Joo Chiat Railway Line

                                                Map provided by Mok Ly Yng.

                                                    Joo Chiat Railway Line

As a school boy I like to play at the disused railway track between Joo Chiat Place and Joo Chiat Terrace. I balanced myself on the metal rail and walked as far as I could to test my ability. Sometimes I competed with my friends for fun. The railway line came from Tanjong Katong and cut through Joo Chiat. I remember there were road crossings gates at Joo Chiat Road, Tembeling Road and Joo Chiat Place. After the war all the road crossings together with most of the railway tracks were removed. Today not a single trace is left.

The history of Joo Chiat railway line is connected to the construction of Kallang Aerodrome in 1932. Kallang basin then was a huge tidal swamp and needed to be reclaimed. A railway line for a light train was constructed from the proposed aerodrome to Jalan Eunos earth quarry. Earth was transported in rectangular open buckets from the earth quarry to Kallang Basin swamp.

                                 Chinese coolies excavating earth from the hillsides

                                  Train carrying earth near excavating site
                             
Level crossing gates were put up at all the roads where the train crossed. In Joo Chiat there were 3 road crossings. They were at Joo Chiat Road, Tembeling Road and Joo Chiat Place. The land reclamation at Kallang Basin took about 4 years (1932 to 1936) to complete. For the railway line that crossed Joo Chiat, it was mission accomplished.

The Straits Times 8 March 1933 reported: His Excellency (Sir Shenton Thomas Governor of Singapore) boarded one of the ordinary locomotives and rode on the footplate to Jalan Eunos quarry.

Accidents at railway line level crossings
The newspapers had regular advertisements cautioning the public on the level crossings. Inspite of the warnings there were accidents thereat and some were quite serious including death.

The Straits Times 18 October 1933 An Indian contractor Mariappan Ombris was knocked down by a light railway train at the level crossing in Joo Chiat Road. Both his legs were severed and he had severe head injuries. He was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital where he died a few hours later.

The Straits Times 3 May 1934 OnTuesday morning a lorry laden with bricks crashed into the gates of Grove Road level crossings as they were being lowered ..............

The Straits Times 16 June 1934 The fatal level crossing smashed on the Tanjong Katong Road on the night of May 22 had a sequel yesterday when the driver of a lorry which was said to have gone through the gates at 'terrible speed' was brought up in the Fourth Magistrate Court.

During the Second World War, a bungalow and the railway track behind the shophouses at Joo Chiat Place nearby Everitt Road was destroyed by a Japanese bomb. The bombed site is now part of Legenda JC condominium


Background building facing Joo Chiat Road was a vacant land where the railway line came to Joo Chiat from Tanjong Katong.


At Joo Chiat Lane above the railway line was on the left side of the road.


The line cut across Tembling Road to the opposite side of Joo Chiat Lane. About 100 meters from the junction it turned left towards Joo Chiat Place/Everitt Road juntion.


Behind the yellow building was the bombed site of a bungalow and the railway line.


The railway line cut across Joo Chiat Place to the opposite side of Everitt Road which was then a vacant land.

History of Joo Chiat Road

Above pictures added on 27 Dec 2010 to show the 'Then, Then & Now' Joo Chiat Road.
Top picture - Joo Chiat Road when it was known as Confederate Estate Road.
Middle picture - Joo Chiat Road in the early days
Bottom picture - Joo Chiat Road now


Joo Chiat Road
The background building on the left is the former Joo Chiat Police Station

Joo Chiat area is well known to those living in the eastern part of Singapore. Its Peranakan houses have motifs not only depicting Chinese and Malay cultures but also European influences. Its rich peranakan culture and yummy food such as nonya bak chang, tua kua pau, laksa and many others have brought people from other parts of the island to shop and to enjoy the delicious food. It has also become a tourist attraction.
But, how many people knows that Joo Chiat Road was originally called Confederate Estates Road. Most of Joo Chiat area was then known as Confederate Estates, owned by the Little Family (see map below).

Map of Singapore in 1898

In 1914 Joo Chiat Road and Joo Chiat Terrace already existed in Joo Chiat area. They were named after Chew Joo Chiat a wealthy Chinaman land owner. Joo Chiat Road then was a short stretch of cart track from Geylang Serai to Joo Chiat Terrace. The cart track continued straight towards the east coast as Confederate Estate Road.

In the early 20th century Chew Joo Chiat already owned a vast piece of land in the area for his coconut plantations. The Little Family was then dividing their lands and sold them away in small freehold lots for building houses. Chew increased his land banks by purchasing some of them and later owned the dirt road as well. In 1916 the Municipality wanted to build a proper road suitable for motor cars from Geylang Serai all the way to the beach where many wealthy people had their holidays houses by the sea. There was no land acquisition law then. The Municipality had to buy land from the land owner, Chew Joo Chiat for the purpose. Chew did not want to sell his land but he saw the benefit of a road infra structure going through his coconut estates. He bequeathed the land to the authority. In 1917 a proper road for motor vehicles was constructed.  The road was renamed Joo Chiat Road after Chew Joo Chiat for his generosity.
First Objection To The Naming of Joo Chiat Road Most residents who had been living in the area for a long time was unhappy that Confederate Estates Road had been changed to Joo Chiat Road. A resident then wrote to the press (ST 29 March 1917).


Second Objection To The Naming of Joo Chiat Road
On 6 October 1948 a person using a pseodonym 'New Gap' wrote to the press as shown below.

Comparing the two complaints, the first appeared sincere but the second had an axe to grind. His remark " who or what was Joo Chiat anyway" showed his true colour.

Reply to New Gap (ST 8 October 1948) from Chew Joo Chiat's grandson


Some years ago an old resident in Joo Chiat was so sad that there was no Katong constituency. He said "Actually Joo Chiat is part of Katong. In the old days, no Joo Chiat is only a road, not a constituency". His statement was not substantiated. Actually the reverse is true. Joo Chiat had been a single ward constituency before and after the PAP came into power. Katong was not even on the map of Singapore. It was only referred to by words of mouth. Joo Chiat/Katong common boundary was at Tanjong Katong Road. The book 'The Singapore House 1819 - 1942' by Lee Kip Lin mentioned in page 119 that by 1928 Katong had grown to the extend that the Inspector-General of Police, H Fairburn, remarked: "The development of the area from Katong to Joo Chiat, which had been so rapid in the past two years, promise to continue, and from every point of view one sees the necessity of providing of a sub divisional station in that suburb. The suburb at present possess no police station."
It is obvious that Katong was then encroaching into Joo Chiat. We can now say that Katong is part of Joo Chiat.

JOO CHIAT IS A LIVING LEGACY. WILL THERE BE ANOTHER OBJECTION TO JOO CHIAT ROAD ?

Peranakan

Who is a Peranakan or what is the definition of a Peranakan? Chew Joo Chiat was born in China and came to Singapore to seek his fortune. He became wealthy and married a Peranakan lady. I read a number of websites which stated that Chew was a wealthy Peranakan land owner. I am a first generation local born and married a nonya's daughter. Does it make me a baba? I am proud to be associated with the Peranakan and its culture. In fact, the Peranakan adhered more to the Chinese tradition than the Chinese. I love Peranakan cuisine and on pre Chinese New Year's eve, we had 'toh panjang'.

More Singaporeans came to know the Peranakan culture through the TV series of "Little Nonya". Sarong Kebaya business has also improved. I managed to get one suit for my grand daughter to put on Chinese New Year day. Below are family photos showing my connection with the nonyas and babas.


Chew Joo Chiat's daughter, my grand aunt


My wife when she was a teenager


My wife's uncle and aunt in Melaka


My mother-in-law sitting in the centre with relatives around her


My wife and I are on the right


My grand daughter, the little nonya


Trophy won by wife for the best dressed nonya

Reflection

Recently I walked down memory lane along Joo Chiat Road where I once lived. I stared hard at the vacant field and visualised the scene as it was before. My thought went to second half of 1940. I was living at No 73 Joo Chiat Road then. No 71 was a coffee powder shop with a large grinding machine that was very noisy when the shop opened for business in the morning. Next came the Indian grinding mill that ground spices and rice into flour. The 2 grinding machines were equally noisy. Peace finally came when there was a change of trade to Chinses medical shop. The owner, a Teochew practised Traditional Chinese Medicine. The last trade for the shop was a mixed business. The original trade was selling of charcoal. He was from East Coast Road nearby Roxy Theatre. Then he built a shed extended from the shop front to sell fancy fishes. Selling of birds was later added to his business.

The shop front of my house was let out to a dentist. Between the road and the shop front was a vacant space that could park 3 cars. Every morning the area was occupied by illegal hawers selling vegetables, eggs and food for breakfast. My house was a refuge for them when the Hawkers Department raiding squad arrived.

No 75 was a tyre shop as well as a single pump Mobil brand petrol kiosk. The petrol pump was just by the side of the road, marked X in the picture. At that time there was only one grade of petrol. Later the owner changed the trade to selling and repairing of bicycles. The last business was an electrical shop. No 77 was a textile shop. In those days, very few Malays came to Joo Chiat for shopping. So the hard working shopkeeper took bales of textile on his shoulder and a measuring ruler in his hand to Geylang Serai to service his Malay customers.


Before


After

Between house No 67 and No 71 was a lane that led to a kampong behind the shophouses. The lane was my playground and the sandy ground was my drawing board. The kampong had about 2 dozens attap huts with a mixed population of Chinese, Malay and Indian. There was a public standpipe for the people to draw water for drinking, cooking and washing. At the edge of the kampong were 3 communal bucket latrines. I went to the kampong quite often to play dum (a game of a chess board) with my Malay friends. I also learned to speak Malay from them.
I was still staring at the vacant land but there was no buildings, no hawkers and no kampong. It was only a memory of my growing up years. The same place but another scene.

Joo Chiat Road

In the 60s at Joo Chiat Road and Changi Road junction, the roadsides were always congested with illegal hawkers stalls as shown in the picture below. People crowding around the hawker stalls also contributed to traffic obstructions. As a result there were a number of minor accidents involving motor vehicles and pedestrians. When that happened, it was better for the motorist not to stop the car to assist the injured but to drive straight to the police station to make a report or returned to the place of accident with the police. There were instances where motorists were beaten up by hooligans who loitered around the area.

Joo Chiat Road and Changi Road junction.

My favourite gorent pisang (banana fritters) stall was in the coffee shop at the corner of Joo Chiat Road and Geylang Road. It was within walking distance from my house. The hawker's operating hours were very short. Customers who went there late were disappointed. There was no queque like we see today. People just crowded round his stall.

The sidelane between the 2 blocks of buildings were selling only muslim cooked food. A variety of Malay food were sold there such as satay, mee rebus, soto ayam, lonton and other cooked food. There was no piped water supply and no washing area. The hygiene was very poor and yet nobody complained.

Joo Chiat Road looking towards east coast.

Source: National Archives of Singapore

No 71 Joo Chiat Road shophouse with illegal extension.

The shop was originally selling charcoal. Due to poor business, an illegal shed was constructed in front of the shop to sell fancy fish and birds. The owner also had a similar stall at the side wall of Hollywood Theatre.

Joo Chiat Road towards Changi Road

No 73 Joo Chiat Road

Old timers living in Joo Chiat should remember that fronting this house was a hawker stall selling Hainanese satay and porridge at night till very late. It was an icon in Joo Chiat Road at night in those bygone days.

Joo Chiat Road shophouses before

The same site now without the shophouses

The background shows the Joo Chiat Complex multi-storey carpark. The open air Lily Cinema was located there. Movie goers had to sit on hard wooden benches. It was free sitting and seats were reserved by tying handkerchiefs to the benches. I had a friend living behind the cinema. His father had erected a timber platform high enough to watch the show. It was meant for his family members but friends and neighbours also went there to see the movie. As a result, it was always crowded. I went there only when I could not get a ticket to the cinema. They are all but a memory now.

Chew Joo Beng aka Chew Koh Beng

Chew Joo Beng and Chew Joo Chiat are brothers. Joo Beng was a wealthfy land and coconut plantation owner not only in Singapore but also in Indonesia. His family home was a bungalow at the junction of Joo Chiat Place and Everitt Road. It was bombed by a Japanese plane in WWII. During the Japanese occupation the land was used as a factory producing metal nails and screws. Now it is part of the Lengenda condominium. After the war some of the family members continued to live at Joo Chiat Place in one of the shophouses. Now they are not there anymore.

Site plan showing the location of Chew Joo Beng's bungalow

The two Chew brothers' family form a very large family tree which I am now building. Chew Joo Beng had 7 sons and many grandchildren and great grandchildren. I have many names of the family members but am unable to place them accordingly. Currently, I am communicating with one of his great grandson. I hope by this post, more of Chew Joo Beng's family members would contact me and help me to put up the tree in order. I shall share the family tree with them so that they can pass it on to their children and downwards as a heritage.

Roads to Chew Joo Chiat

Chew Joo Chiat

The audience

I traced my family history from the following sources:

1. Family members


My grandmother

My grandma brought me up at Joo Chiat family house. Living togther and being close to her,  I had the opportunity to hear from her about her father-in-law, Chew Joo Chiat. She said Chew came to Singapore at age 20 years. He had a wife and four children (2 male and 2 female) in China. She said that after 30 years in Singapore he sent for his 2 sons and their families to join him in Singapore. By then his eldest son (my grand-father) was married and had a daughter and a son. She only knew of Chew's properties in Joo Chiat, Kg Eunos, a rubber estate in Changi and a bank at Batu Pahat. She believed he had other businesses. In those days, kids were supposed to listen and not asked questions. Even when I was an adult, it did not occur to me find out more about my great grand-father. A few years ago I got interested in the story of my great grand-father and did some research.

2. Family documents

Batu Pahat Bank Pte Ltd noticeof meeting

I found 2 personal documents of Chew Joo Chiat. One was his personal cheque book and the other Batu Pahat Bank Pte Ltd notice of meeting to the shareholders dated 27 March 1925. The documents showed that he was one of the banks' Board of Directors. Therefore, he was a banker and a major shareholder of the bank. His cheque book was with a French bank.

3. Chew Joo Chiat's grave

From the grave of the deceased, his tombstone would show the names of his children and grand-children as in the case of Chew Joo Chiat. The tombstone also indicated the date of death as well as the place his home place in China.

4. Books, Publications and Webpages

A book 'Joo Chiat a living legacy' was published by the Joo Chiat Citizen Consultative Committee in association with the National Archives of Singapore. It is about Joo Chiat area in the early 19th century to the present time. There is also a section onl the story of Chew Joo Chiat.

5 Lee Kong Chiang Referene Library

My final  research was at Lee Kong Chiang Reference Library. There from the micro films I found that in 1898/9 Chew Joo Chiat built 3 shophouses and 3 attap houses at Geylang Road 3 1/2 ms. They were his earliest properties on record. He achieved this after 21 years in Singapore. There is no record of what business he was doing then. But in 1908, he was a ship chandler at No 5 Philip Street as well as a timber trader at Beach Road. There is also no record when he first owned property in Joo Chiat. But, by 1913 he already owned a large portion of land in Joo Chiat area. In 1916 he had 10 acres of land in Thomson Road and a shophouse at No 19 Weld Road.

You can read Chew Joo Chiat's story at:

http://www.mychewjoochiat.blogspot.com/