Enggor Street
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Enggor Street is a one-way road within the Central Business District in the Tanjong Pagar area. It is bound by Tanjong Pagar Road and Anson Road, and joins up to Hoe Chiang Road. The street was named after a town in Perak, Malaya (what is now Malaysia).
History
History
Enggor Street was named in 1898 after a Malayan town in Perak that was located along the Perak River in the Kuala Kangsar district. "Enggor" is Malay for a type of freshwater catfish. Nearby streets such as Bernam Street, Tras Street and Raub Street were named after Malayan places in the same year. The Chinese name of Enggor Street, however, makes reference to Tan Kim Ching, Tan Tock Seng's eldest son. As Consul-General for Siam in the Straits Settlements and founder of Kim Ching & Co, Tan Kim Ching wielded enormous influence on the Chinese in southern Thailand and northern Malaya, especially Kelantan and Patani. He also encouraged the establishment of the Tanjong Pagar docks, which are located near Enggor Street.
Chinese variations on the name of the street are "Chin Seng Sua Khau" in the Hokkien dialect, and "Chan Seng Shan Hau" in Cantonese, meaning Chin Seng Hill mouth, a reference to Bukit Kim Cheng.
Description
Chinese variations on the name of the street are "Chin Seng Sua Khau" in the Hokkien dialect, and "Chan Seng Shan Hau" in Cantonese, meaning Chin Seng Hill mouth, a reference to Bukit Kim Cheng.
Description
Prior to World War II, Enggor Street was a popular gathering point and was often crowded with unlicensed hawkers. Together with others in the Tanjong Pagar area, the street was popular with Indian coolies and gurkhas (elite soldiers from Nepal). The street was also home to prominent Straits Chinese such as Tan Kheam Hock, merchant and provider of contract labour for the Tanjong Pagar Docks, and Yeo Wah Hin, vice-president of the Wales Minstrels in the 1930s.
During this period, several well-known companies were located at Enggor Street, including Straits Aerated Water Works; Ford Motor Company of Malaya Limited, which set up its first assembly plant in a garage on the street soon after the company was established in 1926; and the Malaya Tribune office, whose back door faced the street. Institutions such as the Sindhi Merchants Association were also located along the street until 1951.
One of the notable buildings at Enggor Street was the Chinese Industrial and Commercial Continuation School. Founded in January 1920 by Shi Shu, a mainland Chinese who served as its first principal, the school provided both day and night courses. There were at least 1,000 students in the night classes alone, the majority of these being children of immigrant Chinese. Besides covering the regular school curriculum, it also provided vocational training. The school moved to Outram Road in 1929, and today is located at Tampines and known as Gongshan Primary School.
After the war, Enggor Street was notable for other buildings and businesses located there. In 1951, Gan Eng Seng School was relocated from Telok Ayer to the junction of Anson Road and Enggor Street. The school was already noteworthy at the time for its history of 63 years and was recognised as the only school to have been fully supported by a local. Plans for the new school building were already in place in 1940 but the impending war led to a delay in construction. The school remained at Enggor Street until 1986, when it moved to a location near Keppel Railway Station.
During this period, several well-known companies were located at Enggor Street, including Straits Aerated Water Works; Ford Motor Company of Malaya Limited, which set up its first assembly plant in a garage on the street soon after the company was established in 1926; and the Malaya Tribune office, whose back door faced the street. Institutions such as the Sindhi Merchants Association were also located along the street until 1951.
One of the notable buildings at Enggor Street was the Chinese Industrial and Commercial Continuation School. Founded in January 1920 by Shi Shu, a mainland Chinese who served as its first principal, the school provided both day and night courses. There were at least 1,000 students in the night classes alone, the majority of these being children of immigrant Chinese. Besides covering the regular school curriculum, it also provided vocational training. The school moved to Outram Road in 1929, and today is located at Tampines and known as Gongshan Primary School.
After the war, Enggor Street was notable for other buildings and businesses located there. In 1951, Gan Eng Seng School was relocated from Telok Ayer to the junction of Anson Road and Enggor Street. The school was already noteworthy at the time for its history of 63 years and was recognised as the only school to have been fully supported by a local. Plans for the new school building were already in place in 1940 but the impending war led to a delay in construction. The school remained at Enggor Street until 1986, when it moved to a location near Keppel Railway Station.
The Tunas Building belonging to Tunas (Pte) Limited, an Indonesian conglomerate, was located at the junction of Enggor Street and Anson Road. Launched in 1973, the unusual 28-storey building was shaped like a ship and its exterior featured stone carvings of the Ramayana. Recladding work in 1987 transformed the building, which was renamed Apex Tower and its addressed changed to the more auspicious 70 Anson Road. The building no longer exists.
Today, Realty Centre and Synergy Hub Point are found along Enggor Street, while Amara Shopping Centre has one end facing it. The closest train station is Tanjong Pagar MRT.
Author
Bonny Tan
Author
Bonny Tan
References
Dunlop, Peter K. G. (2000). Sindhi Merchants Association (p. 76). Singapore: Who's Who Pub.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 DUN)
$500,000 school after 10 years. (1949, March 8). The Straits Times, p. 5. Retrieved April 30, 2010, from NewspaperSG database.
Firmstone, H. W. (1905, February). Chinese names of streets and places in Singapore and the Malay Peninsula. Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, 42, 86.
(Call no.: RSING 959.5 FIR-[IC])
Gallop, Christopher. (1958, June 29). Driving to school is an enjoyable adventure. The Straits Times, p. 14. Retrieved April 30, 2010, from NewspaperSG database.
Gan Eng Seng School. GESS history. Retrieved December 19, 2008, from http://www.gess.edu.sg/gess/main/gesshistory.php
Garden@Gongshang. Our garden - our history. Retrieved December 19, 2008 from http://www.gongshangpri.moe.edu.sg
Hawkers. (1922, February 16). The Straits Times, p. 10. Retrieved April 30, 2010, from NewspaperSG database.
Leong, Weng Kam. (1978, August 25). The Chinese school with an unusual history. The Straits Times, p. 32. Retrieved April 30, 2010, from NewspaperSG database.
Letjen Dr. H. Ibnu Sutowo to officiate at function. (1973, October 20). The Straits Times, p. 6. Retrieved April 30, 2010, from NewspaperSG database.
Many advantages of assembling motor vehicles locally. (1963, July 28). The Straits Times, p. 11. Retrieved April 30, 2010, from NewspaperSG database.
Merchants to buy buildings. (1951, June 18). The Straits Times, p. 7. Retrieved April 30, 2010, from NewspaperSG database.
Savage, V. R., & Yeoh, B. S. A. (2003). Toponymics: A study of Singapore street names (p. 120). Singapore: Eastern Universities Press.
(Call no.: RSING 915.9570014 SAV)
StreetMap@Singapore. Singapore Land Authority. Retrieved August 20, 2008, from http://www.map.gov.sg/StreetMap/
Tunas Building: A new and imposing landmark in the heart of the city. (1973, October 20). The Straits Times, p. 6. Retrieved April 30, 2010, from NewspaperSG database.
The information in this article is valid as at 2010 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.
Subject
Architecture and Landscape>>Streets and Places
Street names--Singapore
Arts>>Architecture>>Public and commercial buildings