Category Archives: Historic

A Tale of Jetties and Piers

Posted on October 1, 2012 by Remember Singapore

As an island surrounded by waters, Singapore used to have numerous old jetties and piers located around it, which were once used for boat trips to Malaya or between the islands. So what are the differences between a jetty, a … Continue reading →

Singapore’s Vanished Markets and Hawker Centres

Posted on August 27, 2012 by Remember Singapore

In October 2011, the government announced plans to build ten more hawker centres over the next decade. Since the early seventies, hawker centres had become part of Singapore’s unique culture. The mid-eighties saw some 140 markets and hawker centres located … Continue reading →

Posted in Historic | Tagged Golden Bridge, Hawker Centre, Labrador Villa, Lakeview, Lau Pa Sat, Lim Tua Tow Road, Neo Tiew, Old Tekka Market, Orchard Road Carpark, Seletar Hills, Simon Road, Street Hawker, Telok Ayer Market, Wet Market, Yung Sheng Food Centre | 108 Comments

A Century of Cinemas, Movies and Blockbusters

Posted on August 2, 2012 by Remember Singapore

Watching movies is one of Singaporeans’ favourite pastimes, along with dining and shopping. A nation of avid movie-goers, the locals have been going to cinemas for movies for more than a century! In 2009 alone, the cinema attendance was as high … Continue reading →

Posted in Historic | 147 Comments

You’ve Got Mail… Singapore’s Former/Old Post Offices

Posted on July 10, 2012 by Remember Singapore

In mid-2012, an old forgotten colonial-styled house standing at the junction of Yio Chu Kang Road and Jalan Kayu was demolished due to the widening of Yio Chu Kang Road and the building of a new road that will link … Continue reading →

Posted in Historic | Tagged 1876 Riots, Custom House, Fullerton Building, General Post Office, Geylang Post Office, Grand Old Dame, Jalan Kayu Post Office, Katong Post Office, Lady Mary Wood, Ministry of Science and Technology, Nee Soon Post Office, North Canal Road Post Office, Orchard Road Post Office, Paya Lebar Post Office, Post Office Saving Bank, Sepoy Lines, Singapore Post Centre, SingPost | 45 Comments

Time Stands Still at Singapore’s Veteran Shopping Malls

Posted on June 13, 2012 by Remember Singapore

Compared to the brand new shopping centres, these veteran shopping malls look as though they are forgotten by time. While it is a norm for new shopping centres to have several fast food restaurants, food courts, fashion outlets or even … Continue reading →

Posted in Historic | Tagged Balestier Hill Shopping Centre, Beauty World, Boon Lay Shopping Centre, Bukit Timah Plaza, Bukit Timah Shopping Centre, C.K.Tang, Centrepoint, City Plaza, Far East Shopping Centre, Golden Mile Complex, Goldhill Shopping Centre, Goldhill Square, Holland Road Shopping Centre, Katong Shopping Centre, Lake View Shopping Centre, Liang Court, Orchard Road, Orchard Towers, Oriental Emporium, Parkway Parade, Peninsula Plaza, Peninsula Shopping Centre, People's Park Complex, Plaza Singapura, President Shopping Centre, Promenade Shopping Centre, Queensway Shopping Centre, Roxy Square, Scotts Shopping Centre, Sembawang Shopping Centre, Serangoon Plaza, Sim Lim Square, Specialists' Shopping Centre, Tang Plaza, Tanglin Shopping Centre, Tanjong Katong Complex, Tay Buan Guan, The Arcade, Thomson Plaza, United Square, Upper Serangoon Shopping Centre | 130 Comments

A Forgotten Past – The Prisoners of Conscience

Posted on June 6, 2012 by Remember Singapore

It was 2nd February 1963. Some 113 left-wing activists, including main opposition party Barisan Sosialis’ (Socialist Front) secretary-general Lim Chin Siong (1933-1996), were arrested by the authority through the notorious Operation Cold Store. The operation, planned by Internal Security Council … Continue reading →

Posted in Historic | Tagged Barisan Sosialis, Chia Thye Poh, Communist Party of Malaya, Internal Security Act, Lim Chin Siong, Lim Hock Siew, Member of Parliament, Operation Cold Store, People's Action Party, Political Prisoner, Singapore 1960s | 8 Comments

From Villages to Flats (Part 2) – Public Housing in Singapore

Posted on May 11, 2012 by Remember Singapore

The history of the public housing in Singapore is largely divided into two sections: The Singapore Improvement Trust’s (SIT) period and the Housing and Development Board’s (HDB) era. Two minor players that had also contributed in the building of public … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural, Historic | Tagged Albert Street, Ang Mo Kio, Artisan Dwellings, Bras Basah, Build and Sell Scheme, Build-to-Order, Bukit Ho Swee Fire, Butterfly Block, Changi Village, Chinatown, Commonwealth Close, Dakota Crescent, Design, Dover Estate, Dutch's Corner, Executive Condominium, Forfar House, Four Leaf Clover Flat, HDB Executive Maisonettes, HDB Terrace House, Hong Lim Park, Housing And Development Board, Housing and Urban Development Company, Jurong Town Corporation, Kampong Java, Kampong Silat, Lakeview Estate, Lim Kim San, Margaret Drive, Marine Parade, Neo Tiew, Pinnacle@Duxton, Potong Pasir, Princess Elizabeth Estate, Princess Margaret Estate, Provision Shop, Public Housing, Redhill Close, Rochor Centre, Selegie House, Singapore Improvement Trust, Strathmore and Dawson, Taman Jurong, Tanglin Halt, Tiong Bahru, Toa Payoh, Upper Pickering Street, Void Deck, Yung Kuang Road, Zion Road | 94 Comments

From Villages to Flats (Part 1) – The Kampong Days

Posted on April 4, 2012 by Remember Singapore

The rapid urbanisation of Singapore in the past four decades has seen hundreds of villages demolished and the lands freed up for redevelopment. The life of many Singaporeans of the last generation changed dramatically as they shifted from their kampong … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural, Historic | Tagged Ama Keng, Amoy Quee, Bah Soon Bah, Boh Beh Kang, Bukit Panjang, Bukit Timah Road, Chai Chee, Chan Chu Kang, Changi Village, Cheng San, Chia Keng, Choa Chu Kang, Chong Pang, Geylang Serai, Hakka Village, Heap Guan San, Heng Ley Pah, Hong Kah, Jackson Plan, Jalan Kayu, Jalan Mata Ayer, Jawa Teban, Kampong Bahru, Kampong Chantek, Kampong Glam, Kampong Kapor, Kampong Kembangan, Kampong Lorong Buangkok, Kampong Pachitan, Kampong Punggol, Kampong San Theng, Kampong Silat, Kampong Ubi, Kangchu, Kangkar, Khatib Bongsu, Lam San, Lau Chu Kang, Lim Chu Kang, Lorong Fatimah, Mandai Tekong, Nee Soon, Neo Tiew, Orang Seletar, Paya Lebar, Phua Village, Potong Pasir, Pulau Blakang Mati, Pulau Brani, Pulau Bukom, Pulau Semakau, Pulau Tekong, Pulau Ubin, Radin Mas, Simpang Bedok, Somapah Changi, Sompah Bedok, Soon Hock Village, Sungei Mandai, Sungei Seletar, Sungei Tengah, Tan Chu Kang, Tanjong Katong, Thong Hoe, Toa Payoh, Tuas Village, Ulu Bedok, Wak Hassan, Wak Selat, Westhill Village, Woodlands, Yew Tee, Yio Chu Kang | 274 Comments

A Forgotten Past – A Zoo at Punggol

Posted on March 19, 2012 by Remember Singapore

Contrary to popular belief, our famous Singapore Zoological Gardens (or Mandai Zoo), opened in 1973, was not the first zoo in Singapore. It is the first and only national zoo, but before it, there were already several private zoos operating … Continue reading →

Posted in Exotic, Historic | Tagged Chan Kim Suan, Mandai Zoo, Ponggol Zoo, Singapore Miniature Zoo, Singapore Zoological Gardens, Whampoa Gardens, William Lawrence Soma Basapa | 26 Comments

A Forgotten Past – The Last Royal Palace of Singapore

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Remember Singapore

Do you know that the former royal family of Singapore existed until the late nineties? They had lived at Istana Kampong Glam (also known as Sultan’s Palace) for generations until the Istana was drawn for redevelopment into the Malay Heritage … Continue reading →