VISIT JALAN BESAR’S HIDDEN GEMS IN ENHANCED COMMUNITY HERITAGE TRAIL
Launch of the enhanced Jalan Besar Community Heritage Trail and Singapore Portraits travelling exhibition to kick off NHB’s community engagement masterplan
SINGAPORE, 4 AUGUST 2012 – Cabaret dancers, Singapore’s first football stadium, a former school dating from the 1800s, and shophouses from the 1920s – the Jalan Besar area has a long and rich history. The enhanced Jalan Besar Community Heritage Trail by the National Heritage Board, will provide a more comprehensive picture of Jalan Besar, and through it, a more thorough understanding of the Singapore Story. The launch of the trail also heralds the start of NHB’s next wave of community engagement.
2 The Jalan Besar Community Heritage Trail takes visitors on a journey through the heritage of the district, parallel to the development of Singapore. Jalan Besar, which means “Big Road”, was one of the first roads to be built in Singapore. As Singapore’s social and urban landscape changed, so did Jalan Besar’s. After World War I, it saw a transformation as swampland and vegetable farms in the area gave way to gradual urbanisation, as an extension of the city area. These days, Jalan Besar is characterised by its numerous clan associations, beautifully conserved shophouses and places of worship. Communities over the decades that have settled and left their mark at Jalan Besar range from the Bugis and Boyanese to the Peranakans and Chinese clans.
3 The enhanced Jalan Besar Community Heritage Trail features an additional four new heritage sites in the district, such as Syed Alwi Road, the former Victoria School (now PA HQ) and the Holy Trinity Church.
4. Many different groups such as the former residents and business owners in Jalan Besar, as well as the old Victoria School boys stepped forward to contribute their personal stories to the heritage trail.