We’re going on part 2 of the Singapore River Trail, to visit monuments and sites of historical importance along the iconic six kilometer long Singapore River, an important waterway during Singapore’s trade industry’s initial growth and development.

There are two halves of this walking trail, divided between the Boat Quay and Clarke Quay area. This week we’ll look at the more significant historical sites in Clarke Quay and Robertson Quay. Approximately five times the size of Boat Quay, Clarke Quay and Robertson Quay were developed later in the 19th century after overcrowding at Boat Quay forced new businesses and factories to be built further upstream.

Known previously as Public Quay, the row of shophouses here at Boat Quay used to be literally a “hub” of commerce and trade. There were coolies who would carry heavy cargo between shophouses and lighters (a kind of boat) which were initially dominated by the Chuliahs (Indian Muslims).

It was an extremely busy place, with shophouses which still exist today that carry rich histories, such as some pepper, rubber industries etc, which were related to important cash crops exported from Singapore. Today, it’s a popular tourist area with al fresco dining, restaurants and pubs.

Mostly, we’re gonna look at the many bridges across the Singapore River today!

The Elgin Bridge, an iron bridge constructed in 1862 and named after the Governor-General of India, Lord Elgin, was the first bridge to be built across the Singapore River. But the one standing today is a concrete arched bridged that was built to replace the iron bridge in 1926.

Coleman Bridge was the second bridge built across the Singapore River and the first built in masonry. The original Coleman Bridge was completed in 1840, designed by Irish architect George D. Coleman who had also designed the old Parliament House and advised Raffles on the 1822 Town Plan. Coleman Bridge had been replaced many times before the present concrete structure was put up in 1986.

Take some time to admire the intricate lamp sculptures at Coleman Bridge before proceeding to Clarke Quay on the North Bank of the Singapore River, where there are more conserved godowns and factories which have since been redeveloped into a festival village hub with dining, shopping and entertainment facilities. Its South Bank now houses rows of restaurants and pubs. Robertson Quay, on the other hand, has become a residential cum commercial belt with hotels, apartments, office buildings, as well as theatres, restaurants and pubs housed in restored godowns.

Named after Sir Andrew Clarke, the Governor of the Straits Settlements from 1873-1875, Clarke Quay was a fresh water distribution point on the first half of the 19th century. This area was gazetted by the Urban Redevelopment Authority as a conservation area in 1989.

This is the Read Bridge, which was built in 1889 to replace the Merchant Bridge, which wasn’t built high enough to allow for boats to pass under it during high tide. It was named after William Henry McLeod Read, a prominent merchant who was active in the local political and social scene.

The upstream area of Merchant Road was a fuel hub at the time, with a vibrant trade industry of firewood, charcoal and oil, supported by a steady supply from Malacca. Later, this bridge also became fondly known as the Malacca Bridge, where Chinese laborers (mostly coolies) would gather to listen to storytellers. It’s hard to imagine, but there were also squatters under this bridge, which were extensive slums where people lived in due to the inadequate housing in Singapore during that time, but these were cleared up after the River Clean-up in the 1980s.

Ord Bridge was built in 1886 to replace a demolished footbridge called the ABC Bridge. It was named after Colonel Sir Henry St. George Ord (1819-1885) who was the first governor of the Straits Settlements after it was accorded Crown Colony status. Because of the toddy (coconut wine) shops near in the nearby Pulau Saigon, the Ord Bridge was also known as Toddy Bridge.

Lights on the Cavenagh Bridge at night.

Seeing the transformation of the Singapore River and its ever-changing landscape was pretty insightful, and you can actually learn more about stuff like ancient documents, travellers’ records, archaeological findings, etc. regarding the river’s history, dating a long time back from around the 14th century, with interesting historical figures such as Sang Nila Utama, Sir Stamford Raffles, and many others, in the Asian Civilisations Museum.

We have come to the end of Tides of Change: The Singapore River Trail, and I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this. If you would like to go on this trail, be sure to grab a copy of this booklet:

It’s called Tides of Change, The Singapore River Trail, and you can get a copy from the lobby of the MICA building at Clarke Quay, or check out http://heritagetrails.sg.