Site Visits at Bukit Purmei and Spottiswoode Park
Bukit Purmei HDB, Singapore
SINGAPORE—Today’s post will go in chronological order of an unsuccessful location scouting for views of Singapore’s Tanjong Pagar Terminal on the 9th of September. The terminal has been cleared of containers in Singapore’s process of opening up the new self-described mega-port at Tuas. This clearing, of course, will have major implications for the future of the area. The vast waterfront area will become the site of new development. The URA has had sealed lips regarding what’s going to happen next, so I’m excitedly waiting for any information. Locals do not necessarily feel so excited though, I was told by one resident. She aired some anxiety about the possibility of her 1977-built HDB block going en bloc and being demolished. With this as context, I was hoping to do two things. The first was to document the areas around the port, and the second was to get an establishing view of the port. I had some success with both points.
My first image from the Bukit Purmei, a Malay name which translates to ‘serene hill’. It’s a very green area! Unfortunately, the vast seven-lane intersection though does spoil the pedestrian experience of the neighborhood, and occupy space that could be dedicated to more mixed-use integration.
I feel that documenting these sorts of images is most important for me to accurately represent Singapore’s built environment. The pastel-colored facades, brown and off-white tiled elevator bays, faux-wood elevator doors, painted concrete floors, and white railing are so ubiquitous throughout Singapore, it would be difficult to place exactly where these images were if it wasn’t said on the sign in the first shot! This is an older HDB block, something a resident told me could be distinguished by how wide the recess area is.
Here’s how Jane Chang of mynicehome.sg describes the neighborhood:
“Bukit Purmei is a small and settled community where many neighbours as well as shop owners know one another and are always ready to offer a helping hand – in true kampong spirit of yesteryears – which is not easy to come by these days.”
Views! The image looking towards the CBD was not as successful as I would have liked. That said, I do admire the image looking towards the HDB estate.
I do greatly admire how much work goes into all the potted plants outside these flats. When well maintained, they make the concrete corridors and recess areas feel more welcoming. They are a ubiquitous feature throughout Singapore. One day I ought to make a series of all the greenery I’ve seen in all the HDBs. If anyone reading this is especially proud of their greenery, reach out so I can document your maintenance routine! :D
Spottiswoode Park and Area
This is a view of the Spottiswoode Park HDB estate. The blocks were originally built between 1973-77 by the Port of Singapore Authority for their staff using a spacious HDB-style design. Well, the PA was unsuccessful, and the HDB took over and managed the nine blocks, with relaxed regulation on four of the blocks. (source)
Spottiswoode had been a Nutmeg plantation in the 1840s, and I KID YOU NOT, it was first converted to bungalow housing for the employees of the Tanjong Pagar Dock Company in the 1900s, and the company is now known as the Port of Singapore Authority! (source)
I was also interested in the strange name. Spottiswoode itself is a Middle English last name with no known etymological root, so this region was likely named after a Scottish settler. (source)
These images are looking down Kampong Bahru Road first toward then away from the Central Business District (CBD). You can just make out some of the major skyscrapers in the downtown area. The distinctive white building with elevated walkways connecting buildings is one of Singapore’s modern public housing developments, Pinnacle@Duxton. The top has a $5 observation deck, which I have yet to do!
View of the Port
Views of the port! I’ve already said what needs to be said about the port in the first paragraph, so I’ll just summarize things here. The port was cleared in lieu of Tuas Port’s opening in 2021. I’m not quite happy with these views, but without a drone or helicopter, I’m not sure if I could get better.
This was captured along Blair Road, a street view in a new neighborhood I hadn’t explored before, right by the Spottiswoode Park HDB complex. If anyone knows the name of the small district of old shophouses, please let me know! It has a strange energy. For more on that, check out the audio clip below.
I don’t think this is the most successful image of a shophouse, but I included it because of what I heard while shooting. So I pretty much exclusively shoot using my tripod and tilt-shift lens, which means I often get meditative moments while I’m shooting. It’s part of why I prefer it over the more rushed and shaky street photography style I had done before getting the tilt-shift. Once I set up the camera and adjusted focus, I started to hear this howling noise. It was coming from the wind hitting the large new apartment building behind, Spottiswoode Residences. Check out this minute-long audio recording made at the time of documentation. It’s hard to make out, I need a better microphone, but you can just make out the howling wind, a car and motorbike passing by, then the shutter going off twice.
The now-abandoned Saint Matthews Church. The structure was completed in 1963, at which time it was dedicated to a former Bishop of Singapore. The building was called for a new MRT station in 1996 and officially abandoned in 2005. Silly enough, the MRT station ended up not being built there, and the building faced the prospect of an unnecessary demolition, in much the same way as the old National Theatre. The building was gazetted in 2014. This image is the first time I’ve happened upon it. I’ll have to go back and document it properly later.
An Old Tombstone overtaken by Greenery
So here’s an interesting location I happened to stumble upon. I’m not sure if I should divulge the location since it’s in an area where people might not like to be disturbed. This is an old cemetery that has been taken over by vegetation. If you do happen to find this location and want to go, I will warn you to bring long pants to ward off the masses of mosquitoes that will attack you.
Concluding Thoughts
WOW. That was a long post. If you made it all the way down here, hi Mom! I expect this format of posting be reflective of the future of this blog. For this first week, I’ll be posting once a day. By next week, I’ll aim to post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings, EST. Evening my time. Let me know if you have comments on formatting, what you liked and what you weren’t so fond of!
Please leave a comment, even if just to say hello! It helps me please the omniscient algorithms.
