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Lee Bo Yu-photo 4

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Lee Bo Yu-photo 3

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Lee Bo Yu-photo 2

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Lee Bo Yu-photo 1

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Lee Bo Yu-old Geylang
Picture 4

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Lee Bo Yu-old tampinese road temple
Picture 3

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Lee Bo Yu-old Changi hospital
Picture 2

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Lee Bo Yu-national library
Photo 1

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Photo 3 - Old Paya Lebar police station

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Photo 2 - Old Bedok bus interchange

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Picture 2 - Old Changi Hospital

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Picture 1 - Old Geylang

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Old Geylang (picture 4)

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Old Paya Lebar airport (picture 3)

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Old Changi prison (picture 2)

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Old Bedok (picture 1)

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Old geylang

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Old bedok

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Old Changi Hospital

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Photo 4

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Photo 3

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Photo 2

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Photo1

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Photo4_Old Telok Kurua

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Photo3_Old Bedok

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Photo2_Old Tampines

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Photo1_Old Joo Chiat

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Old changi hospital

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Old bedok corner

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Old boadrick secondary school

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Old geylang serai

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Photo4_oldpasir ris

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Photo3_old Changi Hospital

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Photo2_old tampines

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Photo1_old bedok

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Kady(9)

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Old klark quey

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Old changi hospital-pic2

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Old hill street police station-picture

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Photo 04
Memories of old Bedok interchange

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Photo 03
Old Bedok beach

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Photo 02
Bedok rest house

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Photo 4 -old changi

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Photo3-old chai chee

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Photo 01
Bedok rest house

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Photo2-old geylang

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Photo-old changi

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Photo 4 (old chapel)

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Photo 3 (old Changi prison)

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Photo 2 (old Changi hospital)

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Photo 1 (Joo Chiat shophouses)

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Photo 4 - Old Joo Chiat

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Photo 3 - Old Katong

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Photo 2 - Old Pasir Ris

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Photo 1 - Old changi

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Old changi-picture4

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Old gelang-picture

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Old katong-picture2

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Old joo chiat to Tampines

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Photo 4-Old Katong

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Photo 3-Old tampines

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Photo2-Old Telok Kurau

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Photo1- SAF hospital

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Joo Chiat - photo 4
mychewjoochiat.blogspot.sg/2009/04/history-of-mountbatten-road.html?m=1

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Old Bedok - photo 3
goodmorningyesterday.blogspot.sg/2012/10/bedok-rest-house-and-bedok-corner-in.html?m=1

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Old Joo Chiat - photo 2
mychewjoochiat.blogspot.sg/2012/08/nostalgic-joo-chiat.html?m=1

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Old Changi - photo 1
https://remembersingapore.org/old-changi-hospital/

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Old Bedok (picture 4)

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Longtime residents of Bedok may have heard of a grand residence that was once owned by the "king" of Bedok.

It was the Villa Haji Kahar, located at Jalan Haji Salam, off Upper East Coast Road. The grand private residence was named after its first owner Haji Kahar Abdul Ghani (1863-1940), also known as Haji Kahar Palembang due to his birth place in Indonesia.
The "King" of Bedok and his Villa Haji Kahar
Haji Kahar arrived at Singapore at an age of around 20. He took up many odd jobs before starting a barter trading business at North Bridge Road, establishing a trade relationship with his brother at Palembang. It took Haji Kahar 20 years before he had amassed enough wealth to venture into property, coconut and nutmeg plantations, and other businesses.

Haji Kahar even became the first Malay to clinch a distribution license to sell HMV-label albums in his other shop at Muscat Street. In the expansion of his business, Haji Kahar sent his son Haji Mohamed to Jakarta to establish a "triangular" trade between Singapore, Palembang and Jakarta.

In the 1900s, Haji Kahar bought 30 acres of land at Bedok from a Chinese nutmeg plantation owner. The parcel of land, completed with small houses and fruit orchards, cost him about $7,000. Earning a generous $1,000 per month collected from the leasing of his properties, a 50-year-old Haji Kahar decided to dedicate more of his time in the religious study. He would later become active as a Qur'anic teacher at Masjid Al-Taqua at Jalan Bilal, a short distance away from his grand Bedok residence.

At the peak of his business, Haji Kahar was known as the " Raja " ("King" in Malay) of Bedok. He was one of the largest landowners in the vicinity, and had two horse-drawn carriage to ferry him between Bedok and the city. He would later spend $1,190 to replace his carriage with Ford cars.

Despite being extremely wealthy, Haji Kahar was a humble and low-profiled person. The rich entrepreneurs, in the early 20th century, tend to own large parcels of lands and have roads named after them. Haji Kahar, however, refused to accept the renaming of Jalan Haji Salam to Jalan Haji Kahar due to the respect he had of the eldest and most respected villager at Kampong Bedok.

Haji Kahar had a total of 16 children; three with his wife at Palembang, and 13 with his Singapore wife. The decision to build the grand Villa Haji Kahar was motivated by his wishes to bring the family close together. Haji Kahar died in September 1940 at an age of 78, after three years of illness.

After his death, his family did not stay in Villa Haji Kahar for long. In 1942, the Japanese forced the family to sell the estate for $22,000. When the Japanese surrendered three years later, the family's fortune vanished overnight as the Japanese currency became worthless.

Today, Villa Haji Kahar still stands proudly at Jalan Haji Salam, hidden among the new semi-detached houses. The villa was likely to have changed hands many times after it was sold by Haji Kahar's family in the 1940s. Compared to Singapore's other grand private residences built in the early part of the 20th century, Villa Haji Kahar's history is relatively less well-known.

There is also a well-maintained kampong-styled house beside the villa.
Bedok Corner and the Land Reclamation
The Bedok Corner, referring to the sharp bend between Bedok Road and Upper East Coast Road, has been a favourite hangout for the older generations of Singaporeans and also perhaps the British military veterans who had once stationed in Singapore in the fifties and sixties. Many still have fond memories of the place, where the iconic Bedok Rest House was located.

However, subsequent land reclamation projects would alter the appearance and scenic views of Bedok Corner. In 1963, a small-scaled land reclamation project was carried out by the government at the 14km East Coast Road to add 19 hectare of land.

A much larger project called the East Coast Reclamation Scheme was launched in April 1966. This massive land reclamation project, undertaken by the Housing Development Board (HDB), would take almost 20 years and a total cost of $613 million to complete. More than 1,525 hectare of land and 1km of coastline were added, using sand, soil, gravels and rocks taken from the hills at Siglap and Tampines.
Wyman's Haven, Long Beach and the Bedok Rest House
The massive land reclamation saw the decline of a popular Chinese restaurant called Wyman's Haven, located near the junction of Jalan Haji Salam and the Upper East Coast Road. The restaurant was said to have opened in the 1930s and its business flourished after the Second World War, especially in the late fifties. Housed in a large seafront bungalow, the patrons of the restaurant enjoyed a splendid view of the coastline. But the beautiful seaside scenery was gone by the late sixties due to the land reclamation, and this led to the eventual closure of Wyman's Haven.

The Long Beach Seafood Restaurant, on the other hand, survived the effects of the land reclamation. It was established in 1946, serving seafood cuisine popular to both the British military personnel and the locals. Housed at the Bedok Rest House, both the building and restaurant became one of East Coast's most famous landmarks, well-remembered by many for the sandy beach, icycold beer, chilli crab and tea dances.

Although the seaside scenery and vibrant shoreline were altered by the late sixties, Long Beach and its large variety of seafood dishes remained popular with the locals. Its business at the Bedok Corner lasted more than 40 years, before it had to be shut down in the early nineties due to the redevelopment plans in the vicinity. In 1993, the Bedok Rest House and its Long Beach restaurant were demolished, making way for the development of a private residential district called Eastwood Park. The terrace houses of Eastwood Park were completed by 1998.
Kampong Bedok Laut and the Mosques
Bedok Corner used to have two kampong mosques called Masjid Al-Taqua and Masjid Bedok Laut. Masjid Al-Taqua still exists today but Masjid Bedok Laut was demolished along with Kampong Bedok Laut in the early nineties. Kampong mosques are a rarity in present-day Singapore. Unlike modern mosques which integrate large gleaming Indo-Saracenic-styled domes into their roof designs, kampong mosques were much simpler, often capping only a small dome over a pitched zinc roof.

Located at Jalan Bilal, Masjid Al-Taqua had a long history, and was the mosque where Haji Fahar taught his Qur'anic studies in the 1930s. In 1984, the villagers in the vicinity were dismayed when they heard their place of worship, which could accommodate a congregation of 700, would be demolished. It turned out to be a misunderstanding as the government was acquiring the lands around Jalan Bilal but leaving Masjid Al-Taqua intact. After confirming with the Land Office that the mosque would stay on, the mosque trustee approved a $120,000 project to repair the aging building.

Masjid Bedok Laut, on the other hand, did not survive the redevelopment. It was demolished along with the Bedok Rest House and Kampong Bedok Laut. Today, the vicinity is occupied by the private residences of Eastwood Park.

There was also a Muslim cemetery which served as the burial ground for the Muslim residents living at the kampongs around Jalan Bilal, Jalan Haji Salam, Jalan Greja and Jalan Langgar Bedok. It was located near the 14km mark of Upper East Coast Road, beside a Chinese Teochew cemetery named Hwa San Teng (or Wah Suah Teng).

The Bedok Muslim cemetery had about 4,000 graves; its last burial was done in the mid-seventies. Both cemeteries were later exhumed. Their sites were eventually redeveloped into Kew Green Condominium in the late nineties. Hwa San Road, the dirt road that led to the cemeteries, was expunged during the redevelopment.

Kampong Bedok Laut, whose name means Bedok Sea Village, was mainly made up of Malay families; many of them worked as fishermen for generations. Leaving for the sea in early mornings, the fishermen would return by noon with their catches, and laid them along the shoreline to sell to other villagers. The land reclamation project between the sixties and eighties, however, took away the livelihood of many fishermen, who had to switch to hawking of food, drinks and cigarettes. When the kampong was demolished, many of the street hawkers were relocated to the Bedok Corner Hawker Centre.

The face of Bedok Corner has been changing constantly in the past 50 years. In the next decade, it will receive yet another makeover with the opening of Downtown Line's Sungei Bedok MRT Station.

Published: 02 March 2015

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The "King" of Bedok, Villa Haji Kahar and the Bedok Rest House

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Longtime residents of Bedok may have heard of a grand residence that was once owned by the "king" of Bedok. It was the Villa Haji Kahar, located at Jalan Haji Salam, off Upper East Coast Road. The grand private residence was named after its first owner Haji Kahar Abdul Ghani (1863-1940), also known as Haji...

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Old Tampines (picture 3)

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Village school in old Tampines, 1960s - BookSG - National Library Board, Singapore

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This is a picture of pupils playing in front of their school in old Tampines that comprised two attap-roofed wooden buildings. Title devised by Library staff.

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old joo chia

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old Simpang bedok

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old katong

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old joo chiat

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Old Joo Chiat http://femalemag.com.my/travel/you-havent-really-seen-singapore-until-youve-done-these/

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Old Joo Chiat http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/singapore-towns-back-in-the-day

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Old Katong (picture 2)

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The other lost landmarks of Katong were located at the Heart of Katong - from Katong Shopping Centre to Still Road. I will just emphasize on the 4 main icons of Katong - Katong Bakery House, Tay Buan Guan, Joo Chiat Police Station and Katong People's Complex . You can see the map below;

With the old names gone and new names over its place, it's rather difficult to find them if you are not a regular at Katong. Even I am having trouble to locate the old TBG (Tay Buan Guan).
Katong Bakery House aka Red House Bakery
How I missed the fragrance when walking past this bakery shop. When it was there, I don't seem so keen to pop in as it was rather old fashion and crowded. That was many many years ago when I was still in my 20s.

Located at 75 East Coast Road, the eye-catching red colored building has been an icon or landmark of Katong for many years.

It was around for 78 years since 1925 to 2003. It finally came to stop when it was deemed unsafe by the authority. It is said that Katong Bakery was the first to bake a 3-tier western wedding cakes in Singapore around 1920s. This bakery was famous for its curry puff too but I've yet to try it before...

So take a look of it in the past;

Photo Credit : Portrait of Places

And now how it looks (taken on 11 Jan 2008);

A subsidiary of the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis), is the legal owner of the property. So it's currently undergoing restoration works and will it be an office unit or school or remain as a F&B outlet, let's cross our fingers. Glad to know that this icon has been conserved by the authority.

Click here to learn more about this Red House Bakery.
Tay Buan Guan Supermarket
It was probably the first supermarket in the East set up in 1948 by Mr. Tay Leck Teck. Its business was badly affected by the newer shopping area nearby like Parkway Parade, and it finally wound up after 52 years in 2000.

Photo Credit : Portrait of Places

If you see the above photo, besides the name Tay Buan Guan, it also has the name Katong Shopping Centre.

It housed a Chinese emporium called Singapura Emporium, a pharmacy and a costume jewellery shop. This emporium occupied the 1st floor of the 4-storey building. The ground floor and 2nd floor were other departmental stores, while the 3rd floor was roof garden. The ground floor where the supermarket located also had a milk bar.

Click here to learn more about Tay Buan Guan Supermarket.

The TBG was located at 113 East Coast Road, on the same stretch as the Red House Bakery. Though I've walked past this TBG many times, but I've only been to inside only a couple of times, shame right?

So what has it becomes now? It has turned into a shop called "Rumah Bebe", a Peranakan Heritage Home;

But is the structure still the same from afar;

Doesn't look quite the same right? Though there is a year 1928 on the front, but how can we confirm that it was previously the TBG building? Let's examine some 'tell-tale' signs left behind;

There are 2 TBG logos left behind on the 2 side pillars. The rest of the wall tiles and floor tiles, I'm not too sure if they are from the past;

The trishaw above seems to be part of the shop decoration. Now that the TBG was gone, I yearn to go in...are you like me haha?
Joo Chiat Police Station
Of course it's one of those places that I don't wish to go in. I have walked past it and also parked my car on the side road besides it when I wanted to visit that DBS bank there. The DBS bank was located at this GRTH No.66 Building;

On the left of this side road, is the old Joo Chiat Police Station now called the Katong Village or Hong Kong Tea House;

Take a look below when it was still a police station;

Photo Credit : National Archives of Singapore, PICAS

So how old is this Joo Chiat Police Station building? Probably as old as the TBG building, about 80 years old. So when did this police station cease to be one? Maybe in 1980s if I'm not wrong.
Katong People's Complex

Before I end this Old Katong episode, do you know what comes before Katong Mall?

Many may have forgotten the former Katong People's Complex (not to be confused with People's Park Complex though same developer) - the shopping complex with steel structure and gigantic pipes at the exterior. Some said the pipes constituted to the bad fengshui. Built in 1983 and aka 'prison with pipes' back then, the building was struggling with poor business and in 1994, a woman was shot by an unknown gunman.

Now take a look at this Katong People's Complex in 1990;

Photo Credit : National Archives of Singaore, PICAS

Then what's on this site before Katong People's Complex? If you take a look at the 1970s Singapore Street Directory, you may find that it's actually a market before this complex! This market was previously from the now Hock Ann Eating House site. Where is this market now...somehow it has now shifted to Marine Parade.

- Katong History

- Rediscover Katong/ Joo Chiat

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My Old Katong Final Pt.- Other Lost Landmarks

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The other lost landmarks of Katong were located at the Heart of Katong - from Katong Shopping Centre to Still Road. I will just emphasize on the 4 main icons of Katong - Katong Bakery House, Tay Buan Guan, Joo Chiat Police Station and Katong People's Complex .

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Old Joo Chiat (pic 4)

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Old Changi . (Picture1)

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Old Changi Hospital, situated on the small Barrack Hill along Netheravon Road, was a fascinating place with a long history, going all the way back to the mid-thirties as a small British military hospital called Royal Air Force Hospital.

The hospital was captured by the Japanese forces during World War II, and was used as a healthcare facility for the prisoners-of-war detained at the Changi military base nearby.

After the war, the British regained possession of the hospital. It was handed over to the Commonwealth forces in 1971 when the British started withdrawing their troops from an independent Singapore. The hospital was renamed as Anzuk Hospital, where the name Anzuk referred to the Australian, New Zealand and United Kingdom armed forces.

As the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) started to take shape in the early seventies, the Commonwealth forces withdrew gradually. In 1975, Singapore government took over the hospital and converted it to SAF Hospital, which provided medical, surgical and dental healthcare to the servicemen.

Just one year later, SAF Hospital was passed to the Ministry of Health (MOH), which opened it to the public. Combining with nearby Changi Chalet Hospital, the new healthcare center of the eastern side of Singapore, equipped with x-ray devices and emergency services, was now capable of taking care of 150 hospitalised patients.

As the hospital was situated on a hill, the healthcare personnel as well as the patients found it difficult to access various blocks (Block 24, 37 and 161) using the steep flights of stairs. Thus MOH decided to source for another better location. In 1997, the staffs of Changi Hospital were shifted to their new workplace in Simei. Combining with Toa Payoh Hospital, the new site was called Changi General Hospital.

For many years, Old Changi Hospital remained vacant and unattended. Shortly after its abandonment, it became one of the favourite spots in Singapore for ghost sighting. Haunted stories about the hospital spread like wild fire, but the sources were never confirmed.

In 2006, Singapore Land Authority (SLA) invited private investments to develop the hospital. Real estate company Bestway Properties won the contract to turn the historical site into a lifestyle haven of resorts, spas and restaurants. However, the plans never materialised, probably due to the 2008 financial crisis, and the site was returned to SLA in 2010. The forgotten hospital was vacated once more.

Published: 17 May 2011

Updated: 04 October 2013

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Old Changi Hospital, situated on the small Barrack Hill along Netheravon Road, was a fascinating place with a long history, going all the way back to the mid-thirties as a small British military hospital called Royal Air Force Hospital. The hospital was captured by the Japanese forces during World War II, and was used as...

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Old Toa Payoh
https://remembersingapore.org/2012/05/11/from-villages-to-flats-part-2/

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Old Changi_photo 3

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Photo 2 - Paya Lebar Airport
http://www.changiairport.com/content/dam/cacorp/about-us/1.1-our%20story/timeline-content/1960/x1959.jpg.pagespeed.ic.rx7QR3zo7v.jpg
The airport was built from 1952 to 1955

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Photo 4 - Old Toa Payoh , Kim Keat
https://remembersingapore.org/2012/05/11/from-villages-to-flats-part-2/

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Photo 1 - Old changi Hospital
https://thatlifeadri.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/oldhospital.jpg
Founded:1935

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Photo 3 - Old Bugis
https://remembersingapore.org/2012/05/11/from-villages-to-flats-part-2/

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Old Joo Jiat Road_picture 2
http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/pictures/Details/aa5c15a1-eaf9-404a-bd2b-b3ed6fba2f97

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Picture3- old changi

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Tan yi feng (30) picture 4
Old changi

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Old katong

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Old Choo Jiat Road_photo 1
http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/pictures/Details/375574fc-7485-48bb-8dac-6d725c61633e

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Old Joo chiat

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Old telok kurau-picture4

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Photo3-old changi

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Photo 2 - Old Jurong Town
http://www.juronggrc.sg/goh_keng_swee

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Photo 1 - Old Raffles'Square
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Photographic_Views_of_Singapore_Plate_03_Raffles%27_Square.jpg#filehistory

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http://mychewjoochiat.blogspot.sg/2010/11/joo-chiat-road-past-present.htmlhttp://mychewjoochiat.blogspot.sg/2010/11/joo-chiat-road-past-present.html

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http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yo6hIZgOOVI/Tv27Huf9ToI/AAAAAAAAAwA/uStrAOm9VwQ/s1600/Joo+Chiat+Road+1920s.jpghttp://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yo6hIZgOOVI/Tv27Huf9ToI/AAAAAAAAAwA/uStrAOm9VwQ/s1600/Joo+Chiat+Road+1920s.jpg

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Erin Nadiah Bte Azrin (6)
Photo 4- Old Katong
https://timesofmylife.wordpress.com/2008/01/16/my-old-katong-final-pt-other-lost-landmarks/

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Erin Nadiah Bte Azrin(6)
Photo 3- Old Joo chiat
This 1984 photograph depicts Joo Chiat Road, towards Joo Chiat Lane on the left. Joo Chiat Road and Joo Chiat Lane are named after Chew Joo Chiat, a well-known Chinese landowner and coconut plantation owner.

http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/pictures/Details/aa5c15a1-eaf9-404a-bd2b-b3ed6fba2f97