History & Heritage

Nanyang University (Nantah) - Arches & Gardens There are two Nanyang University arches in Singapore. The original Nanyang University arch structure is still stands along Jurong West Street 93 and was gazetted as a national monument on 18 December 1998. The construction work on the grand and distinctiv...

Southern Ridges - Gillman Barracks Gillman Village was formerly known as Gillman Barracks, which used to house the British army and later some units of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), including the School of Combat Engineers and the SAF 3rd Transport Battalion. After the army vacated the...

Sembawang - Beaulieu House Beaulieu House is located at 117 Beaulieu Road, within the grounds of what is now Sembawang Park. Built in a neo-classical style, the entrance of the building is flanked by wings on either side and topped with a sloping mansard roof. The patio is enclosed...

Kallang - Airport, Aerodrome, RAF Before Changi was the best airport in the world, even before Paya Lebar, we already had an airport which won that accolade (or rather, 'The Finest Airport in the British Empire'). I have read about The Kallang Airport and visited here more than 10 years a...

Pulau Ubin – History & Mystery Pulau ubin is well known as a rural getaway for many Singaporeans who come here to cycle, enjoy nature, as well as to have sumptuous seafood by the waters edge. However, there are some sites on this island that holds some history and mystery that not many...

Neo Tiew - Abandoned Housing Estate In Lim Chu Kang, there is a small public housing area known as Neo Tiew Estate (or Lim Chu Kang Rural Centre). The whole area was en-bloc in 2002, with the residents shifted to Jurong West. The estate was vacated since then, and is currently used for FIBU...

Bukit Brown Cemetery - Faces In Stone Every trip to Bukit Brown is an enjoyable one for us. We've jungle trekked, walked with the dogs, and followed the peranakan trail, numerous times here. And now, I thought it would be nice to highlight the faces in stone that stand by the now not so forgo...

Sentosa - Fort Serapong Fort Serapong was built by the British army in 1879, atop a hillock called Mount Serapong on Pulau Blakang Mati (now resort island of Sentosa). It was modernised a few times, the last being in the 1930s. Serapong is a huge network of batteries, tunnels, u...

Fort Canning Park - Forbidden Hill Steeped in history, Fort Canning Hill was once known as "Forbidden Hill". This is because Malays in the 19th century believed that it was the seat of royalty for rulers of Temasek (or "Sea Town", an old name for Singapore) in the 1300s. Later, Singapore's...

Bukit Brown Cemetery - Peranakan Trail We have visited Bukit Brown Cemetery more than a dozen times, but on todays trail, we visit some of the notable Peranakan graves. Many thanks to Raymond Goh for leading the tour and providing explanations about each grave and person. Bukit Brown wa...

KTM Railway Line - Mayfair to Rail Mall Tanjong Pagar railway station used to be the southern railway terminus of the railway network operated by Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM). The land on which the station and the KTM railway tracks in Singapore are situated was held by KTM on a 999-year lease. ...

MacRitchie Reservoir - Syonan Jinja What better day to make a trek to the site of Syonan Jinja than National Day! Syonan Jinja was a former Shinto shrine in the middle of the MacRitchie Reservoir forest. It was built by the Japanese Imperial Army during the Japanese Occupation of Singapore ...

Marsiling WWII Tunnel & Naval Base The British have military installations all over the place in Woodlands. But the most compelling theory was that there were some disused British Military underground facilities, abandoned after World war 2. The API pored over old maps and solved the myste...

Labrador Nature Reserve - WWII Installations Labrador Park was one of nine sites where British forces set up their batteries for the defence of Singapore. This strategy was based on the belief that invasion of Singapore would not come from the north. These batteries would fire shells against naval i...

Japanese Cemetery Park The Japanese Cemetery Park is the largest Japanese cemetery in South East Asia at 29,359 square metres, consisting of 910 tombstones that contain the remains of young Japanese prostitutes, civilians, soldiers and convicted war criminals executed at Changi...

Thian Hock Keng - Hokkien Temple Thian Hock Keng is one of the oldest and most important Hokkien temple in Singapore. It was visited by Chinese immigrants giving thanks to Ma Zu (Goddess of the Sea) for their safe voyage. In 1839, under the leadership of Mr Tan Tock Seng and Mr Si Hoo Ke...

Haw Par Villa - Tiger Balm Gardens Haw Par Villa, formerly called Tiger Balm Gardens, was originally constructed in 1937 by "Tiger Balm King" Aw Boon Haw as a grand residence for his younger brother, Aw Boon Par, who helped create their fortune with the anagesic balm. In English, Haw Par V...

Kong Meng San Phor Kark See - Monastery Founded in 1920 by Venerable Zhuan Dao, the KMSPKS is the largest Buddhist temple in Singapore, has a unique role to play in the hearts of Singaporean Buddhists. Over the years, it has helped promote the Buddha's teachings, bringing the Dharma closer to t...

Singapore Chinese Garden Step into the Chinese Garden which is a 5-minute walk from the Chinese Garden MRT Station (EW25), and you might just imagine you’re in ancient China! Built in 1975 and designed by Prof Yuen-chen Yu, a well-known architect from Taiwan, the Chinese Garden i...

Kusu Island - Tortoise Island On Kusu Island ("Tortoise Island" in Chinese), you can find attractions which include a Malay shrine and a Chinese temple with an interesting legend woven around them. Legend has it that a giant sea turtle turned into an island to save 2 shipwrecked sailo...