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MEDIA RELEASE For immediate release DISCOVER MORE ABOUT BALESTIER’S RICH HISTORY AND LESSER-KNOWN STORIES WITH REFRESHED HERITAGE TRAIL National Heritage Board (NHB)’s refreshed Balestier Heritage Trail doubles its offerings with an expanded narrative of the Balestier story Singapore, 22 November 2018 – Balestier is known for its food and lighting shops, but did you know that it has also served as an important medical hub since the 1860s? The healthcare institutions in Balestier tended to the wounded in World War II, played a pivotal role in treating and controlling the tuberculosis outbreaks in the 1950s and SARS in 2003, and trained generations of medical students. The significant role Balestier has played in Singapore’s healthcare history is a part of the new offerings of the refreshed Balestier Heritage Trail. 2 The Balestier Heritage Trail was first launched in 2006, and has been updated to provide a fuller picture of the area’s heritage, including its lesser-known history. The trail’s physical boundaries have been expanded beyond the immediate Balestier precinct to parts of the neighbouring Novena area and now include various healthcare institutions, clubs and associations, former country homes, former industries and public housing estates. As a result, the trail now features 30 new sites and three new trail markers, bringing the total number of sites and markers to 56 and 16 respectively. These are divided into three thematic routes that allow Singaporeans to explore different facets of Balestier. 3 Mr Alvin Tan, Assistant Chief Executive (Policy & Community), NHB, said: “We will continue to enrich the content of our existing trails such as the Balestier Heritage Trail by featuring new content, offering thematic trail experiences and soliciting community contributions. In doing so, we hope that Singaporeans will be encouraged to venture off the well-trodden path laid out by the previous trail and rediscover Balestier’s heritage anew.” A refreshed trail presenting the most comprehensive narrative of Balestier to date 4 The refreshed Balestier Heritage Trail is the result of a year-long process of research, in-depth interviews with members of the community, and public calls for contributions of images and memories. In this latest refresh, the expansion of the trail’s boundaries and the addition of 30 new heritage sites has resulted in the most comprehensive picture of Balestier to date, including a greater focus on its contributions to Singapore’s healthcare history. 5 The story of Balestier can be traced from its origins as a plantation in the 1840s, to its development into a residential neighbourhood, where shophouses, country homes, religious and healthcare institutions were established. The area is named after Joseph Balestier, the first American Consul to Singapore, who owned a large sugarcane plantation there. After the plantation’s decline and his departure, the colonial government took over the land and divided it into plots for purchase by the public to meet the needs of the growing population. This led to the development of Balestier as a residential precinct with its own medical facilities, educational institutions, industries and employment opportunities, and food and lifestyle offerings. 6 The new highlights of the refreshed Balestier Heritage Trail include: ▪ Our healthcare heritage at the former grounds of Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) TTSH was the first hospital established by the community in 1847 at Pearl’s Hill and it catered to people of all classes and races, before moving to the Balestier area in 1860. It played a vital role in providing medical care for tuberculosis patients in the 1950s, and has nurtured generations of medical professionals who lived and worked at the old TTSH nurses’ quarters, including current Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir. TTSH’s former pavilion wards trace their beginnings to 1909, and have a unique architectural design based on an idea by well- known British nurse Florence Nightingale, which called for greater air circulation and good lighting for the benefit of recovering patients. ▪ Our aviation history at Balestier Plain The very first commercial flight to Singapore – a Royal Dutch Air Service (now KLM) – landed in Balestier in 1927, en route to Jakarta. The landing field, built on Balestier Plain, soon proved to be too short for aircraft to take off from and was eventually converted into a sports field. It continues to be used today for sports by clubs and associations along the road, including the Singapore Indian Association, whose foundation stone was laid by then Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1950, and the Ceylon Sports Club, reputed to have the best cricket ground in Singapore. ▪ Our early public housing Balestier was also where the first public housing estate built by the Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT) under the British colonial rule was located. The first estate of low-rise units called Artisans’ Quarters was built at Lorong Limau in 1932. Subsequent blocks at Whampoe Estate and Rayman Estate generated public interest as they were built using a new prefabricated design that allowed them to be completed within just three months. These quarters have since been redeveloped in the 1970s into Housing & Development Board flats. The Rayman Market, part of the Rayman Estate, is now the popular Whampoa Makan Place. Enhanced experience with thematic trails and technology 7 Members of the public can look forward to three thematic walking trails catering to different interests, and allowing trail-goers to experience Balestier in a more bite-sized and accessible manner. The three thematic trails are as follows: ▪ For history enthusiasts: Historical Landmarks of Balestier Road is a 45-minute introductory route to the area’s history and heritage, presenting key historical landmarks that have shaped Balestier Road. (1.7km) ▪ For lifestyle buffs and foodies: Faith, Film and Food explores in 90 minutes the places of worship, traditional food trades, and landmarks that tell the story of when Balestier was at the heart of the golden age of Malay cinema. (2.3km) ▪ For architecture lovers: Building Balestier highlights, over two hours, the architectural diversity of Balestier and features shophouses, temples and other buildings which give Balestier its unique and colourful character. (3km) 8 The refreshed Balestier Heritage Trail is one of 18 heritage trails launched by NHB as part of its ongoing efforts to document and promote the distinct histories and memories of different areas in which Singaporeans live, work and play. The Balestier Heritage Trail’s companion guide and map are available in four languages, and can be downloaded from NHB’s heritage portal, Roots.sg (English versions will be available from today, while Chinese, Malay and Tamil versions will be available from December). Hard copies of the companion guide can be picked up at the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall. 9 For more information, please refer to: ● Annex A: Eight things you probably didn’t know about Balestier ● Annex B: List of heritage sites on the refreshed Balestier Heritage Trail ● Annex C: Balestier Heritage Trail trail markers ● Annex D: Refreshed Balestier Heritage Trail – Three thematic trail routes ● Annex E: Heritage trails developed by the National Heritage Board - END - About the National Heritage Board The National Heritage Board (NHB) was formed on 1 August 1993. As the custodian of Singapore’s heritage, NHB is responsible for telling the Singapore story, sharing the Singaporean experience and imparting our Singapore spirit. NHB’s mission is to preserve and celebrate the shared heritage of our diverse communities, for the purpose of education, nation-building and cultural understanding. It manages the national museums and heritage institutions, and sets policies relating to heritage sites, monuments and the national collection. Through the national collection, NHB curates heritage programmes and presents exhibitions to connect the past, present and future generations of Singaporeans. NHB is a statutory board under the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth. Please visit www.nhb.gov.sg for more information. For media enquiries, please contact: Amanda Phua Cherell Soon Tate Anzur Tate Anzur 6568 9147 6568 9143 [email protected] [email protected] ANNEX A Eight things you probably didn’t know about Balestier ‘Chicago of the East’ is not the name of a Broadway production, but the name given to the Toa Payoh area, infamous for rampant gang and criminal activities. The violence spilled over to Balestier, which even saw the shooting of a police detective 1 in broad daylight in 1947. The gangs’ grip on the area loosened when the police stepped up patrols and launched major operations, cracking down on secret societies and gang leaders. Balestier Road is a popular foodies’ haunt today, with a rich food and culinary heritage. The area’s reputation for good food grew as it transformed into a residential neighbourhood in the early 1900s. The Balestier Market, built in 1922, 2 is Singapore’s only surviving rural market building and was known by a variety of names including Tee Pa Sat (iron market) and Or Kio Pa Sat (black bridge market). Balestier is also known as the go-to place for lighting and bathroom wares, and it has a history as an industrial precinct, having been the site of a sugarcane and rum production business, dye-houses, timber yards, rubber factories, rattan factories, 3 and even a brick kiln over the years. Malaya’s first film studio was built in Balestier, at 8 Jalan Ampas, in 1940. The studio was started by the Shaw brothers and produced early Malay films including Mutiara (1940) and Topeng Shaitan (1941). It was renamed Malay Film Productions after 4 World War II, and produced hundreds of Malay films to the Golden Age of Malay Cinema between the late 1940s and late 1960s. The only pre-war villa in Balestier that still stands today is known as Wan Qing Yuan, and houses the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall.