Category Archives: Historic

Changes of Dakota – Demolition of Former Broadrick and Maju Secondary Schools

Dakota Crescent, with its unique Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT) flats and the last dove playground in Singapore, has been in the headlines for the past two years, after news of its impending demolition lured many photographers and nostalgia lovers to visit … Continue reading

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There was Once a “Cut Stomach Open” Street off Yio Chu Kang Road

In the early 20th century, there was a dark small road, off Yio Chu Kang Road 6th milestone, that led to an old cemetery with a terrifying name – Phuah Pak Tiong (剖腹塚), which in Hokkien, means “a cemetery for those whose stomach … Continue reading

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Pachitan – A Vanished Javanese Name in Singapore

Pachitan was a name that has largely forgotten and vanished in modern Singapore. It began during the pre-war period, when a group of immigrants from the Pacitan City, East Java of Indonesia, came to Singapore. Like other groups of immigrants, they formed their … Continue reading

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A Singapura Mystery – The Queenstown Shooting 1972

It was a sunny Sunday noon, like any other normal weekends in Singapore. Yet a tragic case happened and shocked the Singapore society; an unsolved case that still baffles many till this day, even after 43 years. On 17 September 1972, at around … Continue reading

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The Cambridge Estate – An “English” Estate in Singapore

Located in the central part of Singapore, and largely bounded by Bukit Timah Road, Serangoon Road, Thomson Road and Moulmein Road, the Cambridge Estate, of Farrer Park district, is an old housing district where its inner roads are mostly named after English … Continue reading

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From Hock Lam’s Beef Noodles to Funan’s Computers

The older generation of Singaporeans would remember Hock Lam Street and its delicious beef noodles, fried kway teow and char siew rice. To the current generation, the name Funan is more associated with computers and information technology (IT). When the … Continue reading

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Bidding Farewell to Siglap’s Last Standing Flats

The days have come to bid farewell to the last standing flats at Siglap. Also known as the Siglap Fire Site Housing Estate in its early days, the four blocks stood out in Siglap, where it is almost exclusively filled … Continue reading

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The Heritage Bridges – Singapore River’s Grand Old Dames

For over 150 years, the 3.2km-long Singapore River has played an important role in the economical growth of Singapore as a free port. Started from the mouth of the river, development gradually spread upstream. Population surged and trading activities flourished. … Continue reading

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“Hello, Hello” The Rise and Decline of Singapore’s Public Payphones

Singapore’s mobile population penetration rate stands at almost 155% (from the 2014 statistics by Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore). That is more than a mobile line per person. Despite the large number of mobile subscriptions, public phones still play a … Continue reading

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SG50 – A Glance at Singapore in the Past 50 Years

Fifty years, fifty old and new photos of Singapore, and fifty familiar names, events and landmarks that helped to shape and define Singapore between 1965 and 2015. To celebrate SG50, let us take a look at Singapore’s enormous progress and … Continue reading

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