Ruth Lee.
Frequenter and lover of the charming neighbourhood of Tiong Bahru.
From http://www.ura.gov.sg/conservation/tbahru.htm
Area of Tiong Bahru gazetted for conservation by URA in 2003. Area is bounded by Seng Poh Road, Outram Road and Tiong Poh Road.
However, URA's conservation schemes extends only to "built heritage", in other words, tangible standing buildings. What happens to the intangible? Who protects the distinct charming vibe of the neighbourhood from potential commerical developers? Who protects the community kampung spirit? What about common spaces with collective emotions and nostalgia that fall out of the conservation area?
Here is where you, netizens of Tiong Bahru and beyond, step in.
This is a call for your contributions to this photoblog. A photo of your favourite fare from the renowned Tiong Bahru Market. Visual updates of the renovations of your art-deco styled home (while keeping to the conservation regulations, of course). A short video of your grandparents sharing their usual stories of how they first met, shared lunches, kept in contact, studied, grew up, married, settled down, had children and lived all their lives in Tiong Bahru.
Change is the only constant in this world. The landscape of Tiong Bahru has generally been maintained, thanks to conservation efforts.
(Clockwise, from top left) (1) Low rise white flats with semicircular landings along Lim Liak Street. (2) The curved alignment of red brick buildings at Moh Guan Terrace. (3) The corner building at the start of Eng Hoon Street. (4) The spiral staircases behind the shophouses at Kim Tian Road.
However, many small spaces that once resonated with the residents as part of the identity of Tiong Bahru have vanished over time. Ever got upset when your favourite food stall moved out to another location or was no longer in business? The regionally famous bird-singing corner once at Tiong Bahru Block 53 is no more. The very fact that you may be a young adult reading through this post reflects the shift in population of the Tiong Bahru community. Such examples show that change is inevitable. Change may even be good! It may bring about economic benefits such raising the value of your property, or bringing in a variety of tenants, or keeping Tiong Bahru dynamic and fresh.
The reality remains though, that change takes place all the time. Our interest lies in protecting the distinct identity and the intangible heritage that Tiong Bahru has formed over eighty years. Just by remembering and sharing your memories through image or text, this will spark an interest within the whole community, resulting in a ripple effect of change. A change of attitude towards the little bits of our heritage that are important to us.
Take the first step. Send in your contributions, name, age, and a bit about your intertwined history with Tiong Bahru to tiongbahruremembers@gmail.com today.
Thank you :)
Spiral staircases behind the warehouses at Kim Pong Road
These spiral staircases were originally meant as emergency exits, and are connected to the kitchen at the back of the house. (source) The various staircases in Tiong Bahru are painted either grey, orange or white, and they're really beautiful! Such features in the neighbourhood have designs that enable you to meet your neighbours more frequently, hence nurturing the kampung spirit in the area.
enter beyond the door and climb up!
the doors are so varied too :o
20 November 2011
Moh Guan Terrace has become an icon of Tiong Bahru. The sleek curved exterior, the horseshoe shaped block, it's absolutely stunning! It's a pre-war Art Deco building, and it was constructed with then-modern cement, which could construct curved buildings. According to the Tiong Bahru Estate Website, See Moh Guan was a prominent pepper and gambier businessman, but I'm not exactly sure why this particular street was named after him. Nevertheless, Moh Guan Terrace is really unique, even in Tiong Bahru itself, being the only five-storey block in the neighbourhood. The facade of the block is beautiful and conserved by URA :D Valuable "built heritage" indeed!
20 November 2011
The Hollywood-esque palm trees (c) Kimberly Chia 2011
amazing clouds (while on a stroll around the estate) (c) Kimberly Chia 2011
There are two sides to the estate - the front and the back. The flats are arranged in such a way that the backs of opposite blocks face each other, forming a pathway, while the front usually faces the road. Each block of flats is no taller than four storeys.
While walking in the corridors on the front side of a block, you would walk past the trademark white window grilles that lend a nostalgic atmosphere to the place. Past the letterboxes, past the cats- you would easily find the stairway that leads to the apartments on other floors. There are two to three stairways per block, and the landings are often dotted with potted plants.
Window grilles along the corridors (c) Kimberly Chia 2011
The side and front views of the semicircular stairway landings
Bicycles parked around the exterior of a staircase
After marveling at the aesthetic front features of the estate, turn around the corner to look at what's neatly tucked behind. I did this a few months ago and was pleasantly surprised at every corner! People had their own backyard gardens with a variety of ornamental and kitchen plants. There were fruit trees such as mango trees at several junctions. One patch of land even had their own (not so) private badminton court!
back windows of the block
an overgrown home garden! how exotic :D
where else could you find such eccentric signs in Singapore?
Cats, stay away! The pigeons own the court.
When I walk around the Lim Liak estate, I can really imagine it to be a modern kampong of sorts! The flats are so closely bounded together by Kim Pong, Tiong Bahru and Seng Poh Road, much like the kampung houses in the past. Imagine parents sitting on their sun chairs or gardening, while their children play badminton or chase pigeons around. They can even play hide-and-seek around the staircases of the estate! And when the smell of dinner starts to waft from one of the ground-floor home kitchens, the mother can just yell "DINNER'S READYYY", reverberating throughout the neighbourhood and finally reaching the ears of her children. :)
19 November 2011
I found one more photograph to share with y'all from the trove of memories, aka my grandma's house :) Here are my parents in the peak of their youth xD at least before they married, I presume. It was taken at the garden patch next to Tiong Bahru Market, which still exists! Imagine, couples like them meeting, dating, studying, growing up and marrying in Tiong Bahru - places really hold a lot of meaning :) Such old photos tell a lot about the person(s) and their connection with the place in the background! I would love to see yours too, if you have any you're willing to share. Keep the stories passing down :D
17 November 2011
the old rocking chair: on the left is my grandma, on the right is my dad
left: the well-varnished and well-kept window grills (that separate the corridor from the bedroom), right: the bedsheets close-up
This year's CNY, having grown a year older, I begun to appreciate the unique architecture within the house. The wooden window grills, the curtain partition of the bedroom and the narrow corridor which leads to nowhere but a good view of Kim Poh Road - hardly anywhere else could you find such elements of the SIT post-war flats. Her kitchen and toilet are spacious and feature old turquoise tiling too. The decorations on Chinese New Year are simple angpow lanterns she makes herself, but what I love seeing most are all the old house decorations that have stayed on.
A portrait of kittens in monocolour that has been hanging on the wall since I could remember
I pasted all of these stickers onto her cupboard when I was a toddler. They still remain!
My dad's work table that lasted him from his primary school days to his tertiary education
What's fascinating about the work table is that everything still stays! My grandma has a habit of keeping things if they're still good. The kid version of my dad used to fit into this small red chair, which has slowly faded off-colour over time. The fan provided relief from humidity while he did his homework; my dad even picked up a ruler from the stationery can and told me that the ruler was older than me. A ruler from his primary school days - how many students nowadays would think of saving their stationery to last them through their entire education?
Such memories and precious items are my personal heritage. What's yours? :)
17 November 2011
Though Tiong Bahru has changed a lot for good or for bad, its hawker fare still remains tasty and affordable throughout the years! Many stores have spanned a few generations, with heirloom recipes continually passed down and dished out to the delight of customers. At the Tiong Bahru Porridge store, for example, the son of the original storeholder has taken over the reins. The food heritage at Tiong Bahru Market is amazing. Hopefully such developed food culture will not fade into oblivion for at least decades to come.
16 November 2011
I'm not sure how dangerous this tree might be but it's certainly very fascinating! :D found along the Lim Liak flats
the beautiful magnificent tree along Tiong Bahru Road! It grows high and wide, and must have been a landmark of the area for quite some time already.
and finally,
Behold a terrible pixelated photograph of the glorious mango tree. It's located in the premises of YWCA, just opposite the conserved row of shophouses along Outram Road. This tree actually grows over the slope leading to my church, and when my family is walking out of church, we always take time to admire the bountiful fruits that somebody will enjoy soon :D
14 November 2011
The front banner of the Nostalgia Hotel
The Nostalgia Hotel was built in the same time period as the Link Hotel, adding onto the change in the vibe of the bird corner vicinity. What previously stood on that patch of land was a Chinese temple (not very significant in my childhood memory) as well as a bird shop! It was a real treat as a kid to visit the bird shop - it was an even more intriguing source of birdsong than the bird corner. At the bird corner, all a short kid could do was to stare up at the cages causing painful neck aches. At the bird shop, the cages were, well, at a more suitable height for children to gawk at. There were a variety of green, yellow, brown birds that continually jumped around in their cages. The old uncle who manned the shop loved his birds, but was not particularly friendly to us as I recall.
I don't think the Nostalgia Hotel was the cause of the bird shop closing down a few years before its establishment, but it definitely is a poor substitute for the area that once exploded with feathery life. The Nostalgia Hotel jumps onto Tiong Bahru's unique colonial charm as its marketing strategy, and I suppose as part of its brand, it features a mural depicting birds flying out of their cages.
The mural alongside the wall of the Nostalgia Hotel
I was researching on this hotel and found this quote on its website: "In a class of its own, the Nostalgia is shielded from the hustle and bustle of the business rush. It has become Tiong Bahru's best reason to come visit and experience all of its old-world wonders."
Tiong Bahru's best reason? I do not mean to demean the hotel or its ideology but, really? Having newer affordable hotels in the area would be a good way to expose Tiong Bahru to visitors, but is it worth the memories they're replacing? Would you exchange such gems in the crown of our heritage for commercial value and simply resign to immortalising them in murals? I'd rather have the real thing.
13 November 2011
"The shelves are purr-fect to climb on!"
The staff of the store did not seem to mind the presence of the uninvited guest. The attention they showered on this feline seemed to indicate that he (or she?) was a regular customer. In fact, most of the other regular customers seemed nonchalant about this appearance. In Tiong Bahru, it's normal for stray cats to simply saunter into your shops.
This incident reminded me of The Story of Bob - a very special cat. As described on his own Facebook page (wow!), it was common for Bob, yet another stray, to welcome "everyone as they arrive home. He hops into the cars of residents just as they park, leaving them no choice but to take the excited cat for a joyride. And yes, he stands upright and looks out the window." Unordinary characteristics aside, what is amazing about this cat is how he brought residents of Tiong Bahru together.
When Bob disappeared for four days at end January of this year, residents were in emotional havoc. Pleas and notices were put up in both the real and cyberworld. Two vets recommended that he be put to sleep, but the residents who took care of him refused. Eventually they found a vet who was instrumental in his healing and recovery. To cover the medical costs, the community of Tiong Bahru chipped in through online transactions or donation boxes at BooksActually. The target was met within a month!
The donation boxes (or jars) for Bob the cat fund
From http://www.facebook.com/thestoryofbob#!/note.php?note_id=203040076386760
"And believe us when we say he’s special. It’s a weird way to bond with your neighbours, all stuck in a room, bawling over a cat. "
There is another corner in Tiong Bahru where you can find these felines. Sandwiched between the Twin Regency and a row of shophouses at Kim Tian road, is a narrow backalley where a woman has been taking care of stray cats for years.
The cat lady of Tiong Bahru
The iconic pre-war spiral staircases of the shophouses at Kim Tian Road
After taking a few uneasy shots, I quickly scrambled out of that alley to leave them to their own. Such people and animals have remained stubbornly unchanged. Conservation schemes do not cover them, but surely these are part of what makes up Tiong Bahru? The cats of Tiong Bahru and the lives of the community they touch have been around for so long, they're now part of its unique and distinct identity.
Last photograph from http://sparklette.net/lifestyle/event/cats-of-the-world/
12 November 2011
