We ♥ Tiong Bahru

Our Neighbourhoods

Urban Sketchers Singapore

ISBN: 978-981-073626-2
First Edition, October 2020
© 2020 Epigram Books

Cover design by Tzuen
Front cover illustration by Tia Boon Sim
Back cover illustration by Don Low
Series editor: Jocelyn Lau
Sketchwalk organisers: Urban Sketchers Singapore

Published in Singapore by Epigram
www.epigrambooks.sg

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Table of Contents

The Beauty of Tiong Bahru

Map

Blk 82 Tiong Poh Rd. Credit: Sketch by Paul Wang

Blk 75 Tiong Poh Rd. Credit: Sketch by Paul Wang

The Beauty of Tiong Bahru

My first memory of Tiong Bahru is rooted in 1997, when I enrolled in Nanyang Polytechnic’s School of Business. The faculty occupied a vacated secondary school building along Lower Delta Road—it is now the Tiong Bahru Examinations Centre—while an integrated campus was being built in Yio Chu Kang. I spent two years exploring accountancy… and the neighbourhood. Fast-forward to the present day. I have returned to the estate, this time as the owner of an independent bookstore on Yong Siak Street. Tiong Bahru has seen many changes in the past few years. From the sleepy district that I remember, it has assumed a stylish persona as new shops and residences have sprung up, replacing some of the older ones, even as some other areas have been assigned conservation status. More young families are moving in and calling this place home. The current atmosphere suggests to me what the early days here must have been like, when the estate was newly built in the 1930s and our country was inching towards independence. We Love Tiong Bahru is timely as it comes at a juncture of transitions. The lovely drawings in this book not only ‘archive’ the current views of the neighbourhood but they also remind us to do our part in ensuring that the beauty of Tiong Bahru continues to exist for generations to come.

Kenny Leck
Owner, BooksActually

Tiong Bahru Market. Credit: Sketch by Don Low

“Tiong Bahru Market and Food Centre wasn't like what you see today, with concrete walls, elevators and rooftop parking. It looked more like Chatuchak market in Bangkok, albeit on a smaller scale. Single level, zinc-roofed and surrounded by barbed wire fences, it was very crowded, wet and smelly-and full of character. I distinctly remember sitting on small wooden stools and eating breakfast with my mum. Today, we welcome the new place as if none of this had existed before.”

– Don Low, illustrator

View of Tiong Bahru Market. Credit: Sketch by Lesley Tan

End of preview.