Save Palmer Road

I am constantly amazed by how much history still lingers in various places in Singapore and how little we Singaporeans know about these places. My current hobby horse is Palmer Road.

I did not discover Palmer Road of my own accord - I rarely do, being a rabbit and all, with my nose so often buried in the ground. I learnt about this through my work as a studio tutor and through my colleague, Dr Johannes Widodo. Unfortunately, you cannot access his paper "Preserving the Memory of Place: Case for Support for Palmer Road Area Conservation in Singapore", Journal of Asian Studies No.29 (2005) from the internet. Contact me, I'll pass you a copy. Another important paper on this matter can be downloaded from the internet: Palmer Road Foot Tet Soo Khek Temple, Archaeological Research Project Preliminary Site Report, version 1.4, 9th March 2006, by Lim Chen Sian.

I cannot do better than to quote these authors:

Tanjong Malang is one of the most important places in the history of early 19th century Singapore. It refers to the rock, where according to Munshi Abdullah, Raffles hung the body of Syed Yasin who stabbed Colonel Farquhar.

Widodo, p.2

Hmmm, anyone knows where Tanjong Malang is? It's near Tanjong Pagar. Beats me too.

Mount Palmer is not only the home of the Foot Tet Soo Khek Temple but also various historical institutions ranging from Fort Palmer, Keramat Habib Nor and the Parsee Burial Grounds of the 19th century, to those of a more recent nature, the former Singapore Polytechnic (1954, today Bestway Building) and the Chinese YMCA (c.1956, today Palmer House). Mount Palmer standing at 100 feet was the largest in the Telok Ayer group of hillocks (Map 2). It was used for fill in the second reclamation of the Telok Ayer Basin (c.1904-15), and was completely leveled save for a small knoll that still remains to the northeast and the rear of the temple. This remnant of the hill was part of the Parsee Burial Ground and purportedly the earliest tombstone was recorded to be from 1828.

Lim Chen Sian, pp 1-2

There are several Chinese Temples in Singapore of which the Foot Tet Soo Khek Temple is the second oldest. It dates back to the mid-nineteenth century. Archaeological work on the site only began in July 2005. Excavation work lasted only 17 days and 700 artefacts were found. The old Parsee burial ground was also discovered covered over with undergrowth on the southern terrace of Mount Palmer. Although exhumed before 1966, remains of the tombs still remain on the hillside.

The waliullah Habib Noh is a bona-fide saint of Singapore who foiled the British and did many miracles during his lifetime (and probably after). Though generally unnoticed, his keramat sits nobly on the hill visible each time you enter the East Coast Parkway via the Keppel Viaduct. My favourite story is this one:

" the British colonial masters. . . tried to put him in jail a number of times. However, after doing this many times, they finally gave up and left him alone. The reason? Each time he was arrested, and put in jail, he mysteriously disappeared from his cell and was seen outside walking free."

Let's save Palmer Road, ok?