Bkttimah Trail-Path
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Researcher-Writer : November Tan Peng Ting Photographer : Ung Ruey Loon Project Manager : Tan Shin Min Commissioned by National Heritage Board The idea of cutting Bukit Timah Road was !rst considered in 1827 when John Prince, Acting Resident of the Straits Settlements, explored Bukit Timah in preparation for the cutting of a road. One of the original purposes The opening of the road of this road was to allow also provided the Chinese access to the highest point businessmen access to on the island. In 1843, a undeveloped land further in carriageway was completed the interior of the island leading up to the hill where where they could clear and a small hut with chairs was cultivate gambier and available for colonial visitors pepper plantations without who found the air cooler paying for the land. and fresher. By 1845, Bukit However, working in these Timah Road was extended plantations in the 1800s was to as far as Kranji in the a dangerous occupation. By north. This, therefore, made 1860, almost 200 plantation the road one of the earliest workers were reported killed roads leading out of town to by tigers that roamed the the unexplored wilderness in Bukit Timah area. In 1859, Bukit Timah: the hinterlands and the then Governor William A Misnomer? longest road in Singapore Orfeur Cavenagh arranged from north to south. for selected Indian convicts to patrol the area which The !rst people to travel resultantly killed six tigers in from north to south of one year alone. The tigers Singapore via Bukit Timah were believed to have swum Road were J T Thomson and from Johor to Kranji and Dr Robert Little in 1855 who were sometimes seen took a total of four days on entangled in the nets and horseback! !shing stakes of the kelongs. Being the main road linking Singapore to Johor, Bukit Timah became instrumental during World War II for the Japanese troops to march from Johor into Singapore. As such, Bukit Timah witnessed much of the historical moments during the war. Emile Brizay, a French structural engineer, was the architect behind the Art Deco Style design of the Ford Factory in 1941. Of all the buildings by Brizay, three of the !ve houses built in the Bukit Timah area still remain today. They can be found at Brizay Park, named after the architect himself, o" Bukit Timah Road and Old Holland Road near the Methodist Girls’ School. He was also responsible for the St Teresa’s Church at Kampong Bahru Road which still stands today. Represented as two hills in an 1828 map, Bukit Timah Hill stands at 163.63m and is the highest point in Singapore. It is also the heart of the !rst Nature Reserve on the island. Formerly a granite quarry in the 19th century and surrounded by vast stretches of plantation and primary rainforest, it is a place where tigers once roamed freely. A stone’s throw from the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve at the 7th milestone is Beauty World. Although now pale in comparison to its bustling and colourful past, many old timers in the community still remember this entertainment and shopping venue that served the residents in the vicinity. Collection of F W York, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts collection, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore Collection of Ronni Pinsler, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore Although Bukit Timah today is associated with the rich and famous, many are not aware that it has a rural past and that it evolved into an industrial hub after World War II as part of British e"orts in rebuilding the economy. Collection of Singapore Press Holdings, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore Thematic Road Names There are several thematic clusters in the naming of roads o" Bukit Timah. Many of these are named after various trees or plants such as the evergreen temperate tree species which lent their name to roads such as Redwood Avenue and Cypress Avenue. This area was previously known as Eden Park. Other clusters include the Jambu roads such as Jalan Jambu, Jalan Jambu Batu and Jalan Jambu Ayer which are names of various local fruits in Malay. There is also a cluster of roads with alliterating #ower names beginning with the letter L such as Lotus Avenue and Lily Avenue. Malay Road Names Many of the roads o" Bukit Timah have Malay origins which indicate a vibrant Malay community in the past. Some roads are named after popular Malay cakes or kueh such as Jalan Bingka and Jalan Keria. Others are named after plants such as Jalan Siantan, Jalan Gaharu and Jalan Pandan. Collection of Singapore Press Holdings, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore Courtesy of National Archives of Singapore Collection of K F Wong, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore Tan Kah Kee (1874-1961) A prominent leader of the Chinese Hokkien community, Tan Kah Kee came to Singapore penniless in 1891 to work at his father’s sundry shop. Within the next 50 years, he made his fortune in the rubber business and was known as the “Henry Ford of Malaya”. He was also known for his philanthropy, especially in his dedication to the education sector. He founded many schools, including The Chinese High School (1919), Tao Nan School (1906), Ai Tong School (1912) and Nan Chiau High School (1947) amongst others. He also set up the Amoy University, now known as Xiamen University in China. His son-in-law, Lee Kong Chian who founded the Lee Foundation was also the Chairman of Chinese High School (1931-1956) and Chancellor of the University of Singapore at Pei Hwa Presbyterian next to the church to serve Singapore, Reverend the village children, the William Oldham, the Primary School school expanded over the founder of Anglo-Chinese 7 Pei Wah Ave years. During WWII, the School, requested the Named the Road End Free school was destroyed but Women’s Foreign Missionary School and established in was rebuilt after the war Society to send a woman 1889 by the Glory Presby- with the help of local volunteer for this cause. As terian Church, the school residents. One endearing such, Sophia Blackmore, an was later renamed Pei Hwa story about this school is Australian missionary, Presbyterian Primary School. that during the frequent arrived in Singapore in 1887 The church is the third Bukit Timah #oods in the and subsequently founded oldest Chinese-speaking 1960s, teachers would carry the school. It was the !rst Presbyterian congregation in their pupils in their arms educational institution for Singapore, formed in 1881 by one at a time so that they girls established in Reverend JAB Cook. He was would not slip and fall into Singapore by the appointed by the the waters. Methodists. Its started as Presbyterian Church of the Tamil Girls’ School England to oversee (1887) and was later missionary work among the Methodist Girls' School renamed Methodist Mission Chinese in Singapore. His 11 Blackmore Drive Girls’ School in the 1890s work with the Chinese at Located at Mount Sophia for and during WWII, it was Bukit Timah eventually led to more than a hundred years known as the Mount Sophia the founding of the Glory since its founding in 1887, Presbyterian Church. Methodist Girls’ School Girls’ School. moved to its current Starting out as a small location at Blackmore Drive community school in a in 1992. Realising the need Blackmore Drive wooden structure located for girls’ education in This new road o" Bukit Timah Road was opened in 1992 to give access to the Methodist Girls’ School, which moved here from Mount Sophia in the same year. Ironically, while many mistakenly believed that Mount Sophia was named after the school’s founder, it was actually its current location at Blackmore Drive that was named in honour of its founder, Sophia Blackmore, who died in 1946. She was the !rst single female missionary to be sent to Singapore by the Methodist Episcopal Church. She founded several Methodist schools for girls, including Methodist Girls’ School and Fair!eld Methodist Girls’ School. Mount Sophia was instead named after both Sir Stamford Ra$es’ second wife and his niece who were named Sophia. St Margaret's and ensured more e"ective Secondary School management. 111 Farrer Road It was !rst located in a With its humble beginnings in shophouse in Dhoby Ghaut in a shophouse along North 1917 before the two schools Bridge Road in 1842, St moved to King’s Road in 1927. Margaret’s School was However, upon breaking founded by Mrs Maria Dyer, a away, Nanyang Primary missionary from London. Like School found a new home Methodist Girls’ School, St nearby at 51 Coronation Margaret’s called Mount Road. When the Nanyang Sophia home from 1861 to Girls’ High School moved to 1959 where it was a full its current location at Linden school serving students from Drive, Nanyang Primary primary one to secondary School moved back to its four, complete with boarding original home at Bukit Timah house. on 52 King’s Road. Originally named the Chinese Raffles Girls' Girls School, it was renamed in Nanyang Girls' 1900 by the Church of Primary School England Zenanah Missionary High School 21 Hillcrest Road Society (CEZMS) as the CEZMS 2 Linden Drive School. During WWII, the Founded by a group of Chinese businessmen led by Ra$es Girls’ Primary School, school building was severely together with Ra$es Girl’s damaged and after the war, Mr Tan Chu Nan, Mr Teo Eng Hock and other Chinese School, were originally the Bishop of Singapore established on 4 March 1844 renamed the school St.