Holland Village, Singapore

Last updated

Holland Village
Neighbourhoods
Name transcription(s)
   Chinese 荷兰村
   Pinyin Héláncūn
   Malay Kampung Holland
   Tamil ஹாலந்து வில்லேஜ்
Holland village - panoramio.jpg
Lorong Liput.JPG
Lorong Mambong restaurants.JPG
Jalan Merah Saga.JPG
CC21 Holland Village Platforms.jpg
Chip Bee Gardens 3.JPG
From top left to right: Holland V Shopping Mall, Lorong Liput, restaurants along Lorong Mambong, houses along Jalan Merah Saga, Holland Village MRT station, Chip Bee Gardens
Coordinates: 1°18′40″N103°47′42″E / 1.311°N 103.795°E / 1.311; 103.795
Country Singapore

Holland Village, often abbreviated as Holland V, is a neighbourhood located along the boundary between the planning areas of Bukit Timah and Queenstown in the Central Region of Singapore. [1]

Contents

Holland Village is a popular shopping and dining destination for younger Singaporeans and expatriates. It is dominated by and often visited solely for its eateries and watering holes, along with some specialist shops.

The area is served by its own MRT station, which opened in 2011.

Etymology

Holland Village was named after Holland Road, which in turn was named after Hugh Holland in 1907; [2] Holland, an architect and amateur actor, was an early resident of the area. The roads 'Holland Avenue', 'Holland Close' and 'Holland Drive' were officially named after the principal road in 1972. Holland Road is known as hue hng au in Hokkien, meaning "behind the flower garden". [2] The "flower garden" refers to the Botanic Gardens.

Neighbourhoods within the Holland Village area

Several areas are considered to be in the Holland Village area.

Holland Village

Holland Village is a crescent-shaped area of shophouses and small malls set around Lorong Liput and Lorong Mambong, surrounded by Holland Road and Holland Avenue.

Chip Bee Gardens

On the other side of Holland Avenue is a neighbourhood that was formerly developed as British military housing in the 1950s, but is now owned by the Singapore government and rented to private individuals and, on Jalan Merah Saga, businesses. Chip Bee Gardens has a reputation for being an enclave of Western expatriates, although many Singaporeans and other Asians reside there too.

Holland Close

Holland Close is a large HDB estate located at the southern part of Chip Bee Gardens. Shuang Long Shan, also known as the Holland Close Cemetery, is a cemetery for the Hakka community since the 1960s. [3]

Food and beverage outlets

Many food chains in Singapore, such as Crystal Jade, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Sushi Tei, Subway, and Häagen-Dazs, are in Holland Village. A 24-hour kopitiam, a market and a food court are also present with food stalls selling local and western dishes. Other eating places include Starbucks and several dessert, Western cuisine and Japanese cuisine outlets. The gentrification of the Holland V area is characterised by the more up-market dining options such as the ethnic restaurants as well as franchises such as Tapas Bar. Other prominent bars include Tango's, Baden, Harry's Bar and Wala Wala.

Holland Village has a reputation as an expatriate neighbourhood but nevertheless attracts a majority of locals to its pubs and restaurants.

The Village has been a cradle for a number of lifestyle trends in Singapore. In the 1980s, Palm's Wine Bar along Lorong Mambong started the trend for wine bars. During that period, other cafes like Batter Batter (famous for its butterscotch and other pancakes) and Milano Pizza (which became a successful chain in the 80s) also sprang up in Holland V.

In the 90s, the restaurant Original Sin started a wave of upscale vegetarian dining when its Australian-Italian owner introduced Singapore to her first Mediterranean vegetarian dining experience in Chip Bee Gardens. Original Sin's menu was created by co-owner and culinary director, Marisa Bertocchi. From Adelaide in Australia, Marisa worked in many of that city's restaurants and hotels before heading to Singapore where she quickly earned praise for her vegetarian creations at Michelangelo's. [4]

Coffee Club, Singapore's first gourmet coffee shop, opened its first outlet in Holland Village in 1991. This was before the arrival of Starbucks, Coffee Bean and TCC years later, while Wala Wala asserted its presence among the rest with a customer base as wide as its range of imported beers and its nightly band performances.

Today, the rows of shops along Lorong Mambong and Jalan Merah Saga house some of Singapore's most famous and characteristic pubs and restaurants, many of which are fully booked during weekends. [5]

Shops and services

The Holland V Shopping Mall, a landmark in Holland Village with its distinctive windmill at the top of the building. Holland V Shopping Mall.JPG
The Holland V Shopping Mall, a landmark in Holland Village with its distinctive windmill at the top of the building.

Holland Village has a variety of commercial amenities. There are three shopping centres in Holland Village: Raffles Holland V, Holland Road Shopping Centre and Holland V Shopping Mall.

Retail establishments are located along four streets and two shopping buildings. These streets are Jalan Merah Saga and Holland Avenue on the same side, and Lorong Liput and Lorong Mambong on the opposite side. The shopping buildings are Holland Road Shopping Centre and Raffles Holland V Mall which is along Holland Avenue, and Holland Piazza along Lorong Liput which that mall opened in January 2019 as the newest shopping mall there as well as One Holland Village Mall in December 2023. These buildings along Holland Avenue are often casually referred to by sales assistants as Holland Village Shopping Centre, which in name is a non-existent landmark.

Transport

Within Singapore's transport system, Holland Village is linked to Orchard Road via Holland Road. Holland Village MRT station is located on the Circle MRT line.

Politics

Holland Village is within the Buona Vista division of Tanjong Pagar Group Representation Constituency (GRC) with its Member of Parliament being Minister of Trade & Industry Chan Chun Sing since 2011. The constituency was previously a SMC until it has been absorbed into Tanjong Pagar GRC in 1997, and then carved out to Holland-Bukit Panjang GRC from 2001 to 2006 and Holland-Bukit Timah GRC from 2006 to 2011 before returning to Tanjong Pagar in the 2011 elections.

In media

In 2003, the neighbourhood of Holland Village was featured and filmed in a TV series by Mediacorp. The series titled Holland V was broadcast on Mediacorp Channel 8 and it broke records for garnering the most acting nominations awarded to a cast in a single year, and for becoming the first show to win all four acting categories at the Star Awards.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bangsar</span> Place in Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Bangsar is a residential suburb on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, lying about 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) south-west of the city centre. It is part of the Lembah Pantai parliamentary constituency. Bangsar is administered by Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL), unlike other townships in the Klang Valley such as Petaling Jaya and Subang Jaya which have their municipal councils. Neighbourhood residents' associations and business councils play a part in communicating with the local authority, but they exercise no legal or administrative power. Malays make up most of the population at 61%, followed by the Chinese at 24%, Indians at 15%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woodlands, Singapore</span> Planning Area and Regional Centre in North Region, Singapore

Woodlands is a planning area and residential town located in the North of Singapore. As of 2019, the town has a population of 254,733. Located approximately 25 km (16 mi) north of the central business district (CBD), it is the densest planning area and is the regional centre for the northern parts of the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clementi, Singapore</span> Planning Area and HDB Town in West Region, Singapore

Clementi is a planning area and residential town located at the easternmost fringe of the West Region of Singapore. The town borders Bukit Batok to the north, Bukit Timah to the northeast, Queenstown to the east and Jurong East to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kallang</span> Planning Area and HDB Town in Central Region ----, Singapore

Kallang is a planning area and residential zone located in the Central Region of Singapore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bukit Panjang</span> Planning Area and HDB Town in West Region, Singapore

Bukit Panjang is a planning area and residential town located in the West Region of Singapore. A portion of this town is situated on a low-lying elongated hill. The planning area is bounded by Bukit Batok to the west, Choa Chu Kang to the northwest, Sungei Kadut to the north, the Central Water Catchment to the east and Bukit Timah to the south. Bukit Panjang New Town is located at the northern portion of the planning area. Bukit Panjang has an average elevation of 36m/118 ft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hougang</span> Planning Area and HDB Town in North-East Region ----, Singapore

Hougang or Aukang is a planning area and mature residential town located in the North-East Region of Singapore. The town is the most populous in the region, being home to 247,528 residents as of 2018. Hougang planning area is bordered by Sengkang to the north, Geylang and Serangoon to the south, Bedok to the southeast, Toa Payoh to the southwest, Paya Lebar to the east, Ang Mo Kio to the west and Bishan to the southwest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toa Payoh</span> Planning Area and HDB Town in Central Region ----, Singapore

Toa Payoh is a planning area and mature residential town located in the northern part of the Central Region of Singapore. Toa Payoh planning area borders Bishan and Serangoon to the north, the Central Water Catchment to the northwest, Kallang to the south, Geylang to the southeast, Novena to the west and Hougang to the east. Toa Payoh New Town is situated in the western portion of the Toa Payoh planning area. The latter occupies a much larger area, encompassing estates such as Potong Pasir and Bidadari.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Serangoon Garden</span> Place in Serangoon, Singapore

Serangoon Garden Estate is a residential estate in the Serangoon district of the North-East Region of Singapore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tanjong Pagar</span> Historic district in Singapore

Tanjong Pagar is a historic district located within the Central Business District of Singapore, straddling the Outram Planning Area and the Downtown Core under the Urban Redevelopment Authority's urban planning zones. The district has a rich history and is known for its cultural and architectural landmarks, making it a popular tourist destination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bukit Merah</span> Planning Area and HDB Town in Central Region ----, Singapore

Bukit Merah, also known as Redhill, is a planning area and new town situated in the southernmost part of the Central Region of Singapore. the planning area borders Tanglin to the north, Queenstown to the west and the Downtown Core, Outram and Singapore River planning areas of the Central Area to the east.

Buona Vista is a housing estate located in the subzones of one-north and Holland Drive in the residential township of Queenstown in Singapore. The housing estate is served by the Buona Vista MRT station which links it up with the MRT system. It also has a bus terminal.

Taman Jurong is a residential precinct in Jurong West, Singapore. It is one of the oldest residential precincts in Singapore and a division of Jurong GRC, with the area's HDB flats under the management of Jurong-Clementi Town Council and Shawn Huang as the area's MP.

Teban Gardens is a residential precinct located in Jurong East, Singapore. Immediately north of Pandan Reservoir, it comprises exclusively public housing built by the JTC Corporation and Housing and Development Board.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hillview, Singapore</span> Place in Singapore

Hillview is located in Upper Bukit Timah, Northwest Singapore. The neighbourhood overlooks Bukit Timah Hill, hence its name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commonwealth, Singapore</span> Subzone of Queenstown Planning Area in Singapore

Commonwealth is a subzone of Queenstown, located in the central-western part of Singapore. It is named after the Commonwealth of Nations. Commonwealth consists of Housing and Development Board flats, and there is one primary school and a secondary school in the area, New Town Primary School and Queensway Secondary School. SBS Transit Bus Services 32, 51, 93, 100, 105, 111, 122, 123, 145, 147, 153, 186, 195, 196, 198, SMRT Buses Services 61, 961/961M & 970 and Tower Transit Singapore Service 855 passes through this area. The nearest Mass Rapid Transit station is Commonwealth MRT station. Amenities in the area include Blessed Sacrament Church, Faith Methodist Church, Masjid Mujahidin Mosque, Queenstown Community Centre, Queenstown Lutheran Church, Ridout Tea Garden, Shuang Long Shan Wu Shu Ancestral Hall, Sri Muneeswaran Temple and Tanglin Halt Food Centre and Market.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kim Seng Road</span> Place in Singapore

Kim Seng Road is a street in Singapore that runs along the upper-easternmost portion of the Bukit Merah-Central Area border. It was named after Peranakan philanthropist, Tan Kim Seng. Today, the boundaries of Kim Seng division are: Indus Road and Alexandra Canal in the north; Jalan Bukit Ho Swee in the south; Kim Seng Road and Outram Road in the east; and Lower Delta Road in the west.

The Clementi Police Division is one of the seven land divisions of the Singapore Police Force. Clementi Division covers about 70 square kilometres in the South-Western part of Singapore, which includes Jurong Island, Sentosa Island and the popular Holland Village. Nearly half a million people live in the area under Clementi Division, mostly in Tanjong Pagar GRC, West Coast GRC, Hong Kah GRC, Holland-Bukit Panjang GRC, Jurong GRC, and Ayer Rajah Constituency and Bukit Timah Constituency.

Moulmein–Kallang Group Representation Constituency was a four-member Group Representation Constituency (GRC), comprising several city suburbs surrounding the Central Area of Singapore as well as a sizeable portion of the Central Business District. It existed from 2011 to 2015.

library@harbourfront Public library in Singapore

library@harbourfront, formerly known as Bukit Merah Public Library, is a public library located at VivoCity, Singapore. It is the largest shopping mall public library in Singapore.

References

  1. "URA 2014 Master Plan". Urban Redevelopment Authority . Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  2. 1 2 Savage, Victor R. (2013). Singapore street names : a study of toponymics. Brenda S. A. Yeoh. Singapore. p. 341. ISBN   978-981-4484-74-9. OCLC   868957283.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. Teo, Basil Edward (20 December 2016). "A look at Holland Close cemetery -- a graveyard in the middle of a HDB estate". STOMP. The Straits Times. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
  4. "Original Sin – Best Singapore Restaurants". SwiftRank PTE Ltd. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
  5. "The History of Holland Village | www.holland-village-singapore.com".