Grange Road
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Grange Road begins at the junction of Cairnhill Road and Orchard Road and ends at the junction of Napier Road and Tanglin Road. Constructed in 1866, the road was named after Grange House in Thomas Oxley's estate.
History
In 1846, Thomas Oxley (Dr) purchased a piece of land from the government that is bound by what is presently River Valley Road, Tank Road, Grange Road and Orchard Road. The land, essentially a jungle, held little value. Oxley developed it into a nutmeg plantation and the place came to be known as the Oxley's estate. An adjoining portion of the estate, also a nutmeg plantation, belonged to W.W. Willans whilst another portion belonged to G.G. Nicoll. A road was constructed in 1866 to serve as a private pathway leading to Oxley's estate. This road was named Grange Road, after a large house in Oxley's estate called the Grange House. In the 19th century, a Teochew settlement or kampong was also found off Grange Road. The road has been under the Urban Redevelopment Authority's conservation scheme since 1991 to preserve the antiquity of the area, which is graced by the presence of a pre-1868 Victorian building called the "Spring Grove".
Description
The Orchard Fountain Corner is located at the junction of Grange Road and Orchard Road. Next to the Fountain Corner is a landmark commercial property, the Orchard Building, opposite to which is the popular cinema, Cathay Cineleisure Orchard. Grange Road has two parks on its either side - Skate Park, for skating and roller-blading enthusiasts, and Youth Park, for youth activities. The road is lined with residential units once it crosses the India House, a 42,351 sq. ft. pre-1920s colonial building, home to the Indian High Commission. Admiralty House, built in 1972, housed the Raffles Institution from 1972 - 1990 until the school moved to its new premises in Braddell. The old Woodstock Home which currently houses the Singapore Anti-Narcotics Association (SANA) is located at the junction of Orchard Boulevard and Grange Road. A Muslim cemetery was built in 1840 at Bukit Wakoff in the vicinity of Grange Road, on land donated by Syed Ali bin Mohammed Al-Junied, the son of Syed Omar who was an established 19th Century Arab merchant from Palembang.
The Ministry of Education Teachers' Network (Grange Road Centre), a sprawling campus constructed in 1997, is located at the junction of Hoot Kiam Road and Grange Road. Next to it is Spring Grove that served as the residence for US ambassadors to Singapore from 1936 to 1941 and periodically from 1946 onwards until it was sold to a commercial property developer in 1991. Spring Grove was a 2-storey Victorian bungalow built on a 263,400 sq. ft. before 1868, and was later integrated into a condominium development. The bungalow belonged to Hoo Ah Kay (Whampoa) in 1845 and Hans Becker of Behn Meyer & Company in 1906. Grange Garden is a 45,509 sq. ft. housing site which comprises a group of 4-storey maisonettes overlooking a garden. The Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt is located opposite of Grange Garden. At the junction of Cuscadean Road and Grange Road are two distinctive looking buildings; the Traders Hotel, built in 1995, and Tanglin Mall, a 130,000 sq. ft. shopping centre which was opened in 1994.
Author
Naidu Ratnala Thulaja
References
Buckley, C. B. (1984). An anecdotal history of old times in Singapore: 1819-1867 (pp. 405-406). Singapore: Oxford University Press.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 BUC)
Dunlop, P. K. G. (2000). Street names of Singapore (p. 95). Singapore: Who's Who Publications.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 DUN)
Edwards, N., & Keys, P. (1988). Singapore: A guide to buildings, streets, places (pp. 183, 186, 226, 227, 496). Singapore: Times Books International.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 EDW)
Savage, V. R., & Yeoh, B. S. A. (2003). Toponymics: A study of Singapore street names (p. 140). Singapore: Eastern Universities Press.
(Call no.: RSING 915.9570014 SAV)
Aggarwal, N. (1995, December 25). India plans to redevelop three large S'pore freehold properties. The Straits Times, p. 28.
Dhaliwal, R. (1995, February 7). New hotel meets basic needs of business clients. The Straits Times, p. 22.
New residence for US Ambassador. (1994, June 28). The Straits Times, p. 36.
Old buildings win architect 2 awards. (1998, July 9). The Straits Times, p. 2.
Skateboarding now safer at park. (2000, September 9). The Straits Times, p. 71.
Soh, W. L. (2002, March 25). Shophouse-style and modern living come to Light @ Cairnhill. The Straits Times, Money.
Further Readings
Ong, C. (1995, January 2). Tanglin Mall set to liven up quiet part of Orchard Road belt. The Straits Times, Life, p. 4.
Kuoks to open shopping mall in December. (1994, September 29). The Straits Times, p. 36.
Nostalgia time again for former RI boy. (1990, May 27). The Straits Times, p. 18.
Urban Redevelopment Authority. (2005). Grange Road Conservation Area. Retrieved January 26, 2005, from http://www.ura.gov.sg/conservation/grange.htm
The information in this article is valid as at 2003 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
Law and government>>National development>>City planning