I eventually discovered (after posting) that this is called Raffles
Place. Just visible on the right is the John Little shopping centre.
Photo taken in 1966 or 1967.
John McNab, Icemoon, wowstressy, and 64 other people added this photo to their favorites.
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David Ayres
Argentem
Member since 2008
Photo license:
All Rights Reserved
Jomama1152 45 months ago | reply
Wow, isn't' this beautiful! Thanks for showing us this.
PicturesSG 45 months ago | reply
Thanks for posting, David.
This collective place here is now called Raffles Place [renamed from Commercial Square, in March 1858]. Unfortunately, all the buildings in this photograph have disappeared.
The old classical Chartered Bank building featured here was designed by Swan & Maclaren. It was replaced in 1982 by a 44-storey rhombic-shaped building now renamed as 6 Battery Road.
The United Overseas Bank [former United Chinese Bank] stood at the corner of Bonham and Chulia street. The old building in the photo was demolished and the construction of a new one started in 1970 and was ready in 1974.
On the John Little site today is Shell Towers, built in 1982.
In 1965, the open space in the foreground was excavated to provide for a underground carpark accommodating 250 cars. Above it [as seen in the photo] was a landscaped garden; with two ornamental fountains and 42 lamps that lit the garden by night.
Today, the underground carpark has been converted to the Raffles Place interchange for the MRT [Mass Rapid Transit] trains.
PicturesSG 45 months ago | reply
What the place looks like now
marconiphone2008 39 months ago | reply
I think the destruction of the Chartered Bank building was a tragedy, as was the loss of the Mercantile Bank at the other end of Raffles Place. Now Raffles Place is an incoherent mess where people are deafened by loudspeakers associated with oversized video screens mounted high on the walls of buidings - there is no escape from 'the message'. It's 1984, except in 2010...
WeeKit 37 months ago | reply
Nothing had survive......just two entrance remain!
Do you have any old photo of Penang Island??
Paddywac (Marty) 29 months ago | reply
There used to be an alley way leading from the harbour front through to raffles Place, I think it was called Cange Alley, it was full of stalls selling just about anything.
PicturesSG 29 months ago | reply
Read more about :
Change Alley
infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_223_2004-12-17.html
Raffles Place
infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_864_2004-12-30.html
Other well-researched factsheets on Singapore
infopedia.nl.sg/
*iskandar 16 months ago | reply
this should be in the singapore museummm
joulisians 16 months ago | reply
There is a slight melancholy and bitter-sweetness to this picture. It reminds us of how the good'ol days were but also a comparison to how much Singapore has grown. But its great that such things are documented.
Jehu (PitchAxisTheory) 16 months ago | reply
Thank you for all these pictures of Singapore's past!
Clickclickguy 16 months ago | reply
Thank you so much for sharing this.
mengweetan 16 months ago | reply
I work at Raffles Place and walk here everyday! Thank so much for sharing this with us!!
Cyrus's Treasure Chest 16 months ago | reply
Thanks for the 1967 photo dude! The place had character then. Now it's just bland. I'm surprised the 1967 photo was in colour- nice!
robirobirobi 16 months ago | reply
Wow, it looked nicer in the 60's!
MoleBC 16 months ago | reply
Thanks for the beautiful old photo of Raffles Place and the memories. I remember the Robinson's fire. What a day that was!
Eileen Lim 16 months ago | reply
awesome picture! pity the buildings are no longer around..
honeybumble 16 months ago | reply
How very very sad to rip down these beautiful old buildings
Dawn Wong C P 7 months ago | reply
I'm surprised the pavements and road look pretty clean back then in Singapore. Thanks for sharing with Singaporeans this precious photo.
eyecatcher 5 months ago | reply
Thanks for the memories. I used to visit these places when I was young.