Tanjong Pagar Walkabout...

Note: the above map are not to scale
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Alight at Outram MRT Station and exit by Exit G. Walk along Cantonment Road and turn into Neil Road. Look out for No. 140 Neil Road (1) which is opposite the Pinnacle @ Duxton. This was the address of the first People’s Action Party (PAP) branch in Tanjong Pagar and the Party’s HQs from 1955 to 1957. In 1955, Mr Lee Kuan Yew contested and won the Tanjong Pagar constituency in a 3-cornered fight by the largest number of votes. 2 years later, Tanjong Pagar residents returned him as their representative in a by-election. This paved the way for the PAP to form the first government under self-rule in 1959.


Not too far away is this unusually shaped Duxton Plain Park (2). This originates from when the Malayan Railway was realigned in the 1930s. The former line, which cut across Chinatown here (continuing north toward Orchard Rd and crossing it via a bridge roughly where Centrepoint is now) was removed, leaving this unusual, elongated park. The part around the bridge is currently undergoing a facelift.
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Aw Boon Haw constructed his pharmaceutical factory here in the early 1920s. “Eng Aun Tong” (3) (Hall of Everlasting Peace), as it was known, was easily distinguished by its cupola and the giant replica of a Tiger Balm jar atop the building.

^Eng Aun Tong now (left) and Eng Aun Tong then (right)

^This little can of Tiger Balm ointment effectively relieves everyday aches and pains. I remember my mum always applied this on me when I was very young, whether it was stomach-ache, mosquito bites, cold or cough... :)

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^Craig Road (4) was named after Captain J. Craig, a member of the Merchant Service Guild and an Officer of the Zetland Lodge, a club in the early days.

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^Yan Kit Road (5) was named after a noted Dentist Look Yan Kit. Look Yan Kit, a Cantonese dentist trained in Hong Kong came to Singapore in 1877 and soon became a wealthy and popular figure with a rich clientele. He owned two rubber plantations and 70 houses and was one of the founding fathers of the Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital constructed in 1910.

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^Yan Kit Swimming Pool (6) is also named after Look Yan Kit. It was the oldest and smallest public swimming pool in Singapore until it was redeveloped into an Olympic size pool in the late 1990s.

Since the day this pool closed its doors, I kept wondering what would take over its place. Years after years, I'm still wondering..., still wondering...

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^In front of Block 7 is the Vanda Miss Joaquim – The Pavilion (7). Miss Agnes Joaquim is the person who put our national flower, the Vanda Miss Joaquim, on the world’s orchid atlas. She discovered this hybrid orchid. This Pavilion marks the site of Ms Joaquim’s residence. Even though the house which Ms Joaquim lived had been destroyed, the memory of her existence remains. Vanda Miss Joaquim was first discovered in the garden of Ms. Joaquim in Tanjong Pagar in 1893… more history can be found on the storyboards.

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^Tanjong Pagar Road (8). One of the main routes for the transportation of goods between the Tanjong Pagar Docks and the godowns on the Singapore River in the early days, this gently winding road, flanked by shophouses of various architectural styles along its hilly terrain, has a unique and picturesque appearance.

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Duxton Road & Duxton Hill (9)

These streets, with shophouses typifying the transitional Shophouse Style, were named after “Duxton”, the home of Dr Jose D’Almeida, a Portuguese doctor from Macao who set up a dispensary at Commercial Square (now Raffles Place).

shophouses along Duxton Road...

shophouses along Duxton Hill...

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Neil Road (10). Formerly known as Salat Road, it was the first track laid through the nutmeg plantations in the 1830s. It was renamed Neil Road in 1858 after one of the heroes of the Indian Mutiny of 1857 in Calcutta.

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9A & 11A Neil Road (11). were among the 32 shophouses restored by URA in 1988. The pilot restoration project demonstrated the government’s commitment to conservation and boosted private sector confidence in conservation.

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“Fan Tsai Mei: Foreign Brothels & Gambling Dens” (12). There were many non-Chinese brothels in Chinatown, especially Japanese ones. They were clustered around Trengganu, Banda and Spring Streets, earning the latter two streets the nickname ‘Foreign Brothels Corner’.

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South Bridge Road (13) was built in 1833 by convict labour. In the early days of the settlement, South Bridge Road was one of the main roads cutting through the island and is the oldest street in Chinatown.

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A hill once stood in the vicinity of Maxwell Road called Mount Erskine, it was named after J.J. Erskine, a member of the Penang government council, who probably resided on this hill in 1824. Mount Erskine is best known for its health and social welfare services. St. Andrew’s Mission Hospital was at Erskine Road (14) from 1923 to 1948.

^top left: now a boutique hotel along Erskine Road.

^top right: former site of St Andrew's Mission Hospital

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^Jinrikisha Station (15) was constructed in 1903 to ease the heavy load of the Station in Middle Road. The jinrikisha (the original name for “rickshaw”) was introduced to Singapore in 1880 from Shanghai. The architect was D.M. Craik while Samuel Tomlinson was the civil engineer. Eventually, the rickshaws themselves were replaced by more efficient means of transport, including the trishaw, the electric tram, the bus and the car.

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^Maxwell Road Food Centre (16) reopened for business on Tuesday 15 May 2001. It was closed on 1 Sep 2000 for major renovation. The renovation was originally scheduled for completion on 28 Feb 2001 because of the need to strengthen the foundation of the 65-year old market which was found to be badly corroded.

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^Fairfield Methodist Church (17) located at 1 Tanjong Pagar Rd. This building began as the Metropole Cinema in the 1960s and was converted into the Fairfield Methodist Church in the 1990s.

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^At the side of The URA Centre, beside Kadayanallur St, you will find the sculpture entitled “Samsui Women” (18). The figures, carved from solid dusky-pink granite with rough textured finishing, reflects the hardship and the perseverance of these tough women.

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^At The URA Centre main entrance, you can find a sculpture entitled “Celestial Earth” (19). It comprises the two elementary forms: a square cored from the centre of a circular frame. This embodies the Confucian philosophy of square within; circle without.

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^Peck Seah Street (20) was named after Seah Peck Seah, the son of prominent merchant, Seah Eu Chin, and brother of Seah Liang Seah. He was a Justice of the Peace and the first Honorary Treasurer of the Straits Chinese British Association. The Seah family was the helm of the Ngee Ann Kongsi, an organization founded by the Teochew community in Singapore, for many decades.

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^This building was formerly occupied by the Traffic Police (21). It was built in 1928 by the Colonial government. It was a landmark in those days as it also served as a driving test centre. It shifted to its current Kampong Ubi site in 1999.

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^Cast bronze sculpture “REACHING” (22) by Sun Yu-Li. REACHING symbolizes our progress and infinite possibilities of growth.

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^Wallich Street (23) is named after Dr Nathaniel Wallich of the Calcutta Botanic Gardens who established the first gardens in Singapore. Dr Wallich also served as Superintendent of the Botanic Gardens at Fort Canning which were discontinued in 1829.