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The Stallwood houses
In Singapore, Herbert Athill Stallwood is probably better known for his effort in documenting the Old Christian Cemetery on Fort Canning Hill. What perhaps is not as well known is the legacy that he...
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Singapore in 1941 from the Harrison Forman Collection
Singapore in 1941 seems a year that was well documented by the international media. We have seen an extensive set of photographs taken by Carl Mydans’ for LIFE magazine, which show both scenes in...
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Parting glances: the Siglap flats
A final look at the set of four Housing and Development Board (HDB) built blocks of flats that have long been a curious sight at the junction of Upper East Coast Road and Siglap Road. Each five-storeys...
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Parting glances: the last of the 1G overhead bridges
Singapore’s first pedestrian overhead bridge, a simple structure of steel tubing and timber plank decking, was installed over Collyer Quay in 1964. A dozen more with improved first generation...
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The Native American chief’s son who was buried at Bidadari
Joseph Thunderface was the son of Native American Chief MJ Thunderface. The elder Thunderface, a native American actor and circus performer, had come over to the East to perform in a rodeo show. The...
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The lovely red-brick residences of northern Singapore
Among the earliest permanent residences that the Admiralty’s contractor Sir John Jackson and Co put up in Sembawang as part of the construction of the naval base, are a lovely and quite unique...
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When Kallang counted among the world’s best airports
Changi Airport today has the reputation of being one of the world’s foremost airports. It wasn’t however the first airport in Singapore to win that accolade. Singapore’s very first civil airport,...
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West meets East, North meets South
Great news! Phaedra, a Greek tragedy, refreshingly reinterpreted through a combination of traiditional Chinese southern and northern performing art forms (Nanyin and Peking Opera) combined with modern...
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Northern journeys: where Admiralty Road’s East meets West
Thought of as “ulu” or remote, Sembawang is still a place where much of the past seems still to be around. It is for this reason that it is still one of the prettiest area of Singapore even if some of...
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Tanglin’s 1884 garrison chapel?
There is little doubt that The White Rabbit, an exclusive dining destination in the former Tanglin Barracks, occupies a building that was built as a small church. The only question is when. Little does...
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Cashin’s Pier, lost and found
Built by Alexander Cashin in 1906 to provide for the transportation of rubber from the Cashin estate to Kranji, The Pier in Lim Chu Kang became a retreat for the Cashin family in the 1920s when it was...
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Aviation Milestones: first regular intercontinental flights out of Singapore
The first regular flights from/to Singapore to/from Europe operated out of RAF Seletar. The RAF air station, which was completed in 1930, played host to the first regular air services connecting...
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(Book launch) My Father’s Kampung: A History of Aukang and Punggol
Aukang (or Owkang), as Hougang was called before the adoption of hanyin-pinyin names forced a reset, is one of several previously rural parts of Singapore that is associated with the Teochew community....
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A memory of Changi Chalet Hospital
A guest post by Edmund Arozoo. Once of Jalan Hock Chye, Edmund takes us on a walk back in time from Adelaide in South Australia, to his days as a radiographer in the small and little known Changi...
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A hundred and more steps to an unexplored heaven
Have you ever wondered what lies behind Singapore’s most famous clock face, or what keeps the clock ticking? Victoria Theatre and Victoria Concert Hall – and it famous clock tower, lies atthe heart of...
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Robinsons – after 162 years it has sadly come to this
Robinsons, long a feature on Singapore’s retail scene, is a store that I have always associated with Christmas shopping. I loved the fabulous toy department as a child – when the store was at its...
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Colonial Changi – a virtual tour
Join me on a virtual tour of Colonial Changi (including Old Changi Hospital) during Temasek Polytechnic’s Global Community Day, from 9 to 15 November 2020 (public virtual tours available on 15...
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Motoring Days on Orchard Road
It is hard to imagine it today, but Singapore’s famous main shopping street, Orchard Road, was once lined with car showrooms and motor workshops. Car brands such as Volkswagen, Mercedes Benz, Austin,...
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Still an enchanted space
As Singapore seeks to “Singaporeanise” the once magical former rail corridor, another former railway space belonging to the former Jurong Line in the form of the (now extended and spruced up) railway...
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The Crazy-Rich-Asian mansion at Dhoby Ghaut
Described as a Victorian-style mansion, the mansion of shipowner Teo Hoo Lye once graced the site that is now occupied by The Cathay. Built in 1913 and demolished in the late 1930s, the mansion was —...
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