Clik here to view.
Sungei Road Thieves’ Market – From Beginning Till the End
It was popularly known as Sungei Road Thieves’ Market, or Sungei Road Flea Market. In the past, it was also known as gek sng kio (“frosted bridge” in Hokkien and Teochew, referring to the former...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Exploring the Ruins of Syonan Jinja at MacRitchie Reservoir
During the Japanese Occupation, the Japanese constructed two of their sacred sites in Singapore. One was the Syonan Chureito at the top of Bukit Batok Hill, while the other was the better-known Syonan...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Little Guilin and the Former Granite Quarries of Singapore
According to Singapore’s geological map, the island’s strongest rock formation is found at the Gombak Norite, where its rock is tested to be more than ten times stronger than concrete. During its...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Goodbye to the old Golden Shoe Hawker Centre
Many refer it to the Golden Shoe Hawker Centre, although its formal name was known as the Market Street Food Centre. Located at second and third levels of the Golden Shoe Carpark, the 33-year old food...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Boon Lay, JTC and the En-Bloc Flats
As part of the early industrial development of Jurong, small residential estates were built to accommodate the increasing workers’ population as well as the resettled farmers and fishermen from the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
First Toa Payoh Secondary School No More
Although Toa Payoh was the second satellite town in Singapore after Queenstown, it was the first to be built solely by the Housing and Development Board (HDB). In 1968, First Toa Payoh Secondary School...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Nostalgic Coloured Photos of Former Seng Poh Road Market
In the late 1940s, Tiong Bahru was recovering from the horrors of the Second World War. Jobs were scarce, so many turned to street hawking. A new market emerged at Tiong Bahru, converted from two old...
View ArticleClik here to view.
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...
View ArticleSingapore’s Street of Religious Harmony (Part II) – 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...
View ArticleA Final Look at the Old Woodlands Town Centre
The Old Woodlands Town Centre was closed on 30 November 2017, after 37 years. The small town centre, with six blocks of low-rise flats (1A-6A), was situated only 500m away from the causeway. Hence, for...
View ArticleChanges in the City – Afro-Asia Building
One of the oldest office buildings at the Central Business District (CBD), the Afro-Asia Building will be demolished and replaced by a new 19-storey tower that is expected to cost $320 million in...
View ArticleSloane 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...
View ArticleOur Favourite Games of Yesteryears
Large open spaces, some creativity, lots of stamina, and simple improvised materials using sticks, stones, tin cans. All these added to the recipe for games that provided hours of fun and joy for the...
View ArticleVanished 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....
View ArticleA 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...
View ArticleClosure (Partial) of Tanglin Halt Close
The loop made up of Tanglin Halt Road and Tanglin Halt Close was once the witness of the rise of Singapore’s earliest light industrial development program. When the iconic 10-storey Tanglin Halt flats...
View ArticleRoads Named after Cargo Boats, and the Vanished Charcoal/Firewood Trade at...
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...
View ArticleThe 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...
View ArticleSingapore Trivia – Old Dragons of Whampoa and Toa Payoh
Two dragons have been standing tall at the heartlands of Whampoa and Toa Payoh for more than 40 years. Both of them were built in the late sixties and early seventies, as landmarks and identities for...
View ArticleMemories of Ah Meng, Inuka and Other Singapore’s Favourite Animal Stars
Many Singaporeans visited the Singapore Zoo to catch the last glimpse of their favourite Inuka, after learning about the news of its declining health. The world’s only tropical polar bear was...
View Article