Singapore street names and the interesting stories behind them

If there's one place in Singapore that probably has the most British names, it's (surprisingly) Little India. Tyrwhitt Road is one such road among a number of them that is quintessentially British. It is named after Royal Navy admiral Reginald Yorke Tyrwhitt who served in the First World War. Trywhitt Road runs between Kitchener Road (another British name) and Lavendar Street. Nowadays, it is a haven for foodies with places like Chye Seng Huat Hardware and Creamery Boutique Ice Creams.

Located in the Civic District, Queen Street is named after Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Queen Street forms major junctions with Ophir Road, Rochor Road, Middle Road and Bras Basah Road. It’s an Eurasian enclave in Singapore’s past, with distinguished schools around it. Today, Queen Street is part of the Bras Basah.Bugis precinct, an arts and cultural space for Singaporeans.

An enclave in the Outram area, the hill was first called Mount Stamford, named after Sir Stamford Raffles. Its current name is taken from Captain James Pearl, an owner and commander of the Indiana, the ship in which Raffles sailed from Penang in January 1819. Pearl’s Hill was initially the location of Chinese-owned gambier plantations, some who had settled before the arrival of Raffles in 1819. Captain Pearl found himself wanting to settle down in Singapore, and upon looking at the hill, he began acquiring plot after plot on the hill from the gambier planters and owned the entire hill. He built his house at the top of the hill, and cleared the slopes to grow pepper vines.

Ceylon Road, located in the eastern part of Singapore in the Joo Chiat/Katong district, is named after the island Ceylon (now known as Sri Lanka). In the 19th century, a large Ceylonese Tamil community settled down around the area to take up clerical, technical and other administrative appointments in the civil service. Today, the area is a residential area full of residential and eating places.

Penang Road is named after the northeastern city in Peninsular Malaysia. Constructed and named in 1906, Penang Road once served the traffic from Tank Road to the railway bridge at Fort Canning Road. Situated near Orchard Road, Penang Road is now part of Singapore’s shopping district. It runs behind the Istana Park and is connected to the Dhoby Ghaut MRT via the underpass. Landmarks at the street include Winsland House and Oxley House. 

Named after the Malaysian state of Trengganu, the street is located in Chinatown. Trengganu Street connects four streets in Chinatown – Pagoda Street, Temple Street, Smith Street and Sago Street. It was later converted into a pedestrian mall in 1997, while the remaining part of the street and Sago Street closed in 2003 to form a network of street markets selling antiques, books, toys and jewellery. Traditional trades such as watch repairing, fan making and fortune telling are also found there. Back in 1887, a famous Lai Chun Yuen opera house was located at the junction of Smith Street and Trengganu Street. It was dubbed the Broadway or West End of Cantonese opera, and also hosted famous opera stars from China and Hong Kong.

Located in the Rochor area, Bugis Street possibly got its name from the Bugis kampong settlement. Originally from Sulawesi in Indonesia, the Bugis were maritime traders who travelled to Singapore after armed clashes with the Dutch. The Bugis settlement might have been located where the Kampong Glam district is today. Bounded by Victoria Street, North Bridge Road, Middle Road and Rochor Road, Bugis Street was known for nightlife and transvestite parades back then. Back in the 1950s and 1960s, Bugis Street was popular among British colonial soldiers, seamen and US troops on rest and recreation during the Vietnam War. Bugis Street and its adjacent streets - Malay, Hylam and Malabar streets - were removed when Bugis Junction was built. A new Bugis Street was recreated opposite its original location between Victoria Street and Queen Street in the late 1980s.