Category Archives: Historic

A Different Sanctuary at Mount Vernon

With the closure of Mount Vernon Columbarium in end-September 2018, a different type of sanctuary may appear in five years’ time when the new Bidadari housing estate is completed. It was back in 2013 when the government announced the development … Continue reading

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Retracing the 26 Tracks of Punggol Road

A section of the old Punggol Road has walked into history in late August 2018. The pedestrianisation project will convert the 1.5km-long stretch of the road, between Punggol Drive and Ponggol Seventeenth Avenue, into a heritage trail which can also … Continue reading

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Toa Payoh Rise’s Past and Present

Relatively undisturbed for the past 50 years, Toa Payoh Rise may see a big change in the coming years, due to its location being one of the areas that will be affected by the construction of the North-South Corridor, Singapore’s … Continue reading

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The Beginning of Singapore’s Expressways

The first blueprint of Singapore’s expressway network began in 1968, when it was mapped out as part of the State and City Planning Project. The authorities recognised that expressways were the best method to provide better and faster travel in … Continue reading

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Roads Named after Cargo Boats, and the Vanished Charcoal/Firewood Trade at Tanjong Rhu

The Tanjong Rhu area once had four roads of interesting names – Twakow Place, Tongkang Place, Sampan Place and Mangchoon Place. They were named after the local cargo boats that plied the rivers of Singapore for decades. The boats, also … Continue reading

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A Tale of Towers and Pagodas

Between the late sixties and mid-seventies, four lookout towers, including one pagoda, were built in Singapore. Two of them are located at the western side of Singapore (Jurong Hill and Chinese Garden), while the other two are at Toa Payoh … Continue reading

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Vanished Traditional Teochew Games

The older Teochew folks in Singapore may have known the game called ngeow cher kay chow kia (老鼠嫁女儿). It was an old Teochew game said to have brought over to Singapore from China during the pre-war era. The name of … Continue reading

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Sloane Court Hotel and other Former Hotels of Singapore

Located along Balmoral Road at the prime district 10 vicinity, Sloane Court Hotel became the latest hotel in Singapore to end its business. It was recently acquired by Tiong Seng Holdings and Ocean Sky International for $80 million; its site … Continue reading

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Singapore’s Street of Religious Harmony (Part 2) – Waterloo Street

One of Singapore’s oldest streets, Waterloo Street came into existence as early as the mid-19th century. It was originally known as Church Street, but there was a clash of names as there was another Church Street at Raffles Place. Hence, … Continue reading

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The Disappearance of the Historic Hallpike Street

Hallpike Street was previously a little known road that once existed between High Street and North Boat Quay. But the road had a significant history that goes back to the 19th century. Located near to the recorded landing site of … Continue reading

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