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Roads
Source: Victor Savage & Brenda
S A Yeoh, TOPONYMICs:
A Study Of Singapore Street Names, 2nd Edition
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Alkaff Quay (expunged)/Alkaff Mansion/Alkaff Avenue |
| Description: |
The Alkaffs (name means 'the sufficient') were a prominent Arab family much associated with Singapore's colonial history. The first member of the Alkaff family was Syed Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Alkaff, a trader who specialised in the Singapore-Java trade. He also invested in land and houses in Singapore. Having no sons, his younger brother, Syed Sheik Alkaff, inherited his estate and business. This property and business was in turn handed over to Sheik's son, Syed Ahamed bin Sheik Alkaff. Alkaff Mansion was built for the Alkaff family as holiday home. The house was built earlier but the current configuration (renovations) was done in 1926. The 7,000 sq ft house sat on 47 acres of land on top of what was called Mount Washington (now called Telok Blangah Hill).
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Ama Keng Road |
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This road probably derived its name from the Chinese temple (ama keng) located in Lim Chu Kang. The temple, built in 1990, is dedicated to "holy mother", the goddess of peace and happiness. In the Fujian Chinese dialect, the word ama keng literally means "grandmother temple" (ama means "grandmother" and keng means "temple". The first temple, made of wood and atap was renovated in 1943 (zinc roof/timber structure) and again in 1965 (tile roof).
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Ayer Rajah Avenue/Crescent/Industrial Estate/Road |
| Description: |
Ayer Rajah in Malay literally means that "raja's water" or "king's water". However, there is no historical evidence of a stream here or of a Malay Royal settlement in this area.
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Boon Lay Avenue/Drive/Way |
| Description: |
These roads were named after Chew Boon Lay Rubber Estate, which was located here. The War Department made a requisition of 101.2 ha of land from his estate, which led to the growth of Boon Lay Village. In the early 1960s, Boon Lay Village had a population of 422 persons.
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Bukit Chandu (Pasir Panjang- Kent Ridge Area) |
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Bukit Chandu refers to Opium Hill and is well-known for the 1942 battle between the Malay regiment and the Japanese. The Malay regiment soliders of C and B Company defended Pasir Panjang Briege against the Japanese forces on the 13th and 14th February in 1942. This was said to be one of the most savage battles of the Malayan campaignand one of the last battles before the fall of Singapore to the Japanese. Lieutenant Adnan Saidi led the Mala regiment and was totured by the Japanese and burnt to death. To commemorate this important battle, a World War II interpretative centre was set up in 2002 in a renovated bungalow at 31-K Pepys Road in the Pasir Panjang area.
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Bukit Batok Avenue (East/West)/Central/Industrial New Town/Road/Street |
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There are many different versions of the origins of the Malay place-name Bukit Batok. Bukit means "hill"and there is no quarrel with this but the term batok has several explanations. One version has it that according to the Javanese the village chief in the tiny village of Gassing, coconut trees grew on the hills in the area and hence the term batok, the Javanese term for coconuts. The Chinese interpretation is that the hills were of solid granite and hence called batu, the Malay name for 'stone', which was corrupted to bato and finally batok. Another version construed argues that the hill resembles a skull top and batok could also be construed to mean a "skull top'. Others felt that the cold air in the area, which led to coughs and colds, conferred on the place the name batok, the Malay term for cough. A more ribald explanation has it that the two hills in the area looked like the green buttoks to the British, a word which suffered verbal mutilation among the Chinese to finally emerged as batok. The Bukit Batok link road was completed in 1958.
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Bukit Chermain Road |
| Description: |
There are two explainations behind this place-name. One is that it means "mirror hill road" (chermaine means "glass" in Malay),owing to the clearness of the water in the area. A conical promontory situated overlooking the New Harbour (now Keppel Harbour) was reflected int he glassy water below. The other view holds that the hill was named after the chermain, a silvery moon fish. The hill was originally the residence of W.Kerr in the 1840s. The road name was officially confirmed in 1922.
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Choa Chu Kang Road/Avenue/Central/Drive/Loop/New Town/Tracks/Road/Village (expunged) Way |
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By the 1840s, the Chinese had established themselves in riverine settlements across the island, particularly in the north. Each village was named after the family clan controlling that part of the river (kang), a practice brought over from China. These names have survived to this day in such districts as Choa Chu Kang (on Sungei Berih), Lim Chu Kang, and Yio Chu Kang. Other forgotten villages were Lau Chu Kang on the Sungei Mandai (Sungei River), Tan Chu Kang on the Mandai Kechil, Chu Chu Kang on the Kranji and Chan Chu Kang on the Seletar. The road to Lim and Choa Chu Kang were cut during the time of John Thomson's tenure as Land Surveyor around 1852-1853. The Choa Chu Kang area began as a cluster of farms around Lim Chu Kang, Neo Tiew, Yew Tee and Ama Keng. The original settlers of Choa Chu Kang village were peper and gambier farmers who were mainly Teochews . They were later joined by pineapple, rubber and coconut planters who wer Hokkeins (from the Nan Ann or Ann Hui provinces), and finally, market gardeners. Pig and poultry farming were also predominated. Today, the Chao Chu Kang area contains a New Town as well as public cemetery for different races and creeds. One explanation for the name Chua Chu Kang refers to anearly settler Mr Chua who built his house (chu) by the side of Kranji River (kang).
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Chua Chu Kang (expunged) |
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Chua Chu Kang Road was first cut in the 1840s. Chua Chu Kang used to be a Chinese district, located nine miles from town at the junction of Mandai and Thomson Roads. It was a large village with rubber estates in the vicinity. Chua Chu Kang is a Chinese name. Kang is "river" and chua the seh or clan name of the original headman (kangchu) responsible for the riverine produce. The river referred is the Sungei Berih and the kangchu settled at its mouth.
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Clementi Avenue/Crescent/Loop/Street/New Town |
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Located in the south western part of the island, this New Town was developed on land occupied by squatters and the British armed forces barracks. The New Town and the roads therein are named after Sir Cecil Clementi Smith, Governor of the Straits Settlements between 1887 and 1893. The governor was an accomplished Chinese Scholar. Among his achievements during his stint in office were laws brought into force to control secret societies in Singapore. The road was called Reformatory Road because there was a boy's home situated along the road.
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Commonwealth Avenue/Avenue West |
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These roads commemorate the international cooperative organisations of former British colonies. Commonwealth Avenue, originally to be called Crown Road, was officially named in 1955.
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Jurong Avenue (expunged)/Crescent/New Town (East/West) Street/Hill/Pier Road/Pier Way/Port Road/Road/Tracks/Town Hall Road/West Avenue /WestStreet |
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Jurong is probably derived from the Malay word jerung, which means a "voracious shark".Jurong Road was cut around 1852- 1853, during the time of John Thomson's tenure as Chief Surveyor. Many roads within Jurong Industrial Estate in the late 1960s and early 1970s drew inspiration from the nature of industrial activities in the estate and related aspects of industrialisation. For the local Chinese poplulation, Jurong was formerly called peng kang, a reference to a gambier plantation located int he area. After 1906, rubber plantations dominated the area- Bulim Estate, Lokyang Estate, Choo Keng Estate, Seng Toh Estate and Yunnan Estate.
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Jurong Island |
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In January 1999, the government began reclamation works to link ten small islands (Pulau Pesek; Pulau Pesek Kechil; Pulau Ayer Chawan, Pulau Sakra; Pulau Ayer Merbau; Pulau Meskol; Pulau Merliman, Pulau Seraya; Pulau Mesemut Laut and Pulau Mesemut Darat) off Jurong town to form a 977 ha island. The reclamation contract of $1.3 billion was the largest reclamation contract awarded in Singapore. Jurong Island is the site of Singapore's petrochemical and petroleum industries. Gas from west Natuna gas/oil fields ) South China Sea) is piped directly to the island. The completed Jurong Island has nine districts named Seraya, Merbau, Merlimau, Chawan, Sakra, Pesek, Tembusu, Banyan and Angsana. The last three district names have no relationship to the small islands that have been joined by reclamation.
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