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Bukit Merah

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For either of the two towns in Perak, Malaysia, see Bukit Merah, Perak.
Bukit Merah
Planning Area and HDB Town
Other transcription(s)
 • Chinese红山
 • PinyinHóng Shān
 • MalayBukit Merah
 • Tamilபுக்கிட் மேரா
From top left to right: HarbourFront, Singapore Improvement Trust flats in Tiong Bahru, Skyline of Redhill, Henderson Waves, Jetty at Labrador Nature Reserve
Country Singapore
RegionCentral Region
CDCs
Town councils
  • Jalan Besar Town Council
  • Tanjong Pagar Town Council
  • West Coast Town Council
Constituencies
Government
 • MayorsCentral Singapore CDC

South West CDC

 • Members of ParliamentJalan Besar GRC

Radin Mas SMC

Tanjong Pagar GRC

West Coast GRC

Area
[1][2]
 • Total
14.34 km2 (5.54 sq mi)
 • Residential3.12 km2 (1.20 sq mi)
Population
 (2015)[1][2]
 • Total
155,840
 • Density11,000/km2 (28,000/sq mi)
DemonymsOfficial
  • Bukit Merah resident

Colloquial

  • Bukit Meraher
  • Bukit Merahian
Postal districts
2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10
Dwelling units51,885
Projected ultimate68,000

Bukit Merah (Chinese: 红山, Template:Lang-ta), also known as Bukit Merah New Town, and often abbreviated as either Bt. Merah or BM, is a planning area and residential town situated in the southernmost part of the Central Region of Singapore. The town borders Tanglin to the north, Queenstown to the west and the Downtown Core, Outram and Singapore River districts of the Central Area to the east. Bukit Merah also shares a maritime boundary with the Southern Islands planning area located beyond the town's southernmost point.

With the earliest records of Bukit Merah's existence in the Malay Annals, the town had a huge role to play in the early maritime trade of the Kingdom of Singapura.

The town's fertile red soil was employed to great effect, when it was a district rich in gambier cultivation during British colonial rule.[3]

Even before the industrialization of Jurong, Bukit Merah already had a small head start in the emerging heavy industry market in Singapore. With the first brickwork factories and mills emerging in the precincts of Henderson Hill and Redhill as early as the 1930s.[4]

The town is also home to the first housing estate in the country, Tiong Bahru Estate, which was developed by the Singapore Improvement Trust in the backdrop of a rapidly growing population in post-war Singapore. The estate later became the basis of what would eventually become the first new town in the Republic, Queenstown.

Etymology

”Bukit Merah” translates to "Red Hill" in Malay, and is a reference to the red couloured lateritic soil found on the hill. According to the Sejarah Melayu, Singapore used to be plagued by swordfish attacking the people living in the coastal regions. A young boy named Hang Nadim proposed an ingenious solution, to build a wall of banana stems along the coast at the present location of Tanjong Pagar. When the swordfish attacked, their snouts were stuck in the stems. With the swordfish problem solved, Hang Nadim earned great respect from the people, but also jealousy from the rulers. The King, Paduka Seri Maharaja, finally ordered his execution, and it was said that his blood soaked the soil of the hill where he was killed, giving rise to the red-coloured hill.[5]

The hill was eventually trimmed to its current state in 1973, when it made way for Redhill Close and what would eventually become Henderson Secondary School. During its existence, a Chinese cemetery was situated on the reverse side of this hill, which is today, the location of Tiong Bahru.

Geography

The Bukit Merah–Central Area boundary line along Outram Road as seen from Bukit Merah.

According to the various master plans laid out by the Urban Redevelopment Authority, Bukit Merah is bounded by Alexandra Canal and the Singapore River to the north and Harbourfront and Keppel Bay to the south, Kim Seng Road, Outram Road and Cantonment Road to the east and Alexandra Road to the west. There are several subzones within the planning area, namely Alexandra, Brickworks, Bukit Ho Swee, Bukit Merah Central, Bukit Purmei, Cantonment, Depot Road, HarbourFront, Henderson, Keppel, Labrador Park, Mount Faber, Redhill, Rumah Tinggi, Singapore General Hospital, Telok Blangah and Tiong Bahru.

History

Villages dotted with attap huts were common before the site saw 21 blocks of 7-storey government flats rise in 1955. The brick factory of Lim Loh, father of Lim Bo Seng was also sited here. By the 1960s, emergency flats, the standard one-room, 2-room and 3-room flat sprouted quickly to house a growing population. The main street, Jalan Bukit Merah was originally known as Silat Road, a name which is restricted to three small roads and an estate today.[3]

There are a number of historic sites in this town. Keppel Harbour dates back to the 14th century when it was known as "Lung-Ya-Men", or Dragon Teeth Gate. Mount Faber was once known as Telok Blangah Hill. Its name was changed to Mount Faber after Captain Edward Faber cut the road up to the top in 1845 to set up a signal station. The Singapore General Hospital site dates back to 1882. Labrador Nature Park was used as a defence outpost in the 19th century until World War II.[6]

Transportation

Mass Rapid Transit

MRT stations that serve the town include Redhill and Tiong Bahru of the East West Line. Harbourfront and Telok Blangah MRT Stations of the Circle Line and North East Line. The future Havelock MRT Station of the Thomson-East Coast Line is also located in Bukit Merah, near to the Bukit Ho Swee estate, making Bukit Merah the planning area that has the second-most number of MRT lines passing through it, following the Central Area. The future stations, Keppel and Cantonment will be located within the new town as part of the Stage 6 of the Circle Line that will be completed by 2025.[7]

Bus

There are two bus interchanges and one bus terminal in the new town. The Bukit Merah Bus Interchange (红山巴士转换站), which serves Bukit Merah, is located at Bukit Merah Town Centre. Service Number 132 links the Interchange to Redhill MRT Station while bus services 5, 16, and 851 links the interchange to Tiong Bahru MRT Station. There are two feeder services originating from the interchange which serves the Telok Blangah estate.The HarbourFront Bus Interchange is located at the southern part of Bukit Merah, serving nearby amenities such as the HarbourFront Centre and VivoCity, the largest shopping mall in Singapore. The New Bridge Road Bus Terminal, is located along Eu Tong Sen Street, next to the Police Cantonment Complex, near Outram Park MRT Station.

Education

Bukit Merah consists of several Primary and Secondary schools with Alexandra Primary School being the newest school.

Primary Schools

Secondary Schools

Tertiary Institutions

Other Schools

Amenities

Places of Worship

Buddhist Temples

  • Wat Ananda Metyarama Thai Buddhist Temple

Churches

Chinese Temples

  • Ban Siew Temple
  • Geck Hong Tian Temple
  • Hock Teck Tong Temple
  • Koon Seng Ting Temple
  • Lei Yin Temple
  • Ling San Teng Temple
  • Qui Tian Gong Temple
  • San Jiang Gong Ci Temple
  • Tai Yeong Temple
  • Tian Gong Miao Temple
  • Tian Tan Temple

Hindu Temples

  • Sri Ruthra Kaliamman Temple

Mosques

  • Masjid Al-Amin Mosque
  • Masjid Jamiyah Ar-Rabitah Mosque
  • Masjid Kampong Delta Mosque
  • Masjid Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim Mosque

Sikh Temples

  • Gurdwara Sahib Silat Road

Shopping Centres

Parks

Community Centres/Clubs

  • Bukit Merah Community Centre
  • Henderson Community Club
  • Kim Seng Community Centre
  • Leng Kee Community Centre
  • Radin Mas Community Club
  • Telok Blangah Community Club
  • Tiong Bahru Community Centre

Sports Facilities

Politics

A large portion of Bukit Merah is under Tanjong Pagar GRC, with some areas under Jalan Besar GRC , Radin Mas SMC and West Coast GRC, served by the People's Action Party.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bukit Merah.

References

  1. ^ a b City Population - statistics, maps and charts | Bukit Merah
  2. ^ a b HDB Key Statistics FY 2014/2015
  3. ^ a b "Singapore Infopedia - Bukit Merah". National Library Board.
  4. ^ "ALEXANDRA BRICKWORKS". The Straits Times. 17 February 1931.
  5. ^ "Bukit Merah Town Centre". lostnfiledsg. Retrieved 2015-11-09.
  6. ^ "Singapore Bukit Merah Map & Bukit Merah Singapore". www.streetdirectory.com. Retrieved 2015-11-09.
  7. ^ "Three new stations to close loop on Circle Line". TODAYonline. Retrieved 2016-03-13.

Sources

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