The Cairnhill estate is a sub-zone in the Newton area of the Central Region. Charles Carnie had a nutmeg plantation and built his residence on the hill in 1840. The hill was named Carnie's Hill. From the turn of the 20th century, Cairnhill was seen as an ideal residential estate for the wealthy.
In 1848, Charles Carnie owned a 4,370 tree nutmeg plantation on a hill (34 m above sea level) in the Orchard Road area which he named Carnie's Hill. The name Cairnhill originated from Carnie's residence built in 1840 on that hill. The location of that original home is believed to be where Cairnhill Hilltops stand today. Carnie's was the first house erected in Orchard/Tanglin district. It was demolished in 1884 to make way for a Chartered Bank House. The next stage of development for the area included fine villas and shophouses some of which can still be seen today. Hilltops Apartments or Cairnhill Hilltops a 16-storey apartment block built in 1965, right on the peak of Cairnhill Circle, was the first of a series of luxury apartments in the area. Cairnhill Plaza built in 1976 started the trend of expensive, exclusive and luxurious high-rise living.
Reputable schools have had their heydays here. These included the Singapore Chinese Girls School built in the 1920s and the Anglo-Chinese School built in 1928.
Today Cairnhill Road and Cairnhill Circle is a mix of old grand villas, modern luxury apartments, and many well-restored pre-war terraced houses, all of different sensational shapes and sizes.
Author
Vernon Cornelius-Takahama
References
Makepeace, W., Brooke, G. E., & Braddell, R. St. J. (Eds.). (1991). One hundred years of Singapore, (Vol. 2, pp. 205, 489). Singapore: Oxford University Press.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 ONE)
Samuel, D. S. (1939). Malayan street names: What they mean and whom they commemorate. Ipoh: Mercantile Press.
(Call no.: RSING 959.5 RAJ)
Urban Redevelopment Authority (Singapore). (1994). Newton planning area: Planning report 1994 (p. 8). Singapore: The Authority.
(Call no.: RSING 711.4095957 SIN)
The information in this article is valid as at 2001 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.
