My Queenstown Heritage Trail

My Queenstown Heritage Trail is a walking trail in Queenstown, Singapore. The trail was launched in 2010 by civic group, My Community, to promote the heritage, local culture and architectural styles in Queenstown .[1]

Queenstown was named after Queen Elizabeth II to mark her coronation in 1952. Conceived by the Singapore Improvement Trust in the 1950s and completed by its predecessor, Housing and Development Board (HDB), in the 1960s, Queenstown is Singapore's first satellite town and serves as the testbed for Singapore's public housing programme.[2] At present, the trail consists of 40 historical sites, including Alexandra Hospital (former British Military Hospital), Ying Fo Fui Kun cemetery and ancestral hall, Queensway Shopping Centre, Princess House, Church of the Blessed Sacrament and Singapore's first HDB flats, sports complex, polyclinic, branch library, neighbourhood police centre and technical school.

Guided Tours

Black and white bungalow at Wessex estate

My Community offers two guided tours covering Tanglin Halt & Margaret Drive and Alexandra & Dawson.

Launched on 27 July 2014, Tanglin Halt & Margaret Drive guided tour traces the evolution of Queenstown as Singapore’s first satellite town including many public and social institutions. The tour visits landmarks such as the first HDB flats along Stirling Road, Queenstown Sports Complex, Queenstown Branch Library, the former Malayan railways and black & white bungalows at Wessex estate.[3]

Block 38 Commonwealth Avenue is a former wet market designed by Singapore Improvement Trust

Alexandra & Dawson guided tour, launched on 4 April 2015, follows the footsteps of the Japanese troops in Queenstown during World War II and visits military installations such as Alexandra Hospital (former British Military Hospital) and bunkers along Kay Siang Road.[4]

A third guided tour covering Commonwealth & Holland was launched on 20 March 2016.The guided tour traces the transformation of Queenstown from a rubber plantation in the 1870s to a busting military village in the 1950s and a popular expatriate centre in 2000s. Some of the historical landmarks in the tour include Holland Village, Shuang Long Shan Wu Shu Memorial Hall, Ridout and Holland Park conservation area and Chip Bee Gardens.[5]

Block 73 is one of the nine three-storey buildings at Commonwealth Drive designed by Singapore Improvement Trust
Church of the Blessed Sacrament's most striking feature is the dramatically structured sate roof constructed in folds to symbolise the "tent of meeting" in the Old Testament of the Bible
Former Venus and Golden City theatres were two former cinemas at the Queenstown town centre
Jamek Queenstown Mosque is a Javanese styled mosque opened on 25 December 1964
Queenstown Sports Complex is Singapore's first sports complex constructed in 1970.
Queensway Shopping Centre is one of Singapore's first multi-purpose shopping complexes alongside Golden Mile and Katong.
Shuang Long Shan Wu Shu Ancestral Hall
Tiong Ghee Temple is a Taoist village temple opened in 1928

List of sites

References

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, March 22, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.