The following are taken from URA website. Click on the area and
look for "Historical Background" under "Introduction"
heading.
http://www.ura.gov.sg/landuse/devtguide-frame.htm
Bishan:
Bishan used to be known as Kampong San Theng and Soon Hock
Village.
The history of Kampong San Theng dates back to more than a century
ago. Kampong San Theng together with the temple and other
facilities, was the result of joint efforts by pioneer members of
the three perfecters namely, Kwong Fu, Wai Chow Fu and Siew Hing Fu
from the province of Canton, China.
Soon Hock Village was part of the larger Kampong San Theng. Prior
to its resettlement programme, Soon Hock Village was an exclusive
Chinese village with a predominance of Hokkiens. It was popular for
its production of sesame oil and noodles.
Bukit Timah:
John Prince, Acting Resident of the Incorporated Settlement first
explored Bukit Timah in 1827 in preparation of cutting the road,
which is now Bukit Timah Road. Apparently, the area was infested
with tigers and it was such a serious threat to human life that
Indian convicts were deployed to capture and kill these animals.
Apart from this unpleasant presence, the area was rural with few
inhabitants. It was a diverse area, having a spread of old kampung
housing, rubber plantations, villages such as Bukit Timah Village.
Moving into 1900s, other developments sprung forth - the railway
route, industries, schools and a race course, the Bukit Turf
Club.
Geylang:
The history of Geylang Serai begins wih a small settlement
consisting of Orang Laut and the Malays on the banks of Gaylang
River. In the 1840s, the British Government dispersed the Malay
floating village at the mouth of the Singapore River because of its
obstruction to port traffic. The Malay inhabitants thus moved
inland, with some setting up home in Geylang.
This new settlement at Geylang was known as 'Geylang Kelapa'.
'Kelapa' meaning coconut in Malay suggesting the presence of
coconut plantaions. However, since the beginning of the 20th
century, the settlement has been known as 'Geylang Serai', 'Serai'
in Malay is 'Lemon grass' indicating the growth or cultivation of
lemon grass in the area.
Tanjong Katong (Marine
Parade):
Tanjong Katong is the Malay name for "turtle point"; "Katong" was a
species of sea turtle which is now extinct. The name can also mean
the rippling effect of a mirage across the shoreline.
The old Tanjong Katong area stretched from the coastal line at the
end of Upper East Coast Road to the Tanjong Rhu area. Many wealthy
Straits Chinese, Europeans and Jews built mansions, hotels and
recreation clubs along the beach as weekend retreats that is
distinctive of Marine Parade to enjoy the sea breeze and tranquil
atmosphere.
Stretching from the shoreline towards the former Grove Road (now
Mountbatten Road) was a vast coconut plantation known as the Grove
Estate. It was owned by Thomas Dunman, Singapore's first
Superintendent of Police, who planted groves of coconut trees.
Demand for housing due to population growth and the advent of
motorized transport led to the gradual fragmentation of the
plantations and accelerated the urbanization of the eastern part of
the island. By 1941, the residential areas as what we know today
were well established.
Queenstown:
Queenstown was previously an agricultural area. Before the war in
1942, there were hundreds of people living in attap huts
cultivating vegetables, growing fruits and rearing pigs and
chickens. The British also set up a military camp, known as Buller
Camp, in Queenstown. It was not until 1953 when the SIT cleared the
camp site and built a housing estate there.
Pasir Panjang:
Pasir Panjang in the south is the Malay name for "long sandy
beach". Malay villages used to dot the coastline along Pasir
Panjang. The main economic activities were fishing and small scale
agriculture. Developments in the area only took place later after
the war. In the 1950s, the area began to take on a suburban
character as bungalows were built along the coastline, fronting the
sea. The sea and facilities such as Haw Par Villa has made Pasir
Panjang a popular recreational area for residents and vistors
alike.
Toa Payoh:
'Payoh' originates from the Malay word 'paya' for swamp. Toa Payoh
is the Chinese equivalent of Paya Lebar, that is, the "big swamp
land". It was an extensive and notorious squatter district. Most
squatters were engaged in farming and rearing pigs. The others were
hawkers, factory workers, mechanics or domestic helpers.
The squatters started moving out in 1962 as a result of increased
compensation rates and other practical inducements offered by the
Government. Clearance work was able to commence and the
redevelopment started in early 1964. The Toa Payoh New Town, HDB's
second satellite town, was built in 1970. The housing estate was
self-contained and had a town centre acting as a focal point for
the shopping and entertainment needs of the residents. Industrial
developments were also build within the town to provide residents
with job opportunities close to home while schools were built
within the neighbourhood.
Bedok:
Bedok is the Malay name for the drum that was used in the
pre-loudspeaker days to call worshippers to pray at the
mosque.
At Jalan Sempadan, on the outskirts of Bedok there is a cemetery
where Rhio and Bornean relatives who settled in the district in the
pre-Rafflesian days are buried.
Siglap, the southern part of Bedok was a vast coconut plantation
known as the Siglap Estate that stretched from the beach to Changi
Road and narrow Siglap Road wound through it from Upper East Coast
Road.
Changi:
Changi was famous for its coconut plantations in the 1800s. The
terrain of the area is generally flat except for three main hill
areas namely the Battery Hill, The Fairy Point Hill and Temple
Hill. As early as 1845, it was already a fashionable resort for
picnic parties. The open land and sandy beach along Nicoll Drive
offered a peaceful hideaway.
In 1926, the British cleared the plantations and the steep coastal
cliffs off Changi coast to build an Air Base. Around the same time,
the Changi Hospital was constructed. The Changi Point area during
this period was mainly used for military barrack and administrative
quarters.
Pasir Ris:
"Pasir Ris", which means "White sand" in Malay, is the name that
was used to describe the long stretch of sandy beach along the
north-east coastline of Singapore that faces Pulau Ubin. The beach
used to be dotted with balmy coconut trees and mangrove
swamps.
Pasir Ris used to be a low-lying and undeveloped area with kampongs
and villages, for example Kampong Pasir Ris, Kampong Bahru and the
Chinese villages at Elias Road. The name "Sungei Tampines" is a
reminder of "Tampinis" which is the old Malay name for Riau
iron-wood tree; and the timber trade that flourished in the early
days but has since been exhausted.
Despite its rural character, the Pasir Ris area, according to
records obtained from the National Archives, was a popular beach
resort with a hotel and a good beach that was ideal for swimming
and picnics. Even in the 1950s, water skiing was already a popular
sport there.
Paya Lebar:
Paya Lebar used to be a big swamp area, and that is how it got its
name. In Malay "Paya" means swamp and "Lebar" means wide.
In the early days, there were rural settlements and agricultural
areas in Paya Lebar. On 20 August 1955, the Paya Lebar
International Airport was opened by the then Secretary of State for
the British colonies, Mr Alan Lennox Boyd. The airport had since
become the chief landmark for Paya Lebar Planning Area. However,
the airport ceased its civil aviation operation in 1981 when the
Changi International Airport was opened.
To the east of the Paya Lebar Airport, the area was once used for
sand quarrying. As a result, many disused sand quarry ponds were
formed after the sand quarrying operations ceased in 1980s.
Tampines:
The name "Tampines" originated from the name of a valuable timber
tree. The name of the tree was formerly spelt as "Tampinis". It was
changed to "Tampines" as it was the nearest romanised version of
the word. The tree provided a strong and durable ironwood timber
which was in great demand in the early days. As there was no forest
conservation during those days, the popular demand of the wood from
the Tampines tree almost made it extinct by the early
eighties.
There used to be a village also named "Tampines" along the 7th mile
Upper Serangoon Road.
Ang Mo Kio:
The name "Ang Mo Kio" which means the "red hair bridge" was derived
from a bridge in Thomson Road built by J.T. Thomson who was the
government surveyor during the period 1841-1854. He was credited
for having prepared a fully annotated SINGAPORE map in 1843. It was
probably due to his preference for the name "ANG MO KIO" on
learning what the Chinese settlers called the bridge that he named
the district after it.
Ang Mo Kio Town is the seventh town developed by HDB. The area
boasts some interesting firsts. It is the first to use new flats as
distinct from improved flats. First to provide 5 room flats in slab
block form (as distinct from point-block) and first HDB town to be
designed in metric dimensions.
The Ang Mo Kio Town Centre is built over an elongated valley
formerly occupied by squatters. This 29 ha town centre contains all
the commercial office, cultural and community facilities serving
200,000 residents. It also won the Singapore Institute of
Architects (SIA) Outstanding Buildings Award in 1983.
Hougang and Serangoon:
Serangoon Road is divided into two sections; the first extending
from Selegie Road to Macpherson Road and the second from Macpherson
Road northwards. This latter part is called Upper Serangoon Road,
which forms the main transportation spine serving the Hougang
Planning Area. Serangoon Road was named after `Rangong' a bird of
the stork species. This bird used to abound in the swamp around the
Serangoon River in the old days. The Chinese called Serangoon `Ow
kung', that is back of the river. As the name implies, the Hougang
Planning Area is located upstream or at the back of the Sungei
Serangoon.
From post-World War II to the 1960's, Serangoon was characterised
by a spread of old Kampong settlements, villages, rubber
plantations and other agricultural activities. It was populated
predominantly by Chinese with a few Malays and Hindus. They lived
in small compounds where they grew fruit trees and poultry with
their own supply of well water. The major crops were durian and
coconut with other fruit trees. In addition, the Sembawang Rubber
Plantation was located in Serangoon Garden. The primary roads
connecting this area to other locations were Serangoon Road and Yio
Chu Kang Road.
In the early 1960's, electricity supply was introduced to Serangoon
North, and from 1970, roads were widened and the housing area was
further developed.
Sengkang:
Sengkang, meaning "prosperous harbour" in Chinese, is the new name
for the planning area. The name comes from a road called Lorong
Sengkang, off Lorong Buangkok. The area was formerly known as
Kangkar (GangJiao) or "foot of the port" as there was once a
fishing port located along Sungei Serangoon. Fishing villages and
rubber and pepper plantations flourished in the area in the old
days.
Punggol:
Kampong Punggol, which was located in the vicinity of the Punggol
Jetty, was believed to have existed 200 years ago, even before Sir
Stamford Raffles founded Singapore. It was one of the oldest
settlements in Singapore. The original settlers were predominantly
Malays. Fishing was then the main activity. Villagers also planted
fruits and vegetables.
In Malay, Punggol (also spelled Ponggol), means hurling sticks at
the branches of fruit trees to bring the fruits down to the ground.
It also refers to a place where fruits and forest produce are
offered for wholesale.
The early Chinese immigrants, who settled in Punggol from the mid
19th century onwards, were engaged in plantation work (mainly
rubber). As more and more Chinese immigrants settled in Punggol,
poultry farming and pig rearing activities flourished.
Trading on farm produce, fruits and vegetables was carried out in
the marketplace at the former eighth milestone of Punggol
Road.
The Serangoon River mouth became the docking point for fishing
boats where fishermen gathered to sell their catch.
In the 1960s, basic amenities like piped water, electricity, paved
roads, and drainage systems were introduced through government and
self-help programmes. It was also at this time that television
became popular and antennas could be seen installed on many kampong
rooftops.
Poultry and pig farms were gradually phased out when redevelopment
commenced in the 1970s. Land vacated by resettled farmers were then
tendered out on short term leases for non-pollutive agricultural
activities (eg. vegetable farming).
Punggol was also known for its sumptuous seafood and boatels that
provided services like docking and renting of boats for boating,
water-skiing and skin-diving lessons. These seafood restaurants and
boatels have since been relocated to facilitate reclamation
works.
Sembawang:
The Sembawang district got its name from the Sembawang tree. The
area was originally planned as a naval base. The bungalows west of
the junction of Sembawang Road and Admiralty Road East used to be
residence for the British naval officers. They were built after
World War II and are characteristic of the colonial architecture of
the period.
The names of the minor roads within the bungalows area also reflect
the previous British Naval Base: Falkland, Canada, Montreal, King's
Avenue, Malta Crescent, Cyprus, St. Helena and Gibraltar
Crescent.
Simpang:
The area was formerly covered by coconut and rubber plantations,
fruit orchards and farms. There were also large areas of natural
vegetation consisting of forest and mangrove swamps. The northern
part of Simapng was traversed by two major tributaries of Sungei
Simpang. Fish and prawn ponds were created along the bank of Sungei
Khatib Bongsu.
In 1987, large area of northern Simpang was cleared and levelled.
The two tributaries of Sungei Simpang were filled. Only Tanjong
Irau and the area lying between Sungei Khatib Bongsu and Sungei
Seletar were left untouched.
Sungei Kadut and Woodlands:
Sungei Kadut was the name of a small river located to the southern
part of the existing Sungei Kadut Industrial Estate. The river used
to flow northward into Sungei Kranji, which is the existing Kranji
Reservoir. A large part of the planning area however was commonly
known as "Kranji" or "Keranji" - the name of a tree (dialium
indicum) growing in the district. A main road running from the city
through "Kranji" was constructed to link up to the Causeway.
In the 1970s, HDB started development of the Woodlands Town. The
first 1,300units were completed at end of 1972. This was followed
by the development of the Town Centre with more public housing and
industrial development.
Yishun:
The history of Yishun can be traced back to the mid 19th century
when gambier and pepper plantations flourished along the Seletar
River. These plantations, which were mostly owned by Teochew
immigrants, were replaced by more profitable pineapple and rubber
estates at the end of the 19th century. Amongst local entrepreneurs
who dominated the rubber industry was Lim Nee Soon, from whom the
area later derived its name.
From post-World War II to the 1960s, most of the farmlands in
Yishun area were devoted to mixed farming, in particular a
combination of horticulture, poultry and livestock breeding.
Fishery production activity could also be found near the three
rivers of Sungei Simpang, Sungei Khatib Bongsu and Sungei
Seletar.
Yishun continued to be a rural area in the 1970s until it was
developed as a satellite town in early 1980s.
Bukit Batok:
Bukit Batok used to be a sleepy rural outback. The undeveloped area
was occupied by forest, farm lands and factories. Prominent
factories included the Hume Industries and the Ford Motor Works
Factory along Upper Bukit Timah Road.
The Bukit Batok area was also used for military training and
granite quarrying as early as the 1950s. In fact the word Bukit
Batok was derived from the Malay word "Bukit" which means Hill and
"Batok" which means cough. The blasting of the granite quarries was
seen as though the "Hills were coughing", hence the name "Bukit
Batok".
In the 1960s, Bukit Batok was sparsely populated with the bulk of
its population living in squatters and temporary structures. In the
1970s, the squatters were cleared to make way for a modern
satellite town. In the 1980s, the HDB flats were in Bukit
Batok.
Bukit Panjang:
Bukit Panjang gets its name from the range of low hills which
begins from Mandai and ends in Bukit Timah to the south. It means a
"long spread of hill" in Malay. The Bukit Panjang area used to
comprise rural settlements which grew up along Bukit Timah Road in
the early 1900s.
Choa Chu Kang:
The name "Choa Chu Kang" is derived from the word "kang chu". In
the late eighteenth century or the early nineteenth century, the
Sultan of Johor allowed the Chinese immigrants to plant "ganmi" and
pepper along the river bank. These immigrants were called
"Kangchu"-the word "kang" means river and "chu" is the clan name of
the first headman in charge of the plantations in the area.
Choa Chu Kang became a small rural Chinese district. It was a
diverse area with old kampong housing and rubber plantations.
Residents had to depend on boats or bullock carts for
transportation. Among the few villages which sprang up were Kampong
Belimbing and Kampong Choa Chu Kang. Interestingly, most of the
inhabitants belonged to the Teochew dialect group. The early
Teochew settlers were mainly farmers growing "ganmi" and pepper.
The Hokkiens, who moved in later, established pineapple, rubber and
coconut plantations as well as vegetable farms and poulty
farms.
In the early days, the area was infested by tigers. The last tiger
of Singapore was shot here in the 1930s.
The old attap houses, street hawkers and Chinese kampongs have
since disappeared from Choa Chu Kang. Today, Choa Chu Kang is being
developed into a modern housing estate with ample community and
recreational facilities.
Clementi:
The Clementi area is named after Sir Cecil Clementi Smith, Governor
of the Straits Settlements and High Commissioner during the period
1887-1893. He was an accomplished Chinese scholar who spent most of
his career in the East. He was so well liked that when he left
Singapore in 1893, the Chinese community petitioned for his
continuation as Governor for another term.
Part of Clementi used to be a swampland. The other part comprised
kampongs and villages with squatter-type homes, backyard trades,
cottage industries and farms.
Clementi Town was developed in phases between 1975 and 1979. The
town was the eighth town to be developed by the Housing and
Development Board. The town was planned to be self-sufficient to
accommodate an adequate range of facilities and services with
employment opportunities.
Jurong East and Jurong
West:
Jurong was chosen as the site for Singapore's first industrial
estate. The area was a hilly jungle-covered land with fish and
prawn ponds and crocodile-infested rivers.
The land was rural and mostly state-owned. The small number or
residents meant easier relocation. Levelling the land was also
easier as the low hills around the area would be cut down to fill
swamps and reclaim land.
In the 1950s, Jurong West was mainly swamp land with low hills,
shrubs and a jungle. It was eventually developed into an industrial
base in the 1960s, supported by low-cost housing.
