Bendemeer House

Last updated

The Bendemeer House, originally known as the House of Whampoa or the Whampoa House, was the former residence of Chinese merchant Hoo Ah Kay, who was more commonly known as Whampoa, in Singapore. The house was demolished in 1964 to make way for redevelopment of the area.

History

The estate included 160 hectares of land along Serangoon Road, and included a large garden, known as the Whampoa Garden. [1] Whampoa frequently invited guests into his home, including Admiral Henry Keppel. [2] The garden included an orange plantation, fruit orchards, rockeries, artificial ponds, aquariums, and plants trimmed to look like animals. [3] [4] The gardens were maintained by horticulturists and also included a small zoo and an aviary. [1] [2] The gardens served as a public gathering place for the Chinese community in the Colony of Singapore. [1]

Following Whampoa's death in 1880, the estate was bought over by Seah Liang Seah, who renamed it the Bendemeer House after the nearby Bendemeer's Stream. [1] [5] In 1964, the government purchased the estate for $3.8 million and demolished it to make way for urban developments. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Singapore Botanic Gardens</span> Tropical garden located in Singapore

The Singapore Botanic Gardens is a 164-year-old tropical garden located at the fringe of the Orchard Road shopping district in Singapore. It is one of three gardens, and the only tropical garden, to be honoured as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Botanic Gardens has been ranked Asia's top park attraction since 2013, by TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice Awards. It was declared the inaugural Garden of the Year by the International Garden Tourism Awards in 2012.

<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">Bishan, Singapore</span> Planning Area and HDB Town in Central Region, Singapore

Bishan, also known as Peck San, Bishan New Town or Bishan Town, is a planning area and matured residential town located at the northernmost portion of the Central Region of Singapore. Statistically, the area is ranked the 38th biggest in terms of geographical size and the 22nd most populated planning area in the country. It is located at the most Central point of Singapore, and it comprises Upper Thomson, Marymount, Shunfu, Sin Ming, Bishan North and Bishan East. There are also many private residential properties in Bishan. Bishan is ranked 15th in terms of population density. Apart from its boundary with the Central Water Catchment in the west, Bishan borders three other planning areas: Ang Mo Kio to the north, Toa Payoh to the south, and Serangoon to the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raffles Place MRT station</span> Mass Rapid Transit station in Singapore

Raffles Place MRT station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) interchange station on the North South Line (NSL) and East West Line (EWL) in Singapore. Located in the Downtown Core, the station is underneath Raffles Place south of the Singapore River. The station serves various landmarks including Merlion Park and the Asian Civilisations Museum and various commercial buildings such as One Raffles Place and OCBC Centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pudu Prison</span> Colonial-era prison in Malaysia

The Pudu Prison, also known as Pudu Jail, was a prison in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Built in phases by the British colonial government between 1891 and 1895, it stood on Jalan Shaw. The construction began with its 394-metre prison wall at a cost of 16,000 Straits dollars, and had been adorned with the world's longest mural at one point in its history. The cells were small and dark, each equipped with a window only the size of a shoebox.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shenton Way</span> Road in Central Area, Singapore

Shenton Way is a major trunk road serving Singapore's Central Area and is most commonly known for the commercial skyscrapers flanking both sides of the road. The road is a one-way street that starts at the junction of Boon Tat Street, Raffles Quay and Commerce Street before ending at Keppel Road.

Lynnette Seah Mei Tsing is a Singaporean violinist serving as co-leader of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO). She received the Cultural Medallion for Music in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Valley, Singapore</span> Planning Area in Central ----, Singapore

River Valley is a planning area located within the Central Area of the Central Region of Singapore. The planning area shares boundaries with Orchard in the north, Museum in the east, Tanglin in the west and Singapore River in the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Future developments in Singapore</span>

This article shows the notable future developments in Singapore. Most of them are currently under construction with most to be completed within the next five years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry</span>

The Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry is a business chamber located in Singapore.

Lim Koon Teck(Chinese: 林坤德) was a barrister-at-law, industrialist and politician in the Malaya and Singapore. He was the first Asian in the Straits Settlements to be appointed to the Colonial Legal Service. He was a magistrate at Penang and Crown Counsel, Singapore. After resigning government service, he joined the Lee Rubber Company. He was interested in introducing new construction methods, like lightweight concrete, to bring down building costs and was interested in helping to solve Singapore's housing shortage. These directed his commercial and political activities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emerald Hill, Singapore</span>

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Balestier</span> Subzone of Novena Planning Area in Singapore

Balestier is a sub zone located in the planning area of Novena in the Central Region of Singapore. The main road, Balestier Road, links Thomson Road to Serangoon Road and the road continues on as Lavender Street. The area is home to rows of shophouses, such as the Sim Kwong Ho shophouses, the Balestier Art Deco shophouses, 412-418 Balestier Road, and 601-639 Balestier Road, low-rise apartments and commercial buildings as well as a shopping mall known as Shaw Plaza. Balestier also has another mall, Zhongshan Mall. There are several lighting and electrical shops along Balestier Road, which is also home to the Ceylon Sports Club and the Indian Association. The area is known for its food such as bak kut teh and chicken rice. In the area, there are several apartments, condominiums, and budget hotels.

Matilda House, located at Punggol Walk in Punggol, Singapore, is one of the oldest houses in Singapore. It is currently part of a new residential condominium complex, "A Treasure Trove", which was completed in 2015. The façade and interior are restored and has been converted into a clubhouse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hoo Ah Kay</span> Singaporean businessman and community leader

Hoo Ah Kay, better known as Whampoa, was a Singaporean businessman and community leader. An immigrant from China to Singapore, he held many high-ranking posts in Singapore, including honourable consul to China, Japan and Russia.

Dakota Crescent is one of Singapore’s oldest housing estates built by Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT), the government development authority, in 1958.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alkaff Gardens</span>

Alkaff Gardens was a Japanese-style park once located east of the Bidadari Cemetery from 1930 to 1964, on the present site of Cedar Girls' Secondary School at Bidadari, Singapore. In the 1930s, the park was a popular leisure destination for dating couples and families. It featured as its centrepiece an artificial lake, which was drained in 1964.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whampoa Makan Place</span> Wet market and food centre in Whampoa, Singapore

Whampoa Makan Place is a hawker centre and wet market on blocks 90, 91 and 92 along Whampoa Drive in Whampoa, Singapore. The centre is divided into two sections, with one being the hawker centre, and the other being the wet market.

Block 34 Whampoa West is an HDB block in Bendemeer, Singapore. The block is the third longest surviving HDB block, behind 121 Paya Lebar Way and 195 Kim Keat Avenue, being 311.5 metres long.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Tan, Bonny. "Bendemeer House". Singapore Infopedia. National Library Board . Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  2. 1 2 Buckley, Charles (1984). An Anecdotal History of Old Times in Singapore: From the Foundation of the Settlement Under the Honourable the East India Company on February 6th, 1819 to the Transfer to the Colonial Office as Part of the Colonial Possessions of the Crown on April 1st, 1867. Singapore: Oxford University Press. p. 658-659. ISBN   0195826027.
  3. Chandy, Gloria (30 March 1980). "Mansion that was hub of the social set". New Nation. Singapore. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  4. "Land and House-Property". The Daily Advertiser. Singapore. 28 November 1892. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  5. "Bendemeer's Roses". The Straits Budget. Singapore. 20 August 1936. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  6. "Govt buys historic Whampoa House for $3.8mil". The Straits Times . Singapore. 25 March 1964. Retrieved 30 April 2022.