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Wayang days
Seeing a stage set up for a wayang, as street theatre has come to known in Singapore, is always a cause for celebration. Wayangs not only add much colour that is otherwise lacking on the street of the...
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A wander through old Changi Hospital
Changi is an area of Singapore still riddled with many reminders of its past. The site of an artillery battery and an army garrison before the war, Changi was also where tens of thousands of...
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Beauty isn’t only skin deep
There is nothing like the sheer elegance of a well crafted article of leather, especially one that comes from a house that has a long tradition of fine craftsmanship in skins. The house, Hermès, which...
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Closing the Circle
One of the things the announcement identifying the sites of the Circle Line Stage 6 stations that will not go unnoticed is that parts of the former Tanjong Pagar Railway Station’s platforms will have...
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Not all Black and White at Mount Pleasant
In a Singapore now overrun by the clutter of the modernised world, there is nothing that better celebrates the Singapore we have long abandoned better than the “Black and White” houses we still see...
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The estate that Lee Kong Chian built
Lying at the foot of Bukit Timah Hill is a tiny estate that if not for the Rail Mall that now fronts it and the nearby railway truss bridge, would probably go unnoticed. The estate of 142 households,...
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The Rail Corridor, what will be
The header of a graphic produced by the Straits Times related to the winning concept master plan for the Rail Corridor Request for Proposal reads “On track for big changes”. It isn’t a big change...
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See a 13th century copy of the Magna Carta here in Singapore
The historic Magna Carta, the Great Charter, dates back to 1215. It serves as the foundation of the principles in English Law – later Common Law, which Singapore and the UK both share – that everyone,...
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The Rail Corridor that will be forgotten
I miss the days of the railway. Those were days when the rail corridor, long insulated by the wave of modernisation that swept across Singapore, had a special and a somewhat magical appeal. Free from...
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Keppel Land’s vintage photo competition
I have been alerted to a photo competition that Keppel Land has been running since 2 November. The competition, calls for old photographs that depict the transformation of Singapore’s landscape...
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The Magna Carta goes on display
A 798 year old copy of the Magna Carta, one of four 1217 copies that still exist, goes on display for five days from today at the Supreme Court. The copy, belonging to Hereford Cathedral, is on an...
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The National Gallery Singapore: a sneak peek
After five long years, the transformation of two of Singapore most recognisable National Monuments, the former Supreme Court and City Hall into the National Gallery Singapore, is finally complete. The...
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Ghosts of Forbidden Hill
Fort Canning Hill, the scene of many a schoolboy adventure, is a place I constantly find myself drawn to. The attraction of the hill, where mortals once feared to tread in its days as Bukit Larangan –...
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Highlights: Treasures of the World from the British Museum
It is from the treasure trove of what our ancestors have left behind that we find out much of what makes us who we are, the remarkable progress of the human race, and perhaps the common values that...
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A look at the One Historical Map app
I had a little go at the One Historical Map app that was launched by the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) on Friday. The app, while not by any means perfect, is a useful tool – especially for those like...
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Treasures of the World from the British Museum
The British Museum’s Keeper of the Department of Asia, Ms. Jane Portal, speaking at the opening of the Treasures of the World from the British Museum exhibition. The exhibition, which opened on 4 Dec...
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Adam and eve
As anticipated, Adam stole the show with eve – New Year’s eve that is, bringing Singapore’s jubilee year to a rousing end at Marina Bay Countdown 2016. The event, – Singapore’s largest countdown event,...
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51 photographs taken in Singapore that will take you away from Singapore
Singapore, in its 51st year of independence is sold to the world as an ultra modern metropolis and a shopping and culinary paradise. It is the icons of the new age, such as the futuristic looking...
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Possibly the last village style sundry shop on mainland Singapore
Hidden in a corner of a quiet residential neighbourhood at Rosyth Road, it is easy to miss the Tee Seng Store. Stepping into the store, a village style sundry shop, has one taking a step back some 4, 5...
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A reminder of a time and place forgotten
Masjid Omar Salmah, which stands on an elevation overlooking Jalan Mashhor, is one of only a handful of village style mosques left in Singapore today. The mosque, and its surroundings, remind us...
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