Bukit Pasoh Road, Singapore (7 July 2011)
Bukit Pasoh Road is a minor road in the
Chinatown subzone of
Outram, Singapore. it runs from
New Bridge Road in the north to
Neil Road in the south, with a junction near the middle to Teo Hong Road.
The name Bukit Pasoh means "pot hill", with
pasoh being the anglicized spelling for "pasu" (pot). The place got its name from a hillock located in the area, on which there were kilns for the firing of pots, urns, bricks and tiles. In the 1830's, the hillock marked the western extend of the colonial town. In the 19th century, it was owned by various European planters. It was called Ryan's Hill from 1835 to 1836, when it was renamed Craig Hill. It was renamed again to Bukit Padre and finally to Bukit Pasoh.
Most of the shophouses on Bukit Pasoh Road dates to the early part of the 20th century. It was here that wealthy Chinese merchants used to house their concubines or mistresses, away from their wives. In that respect, Bukit Pasoh Road shares some similarity to other streets in Malayan towns of that period, including
Love Lane in George Town and
Panglima Lane in Ipoh.
A walk down Bukit Pasoh Road reveals handsome townhouses with cast-iron balconies. A row of townhouses in the area has been restored and readapted as New Majestic Hotel, a boutique hotel. Over the past decade, many of the clan associations have move out, and sold or rented their premises for commercial use, especially for the running of F&B outlets such as cafes and bistros.
Sights along Bukit Pasoh Road
A clan association on Bukit Pasoh Road, Singapore (7 July 2011)
Ornate three-storey terrace houses on Bukit Pasoh Road, Singapore (7 July 2011)
Ornately embellished shophouse at junction of Bukit Pasoh Road with Neil Road (7 July 2011)
Keow Siong Club has now been taken over - as of March 2018 - by a bistro called Poncho. (7 July 2011)
16 Bukit Pasoh Road has beautiful frangipanni in its compound. (7 July 2011)
Yee Lan Court, a row of double-storey terrace townhouses on Bukit Pasoh Road that was built in 1928 and has been restored. (7 July 2011)
This handsome row of four 3-storey townhouses once house the New Majestic Hotel, but has since been converted into a private clubknown as Straits Clan. (7 July 2011)
Bukit Pasoh Road roadsign (7 July 2011)
Bukit Pasoh Road Singapore (Feb 2022)
References
1.
Toponymics - A Study of Singapore Street Names by Victor R Savage and Brenda S.A. Yeoh (2004), ISBN 981-210-364-3