Siglap

[soikee]

In memory of Susan Lim part 3:

[video=youtube;D9YtRyQR_lA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9YtRyQR_lA[/video]

 

[THE_CHANSTER]

Slightly off-topic from the theme of this thread but can anyone shed some light on the history of Kembangan?
I know it was previously a Malay Kampong but was it also a burial ground as well? I am specifically interested in the area bordered by Lengkong Tiga and Jalan Selamat.

Would very much like to learn about the history of the place.

 

[eatshitndie]

Slightly off-topic from the theme of this thread but can anyone shed some light on the history of Kembangan?
I know it was previously a Malay Kampong but was it also a burial ground as well? I am specifically interested in the area bordered by Lengkong Tiga and Jalan Selamat.

Would very much like to learn about the history of the place.

there's a malay cemetery up siglap road to the fidelio triangle that looks like a bushy twat from a helicopter. pretty large clump of wooded area and greenery. right next to it is a new freehold development going for sgd1400 per sq ft back in 2011.

 

[rover2sg]

Do you guys have any more details or pictures of the shophouses at the corner of woo mun chew and east coast road? I am compliing some details of the changes in the siglap area and saw this greenish shophouses. Horrible colour but very noticeable. Is there any history of any significant in this area besides the barber shop? I grew up in the siglap area as well. Thanks.

The "green" facade was started by a durian retailer company when they took over the whole shop,. They still have a main shop at the junction of Joo Chiat Place and Still Road.

 

[nato33]

Slightly off-topic from the theme of this thread but can anyone shed some light on the history of Kembangan?
I know it was previously a Malay Kampong but was it also a burial ground as well? I am specifically interested in the area bordered by Lengkong Tiga and Jalan Selamat.

Would very much like to learn about the history of the place.

I looked through a 1964 Street Directory and it does not show any Malay cemetery in the areas you mentioned. But there is a Mydin Mosque along Jalan Lapang (in between Jalan Selamat and Jalan Sayang). I believe the Mosque is still there.

 

[nato33]

Slightly off-topic from the theme of this thread but can anyone shed some light on the history of Kembangan?
I know it was previously a Malay Kampong but was it also a burial ground as well? I am specifically interested in the area bordered by Lengkong Tiga and Jalan Selamat.

Would very much like to learn about the history of the place.

Two old photos of LKY touring Kembangan area as captioned in the PICAS photo. Although with the massive changes, its quite impossible to tell where is this area exactly.

Try checking http://picas.nhb.gov.sg/picas/public/internetSearch/index.jsp and you can find more similar old photos.

 

[THE_CHANSTER]

Two old photos of LKY touring Kembangan area as captioned in the PICAS photo. Although with the massive changes, its quite impossible to tell where is this area exactly.

Try checking http://picas.nhb.gov.sg/picas/public/internetSearch/index.jsp and you can find more similar old photos.

Many thanks for these. I have always liked this part of Singapore growing up as a child. You're right, it has really changed since the 1960s, much like the rest of SG.

 

[westsv]

Any more pictures of the old shops around the area? Those shophouses have been there since the 1950s. Do you know if it is conserved? Or when it was built?

 

[nato33]

Any more pictures of the old shops around the area? Those shophouses have been there since the 1950s. Do you know if it is conserved? Or when it was built?

Doubt the shophouses are on official conservation list. Just drove past the shops and can see the interior of the shops have been torn down to form a bigger area. Not sure what is the plan for the shops.

 

[moolightaffairs]

talking about kembangan, there is a temple there for donkey yrs. hong san si 鳯山寺. i think up to 100 yrs. i think near to siglap too.

 

[porkchop75]

My family used to live in Siglap, I was very young then.

There was the char kway teow hawker on his bicycle with a side car that had his kwali and a tarpaulin top protecting it from the elements. We used to stop him outside my grandma's house and we'd bring an egg to add when he fried the kwayteow. There was also the ark bak hawker who walked around with a bamboo pole across his shoulder and balanced 2 large baskets at the 2 ends. Apart from braised duck, he had pigs ears - the family's favourite!

Grandma's house was just a few houses from the Jln Tua Kong kampong. As kids, we loved playing there although we weren't allowed to. The smells of the vegetation, coconut husks, family cooking, etc, was somewhat alluring. Every morning, a large truck full of empty pails would rumble past my grandma's house which left a faint stench, but in the evening when it came back to collect them, man the stench was BAD! Yes, it was the night soil collectors! The term we used was "tong tahi". My dad used to threaten us kids that he'd get us out of school and work as tahi collectors if we didn't study hard. With the daily overpowering smells, it was a very real threat! lol!!

Some characters in the area was this young man with a leg affected by polio who lived in the kampong. He'd walk around bare-footed, dragging his affected leg. I didn't know what he was saying but he always sounded intimidating. By mid to late 80s, the kampong was demolished to make way for new residential houses. He was middle-aged then and I don't know what happened to him. There was also a butcher or fish monger at Siglap market who wore rags - literally torn pieces of cloth and a pair of black wellingtons. We used to call him Tarzan. He too disappeared when Siglap market was demolished.

The malay cemetery is still untouched. It was well known for as a princess was buried there and people would place offerings for lottery numbers. Neighbours around that area would complain of cars parking outside their homes at the wee hours of the morning. It is only a few years ago that a fence was erected around the perimeter so the number of unfamiliar cars have dwindled.

 

[porkchop75]

During the 50s, my maternal grandparents and his family lived in Frankel area.
Do read these newspaper articles:
http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/A...rankel&token=one,public,number,eynemy,frankel
http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/A...g+gunman+frankel&token=frankel,gunman,limping
This major incident happened at my maternal granddad's house and the family was directly involved with this "limping gunman". You can do a search on "Tan Ho Chuan".

According to my uncle, my maternal grandma unfortunately liked showing off her wealth. She'd gamble at people's homes - people who were not well-to-do, decked out in jewellery. Soon this notorious gangster got wind of it and decided to rob the family. He appeared in front of my grandparents' house on the pretext of bearing chinese new year gifts for the family but had guns on him. Luckily, the police who was trailing him, had a tip-off of his next target and informed my grandparents not to receive him. Uncle said he heard multiple gunshots whilst lying low. You could say this incident serves a valuable lesson to all that nothing good comes out of showing off and it is best to be humble.

 

[winger28]

hi Porkchop 75,
Thanks for reminding me of the kway teow trishaw hawker in Jalan Tua Kong.

I remember there is also a hokkien mee trishaw hawker who would peddle that area in the afternoon.
Those were the days, the food tasted really good.



u reminded me of the kway teow hawker at siglap where he will make his rounds along Jalan tua kong in the

 

[Lee5604]

Skadiang does not sound very Eurasian, at least not to me. Have not met anyone with this family name.

Yes, it is a Eurasian name. My former classmate was Edward Skadiang, who had an elder brother who was a runner, not sure if the brother represented Singapore, but surely he was a school runner.

 

[nato33]

Do you guys have any more details or pictures of the shophouses at the corner of woo mun chew and east coast road? I am compliing some details of the changes in the siglap area and saw this greenish shophouses. Horrible colour but very noticeable. Is there any history of any significant in this area besides the barber shop? I grew up in the siglap area as well. Thanks.

Shops have been painted white and now occupied by Pet Supplies, DIY and a Gym

 

[Charlie99]

I remember the owner. An smiley old man that used to double up as an usher tearing the ticket stubs. The seats at the back cost more. $1.50 if I remember and had cushion backrests and were called "Circle Seats" whilst the cheaper seats in front were all wooden. Are you still in touch with your friend and is his father still around? Must be very old by now if he is still alive.

I recall that "circle" seats were $1.00
Those in the front were cheap seats, and those at the back on the main floor were either 50 or 75 cents.

Thank you for keeping and sharing your collection of photos.

Do you know of Jalan Perindu? in Telok Kurau.

 

[Charlie99]

Ya, with classmates name Chelliah, Skadiang, Fletcher, Klein.(spelling may be wrong)
Up the slope there is still a Malay's cementary.
Used to bowl at Jackie Katong, beside St. Pat.

Klein are Jewish.
There used to be three synagogues in SG.
I knew the son (a Sgt at HQ 2 SIB in Changi, and I was a 2LT then) of the caretaker of the synagogue at Waterloo Street.

 

[Charlie99]

I looked through a 1964 Street Directory and it does not show any Malay cemetery in the areas you mentioned. But there is a Mydin Mosque along Jalan Lapang (in between Jalan Selamat and Jalan Sayang). I believe the Mosque is still there.

I believe that the cemetery is behind that mosque.

 

[THE_CHANSTER]

I believe that the cemetery is behind that mosque.

Do you have anymore details? I live around Jalan Kembangan and would like to learn more about the history of the area.

 

[eatshitndie]

there's a malay cemetery up siglap road to the fidelio triangle that looks like a bushy twat from a helicopter. pretty large clump of wooded area and greenery. right next to it is a new freehold development going for sgd1400 per sq ft back in 2011.

https://sgfilmhunter.wordpress.com/...in-an-equatorial-hollywood/20-19-kuborkassim/

kubur kassim, 426 siglap road. right next to it is the flamingo valley condo development on freehold land.

http://www.flamingovalleysiglap.com/