Emerald Hill, Singapore
Encyclopedia
Emerald Hill is a neighbourhood and a conservation area
located in the planning areas of Newton
and Orchard
in Singapore
. Former home to many members of the city-state's wealthy Peranakan
community, it is located near Orchard Road
. Many of its homes feature Chinese Baroque architecture. Emerald Hill is also the setting for some of the short stories by the late Singaporean author Goh Sin Tub
.
clerk who rose to become the acting Postmaster
General in the 1840s. Cuppage first lease
d Emerald Hill in 1837 and in 1845 secured a permanent grant
for his nutmeg
plantation
, which failed in the 1860s because of disease
.
Cuppage himself moved from his residence
in Hill Street
to Emerald Hill in the early 1850s and lived in the area till his death in 1872. Here he built two houses (Erin Lodge and Fern Cottage) where he lived. After his death, Cuppage's plantation was left to his daughters and in 1890 it was sold to one of his sons-in-law
, the lawyer
Edwin Koek.
Koek turned the area into an orchard
and built another house on the estate, called Claregrove. Koek's orchard venture
failed, however, and he went bankrupt. The property
was then sold to Thomas E. Rowell in 1891.
By the turn of the twentieth century, the 13.2 hectare
land and its three houses (Erin, Fern and Claregrove) were the property of Seah Boon Kang and Seah Boon Kiat. In 1901, they subdivided the property into 38 plots and these were further subdivided, forming the land area of the terrace houses in Emerald Hill Road.
All three houses were subsequently demolished: Fern Cottage in 1906 made way for terrace houses; in 1924 Claregrove gave way to the Singapore Chinese Girls' School
; Erin Lodge was replaced with more terrace houses.
from 1871 and later Director of Public Instruction on his departure from Singapore in 1906 after having stayed here for 35 years. His name is also commemorated in Raffles Institution in the form of a Hullet Scholarship awarded since 1908. The road was named after Hullet at the request of Dr Lim Boon Keng
, who was Hullet's pupil
.
(1908), Registrar of Companies
and Official Assignee (1915) and Secretary for Chinese Affairs, Straits Settlements
(1922). He was also a member of the Legislative Council
.
, particularly in the works of Goh Sin Tub
. Such titles include:
Conservation area
A conservation areas is a tract of land that has been awarded protected status in order to ensure that natural features, cultural heritage or biota are safeguarded...
located in the planning areas of Newton
Newton, Singapore
Newton is the name of an urban planning area within the Central Region in Singapore.The Newton Planning Area is defined by the region bounded by Bukit Timah Road to the north, Balmoral Road, Anderson Road, Orange Grove Road, Tanglin Road and Grange Road to the west, Claymore Road, Claymore Hill,...
and Orchard
Orchard Road
Orchard Road is a road in Singapore that is the retail and entertainment hub of the city-state. It is regularly frequented by the local population as well as being a major tourist attraction...
in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. Former home to many members of the city-state's wealthy Peranakan
Peranakan
Peranakan Chinese and Baba-Nyonya are terms used for the descendants of late 15th and 16th-century Chinese immigrants to the Indonesian archipelago of Nusantara during the Colonial era....
community, it is located near Orchard Road
Orchard Road
Orchard Road is a road in Singapore that is the retail and entertainment hub of the city-state. It is regularly frequented by the local population as well as being a major tourist attraction...
. Many of its homes feature Chinese Baroque architecture. Emerald Hill is also the setting for some of the short stories by the late Singaporean author Goh Sin Tub
Goh Sin Tub
Goh Sin Tub was a well-known pioneer of Singaporean literature. He was a prolific writer of numerous book titles, which includes bestsellers like the The Nan-Mei-Su Girls of Emerald Hill, The Ghost Lover of Emerald Hill, and the Ghosts of Singapore...
.
History
The Emerald Hill area was originally owned by William Cuppage, a postalMail
Mail, or post, is a system for transporting letters and other tangible objects: written documents, typically enclosed in envelopes, and also small packages are delivered to destinations around the world. Anything sent through the postal system is called mail or post.In principle, a postal service...
clerk who rose to become the acting Postmaster
Postmaster
A postmaster is the head of an individual post office. Postmistress is not used anymore in the United States, as the "master" component of the word refers to a person of authority and has no gender quality...
General in the 1840s. Cuppage first lease
Lease
A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the lessee to pay the lessor for use of an asset. A rental agreement is a lease in which the asset is tangible property...
d Emerald Hill in 1837 and in 1845 secured a permanent grant
Land grant
A land grant is a gift of real estate – land or its privileges – made by a government or other authority as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service...
for his nutmeg
Nutmeg
The nutmeg tree is any of several species of trees in genus Myristica. The most important commercial species is Myristica fragrans, an evergreen tree indigenous to the Banda Islands in the Moluccas of Indonesia...
plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
, which failed in the 1860s because of disease
Disease
A disease is an abnormal condition affecting the body of an organism. It is often construed to be a medical condition associated with specific symptoms and signs. It may be caused by external factors, such as infectious disease, or it may be caused by internal dysfunctions, such as autoimmune...
.
Cuppage himself moved from his residence
House
A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
in Hill Street
Hill Street
Hill Street is a street in the downtown of Singapore starting from Eu Tong Sen Street and ending at Stamford Road, where the road becomes Victoria Street...
to Emerald Hill in the early 1850s and lived in the area till his death in 1872. Here he built two houses (Erin Lodge and Fern Cottage) where he lived. After his death, Cuppage's plantation was left to his daughters and in 1890 it was sold to one of his sons-in-law
Son-in-Law
Son-in-Law was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and an influential sire, especially for sport horses.The National Horseracing Museum says that Son-in-Law is "probably the best and most distinguished stayer this country has ever known." Described as "one of the principal influences for stamina in...
, the lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
Edwin Koek.
Koek turned the area into an orchard
Orchard
An orchard is an intentional planting of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit or nut-producing trees which are grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of large gardens, where they serve an aesthetic as well as a productive...
and built another house on the estate, called Claregrove. Koek's orchard venture
Venture
Venture may refer to:* VENTURE NOTC, the Canadian Naval Officer Training Centre based in CFB Esquimalt, British ColumbiaIn automobiles:* Chevrolet Venture, a General Motors Corporation minivan.* VentureOne, a concept car by Venture Vehicles...
failed, however, and he went bankrupt. The property
Property
Property is any physical or intangible entity that is owned by a person or jointly by a group of people or a legal entity like a corporation...
was then sold to Thomas E. Rowell in 1891.
By the turn of the twentieth century, the 13.2 hectare
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
land and its three houses (Erin, Fern and Claregrove) were the property of Seah Boon Kang and Seah Boon Kiat. In 1901, they subdivided the property into 38 plots and these were further subdivided, forming the land area of the terrace houses in Emerald Hill Road.
All three houses were subsequently demolished: Fern Cottage in 1906 made way for terrace houses; in 1924 Claregrove gave way to the Singapore Chinese Girls' School
Singapore Chinese Girls' School
Singapore Chinese Girls' School is one of the oldest schools in Singapore having been founded in 1899. It is a full school with both primary and secondary divisions, taking in students between the ages of 6 and 16...
; Erin Lodge was replaced with more terrace houses.
Roads on Emerald Hill
Emerald Hill Road
Emerald Hill Road was laid out in 1901 and the current terrace houses alongside the road were built between 1901 and 1925.Hullet Road
Hullet Road was built in 1914 and named after R.W. Hullet, principal of Raffles InstitutionRaffles Institution
Raffles Institution , founded in 1823, is the oldest centre for pre-tertiary learning in Singapore. It is an independent school in Singapore providing secondary and pre-university education. RI consists of a boys-only secondary section , and a coeducational pre-university section...
from 1871 and later Director of Public Instruction on his departure from Singapore in 1906 after having stayed here for 35 years. His name is also commemorated in Raffles Institution in the form of a Hullet Scholarship awarded since 1908. The road was named after Hullet at the request of Dr Lim Boon Keng
Lim Boon Keng
Lim Boon Keng, OBE was a Chinese doctor who promoted social and educational reforms in Singapore and China. Lim was of Chinese Peranakan descent, with ancestry from Hai Teng district in Fujian, China.-Early life:...
, who was Hullet's pupil
Student
A student is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. In some nations, the English term is reserved for those who attend university, while a schoolchild under the age of eighteen is called a pupil in English...
.
Saunders Road
Saunders Road was named in 1927 after the British colonial officer, Charles James Saunders. Saunders held several official appointments. He was District JudgeDistrict Judge
District Judge may refer to*A member of the Judiciary of England and Wales*A United States federal judgeNormally concerned with the civil law. I.e. Families, bankruptcy, property etc....
(1908), Registrar of Companies
Registrar of Companies
The Registrar of Companies for England, Wales & Scotland is the official responsible for Companies House, which deals with all filings relating to the Companies Act 1985 to 2006, ensuring the document filings are kept up-to-date and deals with any breaches of the Companies Act.The Registrar Of...
and Official Assignee (1915) and Secretary for Chinese Affairs, Straits Settlements
Straits Settlements
The Straits Settlements were a group of British territories located in Southeast Asia.Originally established in 1826 as part of the territories controlled by the British East India Company, the Straits Settlements came under direct British control as a crown colony on 1 April 1867...
(1922). He was also a member of the Legislative Council
Legislative Council
A Legislative Council is the name given to the legislatures, or one of the chambers of the legislature of many nations and colonies.A Member of the Legislative Council is commonly referred to as an MLC.- Unicameral legislatures :...
.
Emerald Hill in literature and art
Emerald Hill has often been featured in Singaporean literatureLiterature of Singapore
The literature of Singapore comprises a collection of literary works by Singaporeans in any of the country's four main languages: English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil....
, particularly in the works of Goh Sin Tub
Goh Sin Tub
Goh Sin Tub was a well-known pioneer of Singaporean literature. He was a prolific writer of numerous book titles, which includes bestsellers like the The Nan-Mei-Su Girls of Emerald Hill, The Ghost Lover of Emerald Hill, and the Ghosts of Singapore...
. Such titles include:
- Emily of Emerald Hill (1983), by Stella Kon
- The Nan-Mei-Su Girls of Emerald Hill (1989), by Goh Sin Tub
- The Ghost Lover of Emerald Hill, by Goh Sin Tub
- On This Emerald Hill, written by Jonathan Lim, directed by Christina Seargant