Selegie Road lies between Prinsep Street and Serangoon Road. The word "selegie" is believed to be a Malay word that refers to a wooden spear sharpened and hardened by fire. A Bugis pirate race known as Orang Selegie were said to have lived on a hill known as Mount Sophia, located near Selegie Road during Singapore's early years.
History
According to legend, Selegie Road was the site of many battles fought during Singapore's early history. During the sacking of Temasek in 1377, the ruler of Temasek was believed to have fled via this road, then merely a track carved out by trade. He made his way to Seletar and escaped by boat. The area was also known to be rich in spice trees and bamboos. Later as Singapore developed, Indians became new residents in the area. After all, located not far from Selegie Road was the beginnings of Little India, a distinct area for the local Indian community. It was also an enclave for the Chitty Melaka or Indian Peranakans, many of whom came in the 1930s looking for jobs.
Key Features
Indian convicts built many of the shophouses there, including unique two-storey shophouses built using timber beams with base-relief moulding used as decoration on the windows. The first Chinese YMCA was built along Selegie in February 1948.
Ellison Building
At the junction between Selegie Road and Bukit Timah Road stood the two-storey Ellison building, named after the owner Isaac Ellison. The Colonial governors would sit at the roof of this building to catch races at Race Course Road held each Sunday.
David Elias Building
The David Elias Building is located at the junction where Short Street and Middle Road meet Selegie Road. It was built by a prominent Jewish settler in 1928. The building was used mainly for commercial activities. Its architectural design is characteristics of the late 1920s, featuring cantilevered bay windows with Italianate balconies and a corniced roof. The building also featured the six-pointed Star of David.
Unfortunately, many of the old buildings were torn down to make way for new development. They are replaced with shopping malls, offices and residential complexes such as Paradiz Centre, Peace Centre and Selegie Complex.
Variant Names:
Chinese name: Known as Tek Kia Kha, "The foot of the small bamboos". The name was derived from the presence of bamboo clumps in the neighbourhood. Sometimes the name extended to Tek Kha tit koi, or "foot of the bamboos, straight street".
Tamil name: It was referred to as Nagappenn Than, meaning "Nagappenn's water tank".
Author
Heirwin Mohd Nasir
References
Dunlop, P. K. G. (2000). Street names of Singapore (p. 274). Singapore: Who's Who Publications.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 DUN)
Edwards, N., & Keys, P. (1988). Singapore: A guide to buildings, streets, places (p. 287). Singapore: Times Books International.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 EDW)
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, 4, 126.
(Call no.: RSING 959.5 FIR-[IC])
Little India. (2000). Retrieved February 5, 2003, from www.littleindia.com.sg/stb/stb_attractions.htm
Tyers, R. K. (1993). Ray Tyers' Singapore: Then and now (p. 71). Singapore: Landmark Books.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 TYE)
[Untitled]. (1924, January 1). The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser, p.7. Retrieved May 18, 2010, from http://newspaper.nl.sg
Yap, E. (1996, October 30). A past fraught with mishaps, a future full of big dreams. The Straits Times, Life, p. 1.
Yap, E. (1992, June 28) The other babas. The Straits Times, Sunday Plus, pp. 1-2.
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.
