card rooms, and, sleeping accommodation on the upper floors.

- The other early occupants of Fullerton Building included The Exchange and Chamber of Commerce.

Government Office Tenants;

- Other early Government Office tenants included the Marine Surveyor and Marine Department, Imports and Export Department, and the offices of Chief Health Officer, the Government Vetinerary Surgeon, Agriculture, Fisheries and Forest departments. Other departments of the Ministry of Finance were also based here.

A 1930s photo of the General Post Office besides the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank;

A 1935 photo of the General Post Office. Note the British Crown above the word General Post Office;

- 1942 : During the war, Governor Shenton Thomas and Lady Thomas stayed in the sleeping quarters in when the Government House (now the Istana) was hit by artillery and aerial attacks. During the last days before the British surrender of Singapore to the Japanese in 1942, the building was used as a hospital with make-shift operation rooms to treat British soldiers.

Below shows the Japanese soldiers marching in at Fullerton Square in 1942;

Above photo credit : Imperial War Museum

During the Japanese Occupation, Fullerton Building was the headquarters of the Japanese Military Administration. Singaporeans may remember that the Japanese demanded $50 million from the Chinese in Singapore and Malaya in atonement for the crimes committed by Chinese people against the Japanese. A cheque for $50 million was handed to Lieut-General Tomoyuki Yamashita at a ceremony in the Singapore Club at the top of Fullerton Building sometime in February 1942.

- 1950s : Since the 1950s, Fullerton Square has been the site of many election campaign rallies. 1950s was the decade with the most riots and strikes in Singapore.

Below shows the aerial photo of the Fullerton Building in the 1950s. Did you see the lighthouse on the building?

Above photo credit : Editions Didier Millet, National Archivers of Singapore

- 1958 : A lighthouse was installed on the rooftop of the Fullerton Building to guide ships out in the harbour. inactive since 1979. Round lantern with aerobeacon, originally mounted atop the Fullerton Building, which was then the General Post Office.

Below shows a 1930 aerial photo of the Fullerton Building without the Lighthouse yet;

Above credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS

Below shows a 1950s aerial photo with the Lighthouse on the Fullerton Building;

Above photo credit : Editions Didier Millet, National Archivers of Singapore

- 1960s : SM Goh Chok Tong used to work in this building when he was in the Economic Planning Unit of the civil service. For lunch, he was a regular at the Spartan, roof-top canteen.

- 1970 to 1995 : When the General Post Office vacated the Fullerton Building, it was taken over by the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore as their headquarters from 1970s to 1995.

- 1996 to 1999 : All the tenants had moved out by 1996. The building was up for tender bids in early 1997, and the building was bought over by Sino Land, who spent S$400 million, for a full two-year restoration and redeveloped project which converted and transformed Fullerton Building to a 6-star hotel.

- 2000 to 2001 : The Fullerton Hotel was opened on May 2000 and officially launched on 1 January 2001.

Below shows the Fullerton Hotel;

Interesting isn’t it? Now take a look at the Fullerton Building with it’s skyline changes over time. I will try to find photos taken from almost the same Queen Elizabeth Walk (now known as Esplanade) of the building;

1. 1905 - 1910 : View from Queen Elizabeth Walk when the Fullerton Building was not built. This is a 1976 stamp in the Art Series launched in Singapore;

2. 1930 : A photo postcard showing the then General Post Office (Fullerton Building). Note the original color of Anderson Bridge then;

3. c1935 - Probably the later part of 1930s view of the General Post Office. Note the change in color of the bridge and the background building if any;

4. 1946 : Still not much changes in the skyline;

Above photo credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS

5. 1954 : One major change in this 50s photo of the Fullerton Building. The Bank Of China was built besides it as seen in the background;

Above photo credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS

6. 1960S : The photo still showing only the Bank Of China besides the Fullerton Building. Note the coconut tree in the foregroud still there since 1930s haha;

7. 1970 : Even until 1970, still not much changes;

Above photo credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS

8. 2003 : Guess the major changes should be started in late 70s and 80s;

9. 2007 : This one taken by myself last year;

You may see the below poster on the changes in the skyline by URA;

Before I end this post, let’s take a look at the construction of the Fullerton Building from 1925 to 1927;

Above : 1925 - under construction.

Above : 1927 - almost complete.

Below is one very nice sketch of the Fullerton Building;

Above credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS

You may read more about Fullerton Building at Sale of Fullerton Square by URA

…my apology if I left out any credits (pls let me know).

…cont’d from Beach Road Pt.1 - NCO Club

I must admit that I’ve very poor sense of direction and not only that, I’m always confused with Shaw Tower, Shaw House, Shaw Centre and Shaw Plaza…

Ok for this post of course, I’m sure Shaw Tower is the one at Beach Road!

Built in 1974 at Beach Road, this was probably one of the tallest building there in the 70s. 3 things I remembered very well about this Shaw Tower;

- The steep slope leading into the building car park.

I’ve so far parked inside this tower less than 5 times and I don’t wish to try that again. In the past, I usually used manual gear cars so it was rather difficult to do clutch control.

- The 2 cinemas inside : Prince and Jade.

Seen quite a number of movies at Prince than Jade. Think both the Jade and Prince were opened in 1977. Prince is the bigger cinema and both are located on different floors and parts of the building. Later they have Prince 1 and 2, Jade 1 and 2 too. Read more here. It’s still around now;

- The 2 gift shops.

The Jade Gift Shop still around;

Used to go there to buy those items like belts, lighter, pen, etc..with brand like Dunhill, Cartier, Gucci, etc. Not too sure where is the other gift shop now but the Jade Gift Shop still around though what they sell now may be different from the past.

- The mobile disco (probably named Disco World) setup by a ex-poly grad.

This shop is no longer there now as the mobile disco popularity in the 70s and 80s was gone.

I think I’ve not been to this Shaw Tower for at least many years or maybe 2 decades. Yes, the last time I been to inside was probably in the late 80s. I don’t know why last Saturday when I drove past there, suddenly I felt the urge to take a walk inside. Of course I didn’t park inside the building but opposite (the public car park).

I am surprised that it’s no longer the same Shaw Tower that I’m familiar with. The crowd I used to see in the past also no longer there. At least found some old photos of Beach Road framed up along a passage way;

Besides some old photos of Beach Road, there are some interesting ‘gems’ on display.

A Punch Card Machine used by the employees to show time in and out (top left);

Below shows a blue cash register and a film cutter on the right;

Below shows some old cinema tickets;

Portriat of Rumme Shaw;

Credits : Above all - Shaw Organisation

Let us take a look at the Shaw Tower in the 1988 Street Directory;

Credit : Chief Surveyor, Singapore Government

Now take a look at the early 70s Street Directory just before the Shaw Tower was built;

You can see that the whole building was not there yet in the early 70s and the 2 old cinemas - New Alhambra Cinema and Marlborough Cinema were demolished.

So is Shaw Tower built on the same location where the 2 old cinemas - New Alhambra and Marlborough Cinemas were? If we take a look at the 50s city map below, we can get the answer;

Credit : Shell, Singapore Government Survey Department

So it’s actually sited on both cinemas but more towards Marlborough Cinema. Note there was a side road besides Marlborough Cinema in the 50s!

The New Alhambra Cinema was built in 1907 and later, the cinema was bought over by Cathay Organization and was renamed as Gala Theatre. Another cinema, Malborough Cinema, was constructed beside it.

Below is how the Alhambra Cinema looked like;

Photo Credit : Shaw Organisation

Alhambra Cinema was nicknamed “Hai Kee” (by the sea) due to its proximity to the sea. This theatre was one of the pioneer cinema halls in the early 1930s. The Alhambra became the first Singapore cinema to have air conditioning.

Below shows both the Alhambra and Marlborough Cinemas on the right;

Photo Credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS

So when was your last visit to Shaw Tower?

I’ve only seen the ‘New’ Sea View Hotel at 26 Amber Close. Most of us are familiar with this Sea View Hotel logo at the top of the hotel building;

Surprisingly I find it more difficult to find photos of this ‘New’ Sea View hotel building than the Old Sea View hotel at Meyer Road. Below is the only photo I can find on internet;

For those not sure where exactly is Amber Close, here is the map;

See the * on the building next to the Sea View hotel. That’s where I usually hang out in the 70s, 80s and 90s. The old Katong Yaohan there with Ikea on the second floor…then we have the old Cold Storage taking over the place there too. Shopping seems so easy and close to my house at Haig Road.

Thinking back, I wonder why I liked to go shopping at Katong Yaohan and Cold Storage there even though I don’t have much to buy? Maybe just to enjoy the aircon haha. As for the hotel, I had been to the restaurant a couple of times only with my clients. In the 70s, this Sea View Hotel must be a luxury hotel too. But in it’s last decade, it’s just a 2 or 3 star hotel.

So they are going to build some condos on this same site and named it ‘The Sea View’. There will be 6 blocks of 23 storeys condos. You will be surprised how fast the progress is;

Photo Credit : Aaron Chong

When I started to shift in together with my parents in the 70s (around 1976 when I was in Sec.2) at Haig Road, the Sea View Hotel was already there near the Amber Close. So I’ve not seen the ‘Old Sea View Hotel’ at Meyer Road. I’m sure Peter has seen it as I remember he mentioned something like ‘dome’ shaped building at Meyer Road when I posted the topic on Haw Par Villa previously.

1. Sea View Hotel in the 70s;

Credit : Singapore Government, Chief Surveyor

Though the Marine Parade Road and ECP still not built, the ‘New Sea View Hotel’ had already been built at the Amber Close in the 70s. So when exactly is the ‘New Sea View Hotel’ built? Let’s take a look below;

- 1906 : Established Sea View Hotel at Meyer Road and owned by Reuben Manasseh Meyer

- 1909 : Grove Hotel became one of its 2 annexes

- 1912 to 1923 : Leased to Eleazar Johannes

- 1923 to 1931 : Leased to Sarkies Brothers (operated is as Sea View Hotel and Sanatoruium, and from 1926 as Sea View Hotel)

- 1931 to 1962 : Taken over by the executors of the estate of late Manasseh Meyer. Sea View Hotel Ltd became the proprietors and operated till 1962. The Peach Garden condo replaced the site occupied by the Old Sea View Hotel in 1976.

- 1969 to 2003 : The New Sea View Hotel began operations at Amber Close and ceased in 2003
2. Sea View Hotel (before the major land reclamation along East Coast in Mid 70s onwards);

Credit : Shell, Singapore Government Survey Department.

Note the location of the Sea View Hotel in the 50s. Also a number of roads like Marine Parade and East Coast Parkway were not built before the land reclamation. Of course the shoreline was immediately after the Amber Road and Sea View Hotel really means sea view.

Read more about the Old Sea View Hotel.

Read about how Grove Hotel became one of the 2 annexes of Old Sea View Hotel.

So the Old Sea View Hotel started off as a large colonial bungalow situated at the sea front surrounded by coconut trees.

This one shows the Old Sea View Hotel circa 1900. I wonder if that was how it looked like before becoming a hotel;

Photo Credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS

Below shows the living quarters of the Old Sea View Hotel at Meyer Road;

Credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS

In 1910;

Photo credit : Singapore Philatelic Museum

In 1926;

Photo credit : Singapore Philatelic Museum

In around 1937;

Photo Credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS

The dome-shape building of the Old Sea View Hotel;

Photo Credit : Joo Chiat, A living legacy by Lily Kong and TC Chang

The site of Old Sea View Hotel at Meyer Road is now occupied by Peach Garden condo;

Now both the old and new Sea View Hotels are gone…and both sites are replaced by condos. Should have taken some photos of the new Sea View Hotel before it was demolished.

When I read about the news on the closing of Singapore Badminton Hall by end of January 2008, I was saddened.

Credit :Straits Times, SPH

The Singapore Badminton Hall (SBH) was built in 1952 and for 56 years of history, it has seen 3 major events in it.

- Hosting the 1955 and 1958 Thomas Cup

- Vote counting station for the 1962 merger referendum

Oh though not a major event, the Rolling Stones also had a concert there in 1965;

Credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS

The National Heritage Board marked the SBH as a Historical Site due to the above 3 major events, but that does not mean it will be conserved. It’s fate probably lies with URA, let’s cross our fingers.

There are 2 buildings I’m talking about along this Guillemard Road. The 1st building is the one on the right and built in 1952.

This is the one and see the crowd outside the SBH in 1962 during the vote counting session;

Credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS

Below you can see the same old building but with the newer one on the left;

Here is another view of the 1962 scene;

Credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS

Note the building behind - the Fatty Weng restaurant still not at the corner coffee shop then. See how it looks like now in 2008;

The newer building on the left opened in 1986 by the late President Dr.Wee Kim Wee;

Credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS

Both late President of Singapore, Mr. Ong Teng Cheong and Dr.Wee Kim Wee at the SBH in 1986;

Credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS

The same place in 2008;

Well before they do any ‘face lift’ to these Singapore Badminton Hall, let’s take a final look now.

Main Entrance To The Old Building;

The old booth in the old building;

Side view of the old building;

Another view of the new building;

Maybe for most of us, our trip to the Singapore Badminton Hall means going to the Fatty Weng’s restaurant or in Cantonese “Fei Chai Weng or Rong”. I’ve eaten at that restaurant there before but it’s not the best I’ve tasted frankly.

Entrance to the Fatty Weng’s restaurant at the new building;

Carpark entrance to the Fatty Weng’s restaurant;

The sheltered carpark at the new building;

And why don’t they wait till I’ve my last try at the Fatty Weng Restaurant inside there for a last time before they…..

Read more about the Singapore Badminton Hall.

There seems to be some confusion regarding my previous post on Tay Buan Guan…regarding it’s entrance haha. My fellow blogger friend Peter has emailed me too that Rumah Bebe doesn’t seem to be the Tay Buan Guan entrance that fits the black and white photo I posted;

Photo Credit : Portrait of Places

So it’s the current Rumah Bebe shop the real entrance to Tay Buan Guan? If it’s not, then many sources have been wrong…

Let’s investigate!

1. First take a look at the URA Walking Guide;

Photo Credit : Oceanskies79

In the guide, it said;

“Check out the origins of the former Tay Buan Guan Katong Shopping Centre
• Former Tay Buan Guan Shop, now Rumah Bebe, 113 East Coast Road, Tel: 6247 8781

The faint TBG print on the shopfront of 113 East Coast Road is the only sign of its once bustling former occupant, the Tay Buan Guan shop. The Tay Buan Guan department store grew from this humble shophouse to a multi-storey shopping centre located to the rear of East Coast Road, and was one of Singapore’s best-loved shopping hubs. …
…This shophouse is now known as Rumah Bebe (Bebe’s House), a Peranakan arts and crafts…..”

My Point : This unit number may be the first Tay Buan Guan shop along East Coast Road that the late Mr.Tay started. From this first shop (unit 113), it grew bigger.

2. Now let’s check the National Library Board, Singapore Infopedia;

- Early History
…Then he rented a shophouse and opened the first Tay Buan Guan shop, a provision shop in Pennefather Road. … But after the war ended, he returned to his business with a renewed vigour, opening three shops on East Coast Road. The shops presumably did well as in 1948, he was able to purchase a piece of land bound by East Coast Road, Joo Chiat Road and Fowlie Road. He built the Tay Buan Guan Supermarket on that piece of land, the first department store in the east. …

- Description
The Tay Buan Guan Supermarket had a Chinese emporium, a costume jewellery shop and a pharmacy within its premises. … The Chinese emporium was called the Singapura Emporium Limited and it occupied the first floor of the 4-storey building. …

- Later Developments
The Tay Buan Guan Supermarket was made up of 13 freehold shophouses, some 2-storeys high, located at 83-119 (odd numbers) East Coast Road.

My Point : There may be 3 shops at East Coast Road. Tay Buan Guan Supermarket was 4 storey high.

3. When I do a Google Search with Tay Buan Guan Adress, I was pointed to 83A East Coast Road.

The link shows the map by Singapore Street Directory. Note the address is 83A and not 113. Unit 83 now is occupied by Greentown Audio Video (SONY products) and unit 113 is occupied by Rumah Bebe. So is Greentown Audio Video the real entrance to Tay Buan Guan Supermarket (the old photo)?

My Point : So the official address of Tay Buan Guan may be 83A East Coast Road instead of 113 East Coast Road. But why 83A and not 83. Usually ‘A’ refers to the staircase entrance to upstair unit.

4. Again when you Google Search East Coast Road, the National Library Board, Singapore Infopedia shows;

“Description
Katong area
…Popular landmarks in the 1950s and 1960s include Katong’s first supermarket, Tay Buan Guan Building and cinemas like Odeon, Palace and Roxy. …The Tay Buan Guan shopping centre were torn down in 2001 to make way for a condominium project.”

My Point : So part of the properties owned by Tay Buan Guan were torn down to build a condominium. If I can find the condo, that must be part of Tay Buan Guan too. Oh no, so how big is Tay Buan Guan? Yes, unit 83 to 119!

5. Another blogger, Katong Gal, blogged about Tay Buan Guan too.

“…Tay Buan Guan (also called TBG) was situated just behind the row of shophouses on East Coast Road which continues into Joo Chiat Road; it could be reached through three of the shophouses. One of these shophouses was a confectionary. … The other two shophouses had different uses - can’t remember exactly what but I do recall that for some years one was used as a thoroughfare into the main East Coast Road. Near the entrance to this particular building was a games arcade. …

My Point : So there may be 2 or 3 entrance to Tay Buan Guan. One is via the carpark or the backlane. And these backlane or carpark may housed one of the Tay Buan Guan shops. The other may be via the front shophouse like unit 83 or unit 113.

6. Now what Peter said in his email;

“…You see I used to park my car in TBG carpark. There were 2 carpsk, the big faced the back of the bank, this small carpark was closer to ths supermarket. Separating the carpark from the row of shops was a lane and a fence.

…There were two ways to get to East Coast Road. One was through TBG Shop (”Katong Shopping Center”) where there was an Indian framemaker called Adi. The other was through a small lane sandwiched between two buildings. I usually took the side lane to get to the former Hong Kong Noddle House (enter by back door) and the Asia Commercial Bank (later became 101 Beauty and Health Center, a massage joint). All this while I thot the side lane was beside Katong Bakery; which was not the case. In fact the side lane was beside the bank (right of bdlg) which is now Sing Ho Hainanese Chicken Rice. The cobbler sat outstide the Katong Bakery. …”

My Point : So this confirm that there was another entrance via the carpark and lane behind. There is a small lane between two blocks of building. Like what Peter said, that 113 unit (Rumah Bebe) may be used as an office by Tay Buan Guan.

So I make a trip down to view from behind. Before that let’s take a look at the map provided by Singapore Street Directory;

The other lost landmarks of Katong were located at the Heart of Katong - from Katong Shopping Centre to Still Road. I will just emphasize on the 4 main icons of Katong - Katong Bakery House, Tay Buan Guan, Joo Chiat Police Station and Katong People’s Complex . You can see the map below;

With the old names gone and new names over its place, it’s rather difficult to find them if you are not a regular at Katong. Even I am having trouble to locate the old TBG (Tay Buan Guan).

Katong Bakery House aka Red House Bakery

How I missed the fragrance when walking past this bakery shop. When it was there, I don’t seem so keen to pop in as it was rather old fashion and crowded. That was many many years ago when I was still in my 20s.

Located at 75 East Coast Road, the eye-catching red colored building has been an icon or landmark of Katong for many years.

It was around for 78 years since 1925 to 2003. It finally came to stop when it was deemed unsafe by the authority. It is said that Katong Bakery was the first to bake a 3-tier western wedding cakes in Singapore around 1920s. This bakery was famous for its curry puff too but I’ve yet to try it before…

So take a look of it in the past;

Photo Credit : Portrait of Places

And now how it looks (taken on 11 Jan 2008);

A subsidiary of the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis), is the legal owner of the property. So it’s currently undergoing restoration works and will it be an office unit or school or remain as a F&B outlet, let’s cross our fingers. Glad to know that this icon has been conserved by the authority.

Click here to learn more about this Red House Bakery.

Tay Buan Guan Supermarket

It was probably the first supermarket in the East set up in 1948 by Mr. Tay Leck Teck. Its business was badly affected by the newer shopping area nearby like Parkway Parade, and it finally wound up after 52 years in 2000.

Photo Credit : Portrait of Places

If you see the above photo, besides the name Tay Buan Guan, it also has the name Katong Shopping Centre.

It housed a Chinese emporium called Singapura Emporium, a pharmacy and a costume jewellery shop. This emporium occupied the 1st floor of the 4-storey building. The ground floor and 2nd floor were other departmental stores, while the 3rd floor was roof garden. The ground floor where the supermarket located also had a milk bar.

Click here to learn more about Tay Buan Guan Supermarket.

The TBG was located at 113 East Coast Road, on the same stretch as the Red House Bakery. Though I’ve walked past this TBG many times, but I’ve only been to inside only a couple of times, shame right?

So what has it becomes now? It has turned into a shop called “Rumah Bebe”, a Peranakan Heritage Home;

But is the structure still the same from afar;

Doesn’t look quite the same right? Though there is a year 1928 on the front, but how can we confirm that it was previously the TBG building? Let’s examine some ‘tell-tale’ signs left behind;

There are 2 TBG logos left behind on the 2 side pillars. The rest of the wall tiles and floor tiles, I’m not too sure if they are from the past;

The trishaw above seems to be part of the shop decoration. Now that the TBG was gone, I yearn to go in…are you like me haha?

Joo Chiat Police Station

Of course it’s one of those places that I don’t wish to go in. I have walked past it and also parked my car on the side road besides it when I wanted to visit that DBS bank there. The DBS bank was located at this GRTH No.66 Building;

On the left of this side road, is the old Joo Chiat Police Station now called the Katong Village or Hong Kong Tea House;

Take a look below when it was still a police station;

Photo Credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS

So how old is this Joo Chiat Police Station building? Probably as old as the TBG building, about 80 years old. So when did this police station cease to be one? Maybe in 1980s if I’m not wrong.

Katong People’s Complex

Before I end this Old Katong episode, do you know what comes before Katong Mall?

Many may have forgotten the former Katong People’s Complex (not to be confused with People’s Park Complex though same developer) - the shopping complex with steel structure and gigantic pipes at the exterior. Some said the pipes constituted to the bad fengshui. Built in 1983 and aka ‘prison with pipes’ back then, the building was struggling with poor business and in 1994, a woman was shot by an unknown gunman.

Now take a look at this Katong People’s Complex in 1990;

Photo Credit : National Archives of Singaore, PICAS

Then what’s on this site before Katong People’s Complex? If you take a look at the 1970s Singapore Street Directory, you may find that it’s actually a market before this complex! This market was previously from the now Hock Ann Eating House site. Where is this market now…somehow it has now shifted to Marine Parade.

Read more about Katong;

- Katong History

- Rediscover Katong/ Joo Chiat

Beatty Integrated School was my Primary School and back then, it wasn’t called Beatty Primary School. To understand this, probably we need to go into a bit of history on the past educational system.

Beatty Integrated School was officially opened by Mr. Chan Chee Seng (a popular figure in Jalan Besar area at that period), the then Parliamentary Secretary to Ministry Of Home Affairs in 1963. During the year 1959 to 1968, all those schools built were integrated schools. The purpose is to achieve social cohesion via integrating 2 or more language streams in one school.

That was because before World War II, and under the British rule, they only focused on English and Malay schools. Chinese and Tamil schools were run privately. It was during the Japanese Occupation that the education system in Singapore was then changed.

The Japanese introduced daily flag raising ceremony followed by physical exercise. They also forced to have a common language Nippon-go. After the Japanese left, our education system started to change - a free universal primary education to meet the country’s need. So the meaning of Integrated means Chinese, Malay and Tamil was the mother tongue language for the English stream schools. Most of the Chinese schools then were privately run. For more detail, please read the following;

Educational Innovation In Singapore by Ruth H.K. Wong.

The photo below shows the Opening Ceremony by Mr. Chan Chee Seng;

Photo credit : National Archives of Singapore

Note : Those 2 buildings behind were Block 6 (2 storey flat) and Block 7 (4 storey flat where my godmother’s family stayed).

The school ground now has been used by SINDA and some childcare center. Sad to say that the Beatty Integrated School was a school of the past; but the Secondary School is still around.

Here is the map again of Serangoon Road where my parents used to stay;

The junction made by Beatty Road and Race Course Rd, Serangoon Rd lies this aged old overhead temple entrance arch called “Long Shan Si”;

I will talk more about the temples around there in future. It has been there since the 60s till now, maybe they have repaint or touch up the “entrance arch”.

The long common corridor of my parents’ house at Serangoon Rd was ideal for learning roller skate in the 70s then. My first pair of roller skate was something like this;

It was very metallic and the length adjustment is by pulling the metal strip.

Walking along this stretch of Serangoon Rd brings you to the junction of Lavender Street. At this junction, the Singapore Institute of Science is still there. I knew the signboard was there many many years ago, but I’m totally unawared of what is inside that building;

A close up shot;