Content uploaded by Rodolphe De Koninck
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Rodolphe De Koninck on Dec 18, 2017
Content may be subject to copyright.
A.J.S.S. 31:2 (435–451) also available online
© 2003 Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden see www.brill.nl
Wessex Estate: Recollections of
British Military and Imperial
History in the Heart of Singapore
Rodolphe DeKoninck
Department of Geography
Laval University
Although the island Republic of Singapore has been submitted to a systematic territorial
revolution since the 1960s, some of its urban heritage has been preserved. This is the
case with Wessex Estate, a quiet residential neighbourhood located in the low hills ex-
tending on the western ank of the central urban area. Made up of less than a dozen
bungalows and 26 small blocks of ats, Wessex Estate is of no particular architectural
interest, but it does represent a heritage through the names borne by the blocks of ats.
Clearly printed on the façades of the 26 blocks of ats, these names all refer to military
feats of British history. The study locates and briey describes these events, several of
which took place on European fronts, as far back as the early 18th century (such as
Ramilies, Blenheim), others throughout the British Empire, starting from the middle of
the same century (such as Plassey, Quebec, Khartoum, Pegu). Built just prior to or just
following WWII, it seems that the ats housed non-commissioned British oYcers during
the Malayan Emergency (1948–1960). Their names refer to battles or theatres of war
in all of which a given British regiment, the 67th or South Hampshire Regiment, might
have been involved. Whatever the case, it remains somewhat remarkable that so many
reminders of the colonial past, even a good number with “no natural connection” to
Singapore, have remained prominent in this city-state otherwise apparently prone to sever
“colonial apron strings”.
The Singaporean Context1
The observation and analysis of urban landscapes often allow for the dis-
covery of meanings which broaden considerably the cultural weight of the
local object of observation. This applies primarily, of course, to older his-
tory-laden cities. But it may occur in cities whose history does not, in itself,
refer very far back in time. Such is the case with Singapore, which, as an
urban establishment, has been in existence for less than 200 years. Not
only is the city-state of Singapore a relatively young settlement, it is one
which has been subject to frequent transformations, particularly since it
became an independent republic in 1965.
In fact, from the 1960s onwards, Singapore has been the object of a
constant, relentless transformation of its physical fabric, the adjective phys-
ical designating here both natural landscape as well as urban design and
outlay. Singapore has become the ultimate planned city, where nearly
everything has been “moulded” to t the modern ambitions of its leaders
436 ·Rodolphe De Koninck
(Sandhu and Wheatley, 1989). Every aspect of its geography, or so it seems,
has been literally overhauled. This applies to landforms, drainage network,
vegetation cover and even coastlines — to population distribution, resi-
dential patterns and in particular housing estates — to industrial estates,
land transport networks, airport and harbour location and facilities — to
cemeteries and places of worship, whether temples, churches or mosques,
a large number of which have been displaced, “resettled”, as has a large
proportion of the population.
Among the many implications of this systematic, planned and re-
planned2”territorial revolution” (De Koninck, 1992), which proved essential
to the transformation of the society itself, the erosion of the cultural herit-
age, including the built heritage, has of course been an object of serious
preoccupation.3For, notwithstanding the remarkable achievements of the
Singap oreans in designing a modern city, a so-called Tropical City of
Excellence, much of the historical heritage had to be sacri ced or trans-
formed to such an extent that it became petri ed or, more to the point,
classically gentri ed, as in the case of Chinatown (Lim, 1999).
In the early stages of the construction of the island republic, the
Singapore authorities had already made the choice to integrate rapidly and
deeply the country’s economy into that of the world. Playing along with
globalisation forces had its drawbacks, such as the enormous pressure these
forces have been exerting on local culture and heritage. Yet, as pointed
out a few years ago by two Singaporean geographers, “it is widely agreed
both by the state and the public alike that conservation is not only desir-
able but necessary and important in Singapore’s context” (Kong and Yeoh,
1994:263).4In fact, although much remains open to debate, eVorts to pre-
serve the built heritage and to better integrate it into the everlasting chang-
ing Singapore have become major preoccupations among local planners,
as exempli ed in the 1988 Urban Redevelopment Authority’s “Conservation
Manual” on Chinatown or, more fundamentally, in the Concept Plan Review
(Ministry of National Development, 2000).
As a result, major changes are occurring in oYcial planning policies
and practices. First, in the words of the Concept Plan reviewers them-
selves, “EVorts to date to conserve some of the more important buildings
from the early years of the colonial period have yielded visible and fruit-
ful results. The Civic district has certainly come a long way in the last
decade” (Ministry of National Development, Identity, 2000:12). The same
can be said of areas such as Little India, also in the central portion of the
city and even of the new interest given to the preservation of old as well
as new buildings in so-called transitional areas, such as Serangoon Gardens,
Geylang and Katong, on the eastern outskirts of the city. Second, through-
out the island, sometimes in still relatively remote areas, sometimes in eas-
ily accessible ones, traces of the past are still highly visible.
Wessex Estate ·437
Wessex Estate
Thus, a certain number of middle-class neighbourhoods have managed to
conserve some of their historical character, particularly in terms of physi-
cal outlay and architectural design (Beamish and Ferguson, 1985; Edwards
and Keyes, 1988).
This is the case with Wessex Estate, a residential neighbourhood
located in the low hills extending on the western ank of the central urban
area (Fig. 1). More precisely, Wessex Estate lies just next to Queenstown.
Built in the 1960s by the Housing and Development Board, the latter was
the rst of the so-called new town. Even if the high-rise blocks of ats of
Queenstown house more than 160,000 people on some 700 hectares, the
demographic pressure is not really felt in Wessex Estate.
Set amidst low hills, in well-shaded and tree-covered surroundings, it
is separated from the Housing and Development Board satellite town by
a railroad trench, through which runs the Malayan railway track. The lat-
ter links the Malayan peninsula with downtown Singapore and is used by
slow moving trains, only a few times a day.
Quiet and discreet, Wessex Estate is made up of fewer than a dozen
bungalows and 26 blocks of ats (Fig. 2).5These white three-storey rectan-
gular buildings each contain six ats. The ats are rather large and prop-
erly ventilated, each covering well over 100 square metres. The upper level
ones are adorned with a large balcony. Otherwise rather nondescript, the
numbered blocks of ats do share one uncommon feature: they each have
a name. Furthermore, these names, written in broad letters on the front
of the buildings, refer to far away places such as Aden, Corunna, Gaza,
Gallipoli, Khartoum, Quebec or Plassey (Fig. 2 and Table 1). What do these
names have in common? What do they refer to and why are they there?
Recalling British Military and Imperial Glory
Several of the names refer to well-known battles and to little else. Such is
the case with, for example, Waterloo and Plassey. As it turns out, by list-
ing them (Table 1) and plotting them on a world map (Fig. 3), it becomes
evident that the 26 names printed on the façades of the Wessex Estate
blocks of ats all refer to military feats of British history.6
Fifteen names refer to battles and campaigns, most of which largely
victorious, that occurred over several centuries on the European continent,
starting with Namur in 16957and ending in World War II with the Battle
of the Flanders in 1944, or along the margins of Europe, such as in
Inkerman (Crimea, 1854) or Gallipoli (Ottoman Empire, 1915–1916) and
Tangier.8As many as nine of these battle sites are clustered along the
Franco-Belgian border, with at least seven referring to World War I battles,
all fought against the Germans.
438 ·Rodolphe De Koninck
Figure 1: The Republic of Singapore
Wessex Estate ·439
I
I
II
III
III
II
I
II
I
I
I
IIIIIIIIII
II
II
II
I
I
I
I
I I III
IIIIIIIIII
12
34
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
16
14
20
22
24
25
19
15
17
21
23
27 28 26
P
O
R
T
S
DO
W
N
R
O
A
D
WO
K
I
N
G
W
E
Y
HIL
L
W
I
L
T
O
N
W
E
Y
H
I
L
L
WOKI
N
G
W
OK
I
N
G
W
O
K
I
N
G
TANG
L
IN
HA
L
T
R O A
D
QU E
E
N
S
W
A
Y
WHITCHU
R
C
H
Temasek
Club
Q U E E N S T O W N
C
OM
M
O
N
W
E A L T H D R I V
E
Block of flats
1
Railroad
I I I
1 Aden
2 Arras
3 Arabia
4 Barrosa
5 Blenheim
6 Chitral
7 Corunna
8 Cambrai
9 Delhi
10 Flanders
11 Gaza
12 Gallipoli
14 Hyderabad
15 Waterloo
16 Inkerman
17 Tangier
19 Vimy
20 Khartoum
21 Ramillies
22 Lucknow
23 Québec
24 Marne
25 Plassey
26 Mons
27 Pegu
28 Namur
0 50 m
Figure 2: Woking Road in Wessex Estate
440 ·Rodolphe De Koninck
40
50
30
20
0
16
50
30
20
40
0 500 km
40
50
40
20
20 40
0
23
12 11
1
3
14 25
27
20
6
922
4
12
19 15
2
85
26
28
21
16
7
10
24
3Region rather than specific site
1 Aden
2 Arras
3 Arabia
4 Barrosa
5 Blenheim
6 Chitral
7 Corunna
8 Cambrai
9 Delhi
10 Flanders
11 Gaza
12 Gallipoli
14 Hyderabad
15 Waterloo
16 Inkerman
17 Tangier
19 Vimy
20 Kharto um
21 Ramillies
22 Lucknow
23 Québec
24 Marne
25 Plassey
26 Mons
27 Pegu
28 Namur
W E S SE X ES TA TE B LO C K S O F FL AT S
Figure 3: Sites of British Battles Named on Wessex Estate Blocks of Flats
Wessex Estate ·441
The other 11 names clearly relate to the development of the British
Empire. These concern primarily the establishment of British control in
the Indian subcontinent, with six battle names posted: Plassey in Bengal
(1757), Hyderabad in Sind, a province of present-day Pakistan (1843),9
Delhi (1803), Pegu in Burma (1852), Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh (1857) and
Chitral (1895), in the Northwest Frontier Province of present-day Pakistan.
But they also include references to British expansion: in North America,
with the battle of Quebec (1759); in the Middle East, with the takeover
of Aden (1839), the conquest of Gaza (1917) and the entire Arabia cam-
paign (1914–1918); and, nally, in the heart of Africa, with the reconquest
of Khartoum in 1898.
Here are short report cards on the 26 battles or campaigns, with par-
ticular attention being paid to their relative importance in British history.
01. ADEN (1839)
After having established a garrison in Aden in 1800 and signing a treaty
with the harbour’s ruler in 1802, the Sultan of Lahij, the British eventu-
ally captured Aden from the Sultan in 1839. It gradually became an impor-
tant coal-bunkering facility on what was becoming the major maritime
trade route to the East, particularly after the opening of the Suez Canal
in 1869. It was then called the “coal hole of the East”.
02. ARRAS (1914–1918)
Arras is located in northeastern France, some 50 km from the Belgian bor-
der. During World War I, several major battles, between the Allied and
German forces, took place in its vicinity. The British were particularly
involved in two major battles which occurred in April 1917 and August-
September 1918. In both the cases, major victories were gained over the
Germans.
03. ARABIA (1914–1918)
This name probably refers to the various military campaigns led by the
British forces, or forces allied to them, including those of the famed Lawrence
of Arabia, during World War I, in Palestine, Syria, and the northwest
region of the Arabian peninsula. The term Arabia is possibly drawn from
its usage by the Romans who, under Emperor Trajan, in A.D. 105, des-
ignated thus a Roman province which included the northwestern coastal
regions of Saudi Arabia, along with the Sinai and sections of what corre-
sponds to today’s Syria.
442 ·Rodolphe De Koninck
04. BARROSA (1811)
The low ridge of Barrosa is located in southwestern Spain, in Andalusia,
not far from Cadiz, Cape Trafalgar and the access to the Straits of Gibraltar.
During the so-called War of the Peninsula (1808–1814), when the French
Napoleonic armies opposed those of Britain, Spain and Portugal, General
Wellington’s troops were victorious over the French at the Battle of Barrosa,
which occurred in March 1811.
05. BLENHEIM (1704)
Höchstadt, called Blenheim by the British, is located in Bavaria, on the
Danube River, some 30 km northwest of Augsburg. During the War of
the Spanish Succession (1701–1714), near Blenheim, the Allied troops, led
by General Marlborough and the Austrian Prince Eugene, defeated the
French and Bavarians.
06. CHITRAL (1895)
Chitral is located in the Northwest Frontier Province of Pakistan, high in
the mountains. On what were then the margins of the British Indian
empire, British representatives were besieged by local tribesmen and the
siege was only raised when a superior force of British troops was dispatched
from Gilgit. This was followed by further consolidation of British control
over this strategic area of the Hindu Kush.
07. CORUNNA (1809)
Located on the northwest coast of Spain, La Coruna (called Corunna by
the British), is the actual harbour from which the ill-fated Great Armada
sailed for England in 1588. Not long after, in 1598, Corunna was besieged
and sacked by the English, under Drake and Norris. OVits coast, in 1747
and again in 1805 (the same year as Trafalgar), the French were defeated
by the British eet. Finally, in 1809, near Corunna, the French were again
repulsed by the British, led by Sir John Moore who died during the battle.
08. CAMBRAI (1917)
Cambrai is another one of those towns of northeastern France, which, like
Arras (see above, no. 2) were engulfed in several of the battles of World
War I. Near Cambrai, in November and December 1917, the British forces
led, against the Germans, an oVensive that “marked the rst large-scale
eVective use of tanks in warfare” (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1995, 8:270).
Wessex Estate ·443
09. DELHI (1803)
Towards the end of the 18th century, the British accelerated their con-
quest of the Indian subcontinent, notably through a number of victories
against the Maratthas, who controlled much of central India. In that con-
text, they took control of Delhi in 1803. In 1912, the British moved the
capital of their Indian Empire from Calcutta to Delhi or rather New Delhi.
Table 1: Battle Names Posted on the Blocks of Flats in Wessex Estate
Block Battle or campaign Location
Number Place Date Current Historical
1 Aden 1839 Yemen Arabia
2 Arras 1914–18 France France
3 Arabia 1914–18 Syria + S. Arabia Arabia
4 Barrosa 1811 Spain Spain
5 Blenheim 1704 Germany Bavaria (Höchstadt)
6 Chitral 1895 Pakistan India (British Empire)
7 Corunna 1809 Spain Spain
8 Cambrai 1918 France France
9 Delhi 1803 India India (British Empire)
10 Flanders 1944 Belgium Belgium
11 Gaza 1917 Palestine Ottoman Empire
12 Gallipoli 1915–16 Turkey Ottoman Empire
– – – –
14 Hyderabad 1843 Pakistan Sind (British Empire)
15 Waterloo 1815 Belgium Under French Control
16 Inkerman 1854 Ukraine Crimea (Russian Empire)
17 Tangier 1939 ?Morocco Morocco (French Empire)
– – – –
19 Vimy 1917 France France
20 Khartoum 1898 Sudan Sudan (British Empire)
21 Ramillies 1706 Belgium Spanish Netherlands
22 Lucknow 1857 India India (British Empire)
23 Quebec 1759 Canada Nouvelle-France
24 Marne 1914 France France
25 Plassey 1757 India Bengal (British Empire)
26 Mons 1914 Belgium Belgium
27 Pegu 1852 Burma (Myanmar) Burma
28 Namur 1695 Belgium Spanish Netherlands
10. FLANDERS (1944)
The Flanders are a natural region which corresponds to the coastal plains
lying along the North Sea, between the mouth of the Somme in north-
east France and those of the Schelde River in Belgium. During both world
wars, its western section, on both sides of the Franco-Belgian border, was
444 ·Rodolphe De Koninck
the scene of numerous erce battles. In 1944, the Flanders were liberated
from German occupation by British and Canadian troops.
11. GAZA (1917)
During World War I, British forces seized Gaza from the Turks. In a
strategic location on the land route leading from Palestine to Egypt, Gaza,
which has a history of some 3,500 years, had already been the object of
numerous invasions and takeovers, involving the Egyptians, Philistines,
Israelis, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Arabs, Turks, and so forth.
12. GALLIPOLI (1915–1916)
The Gallipoli peninsula is located on the eastern shore of the Dardanelles
Strait, the latter being part of a string of water bodies linking the Mediter-
ranean to the Black Sea. The Gallipoli or Dardanelles Campaign, lasted
from February 1915 to January 1916. This campaign, led by Allied forces
against the Turks, comprised troops from Britain and France and also from
the Commonwealth, particularly Australia, New Zealand and British India.
The operation’s major goal, which was to lure away large Turkish forces
and thus relieve the pressure on the Russians in the Caucasus, was attained.
But it was a military disaster, with substantial naval losses to the Allies
and the British Commonwealth casualties surpassing 230,000.
13. HYDERABAD (1843)
There are two major cities called Hyderabad in South Asia. One is located
in the centre of India, in Andhra Pradesh state, of which it is the capital.
The other — probably the one referred to here — is located in the
southern Pakistan province of Sind, on the Indus River, less than 200 km
northeast of Karachi. “Founded in 1768, it remained the capital of Sind . . . till
1843, when, after the nearby battles of Miani and Dabo, it surrendered
to the British and the capital was transferred to Karachi” (Encyclopaedia
Britannica, 1995, 6: 186).
14. WATERLOO (1815)
Located in central Belgium, Waterloo was the site of one of the most
famous battles in the history of warfare. Here, in June 1815, the Allied
forces, comprising the Anglo-Dutch, led by British General Wellington and
the Prussians, led by Marshal Blücher, defeated the French forces led by
Napoleon and his generals, particularly Ney. The Battle of Waterloo marked
a glorious victory for the Anglo-Dutch and signalled Napoleon’s de nitive
defeat.
Wessex Estate ·445
15. INKERMAN (1854)
Near Sebastopol, in the Crimean peninsula, Inkerman was the site of a
battle won by Anglo-French troops over the Russians during the so-called
Crimean War (1854–1855). During that war, the Turks were allied with
the Anglo-French against the Russians.
16. TANGIER (1939?)
The reference to Tangier is the most enigmatic. It may concern an event
having occurred at the outset of World War II, before the Spanish occu-
pied it (1940–1945), or just after that. But it is diYcult to nd evidence
of a major British military involvement in Tangier around that period.
17. VIMY (1917)
During World War I, the Vimy Ridge, near Arras (see above, no. 2), in
northeastern France, was the scene of some extremely violent battles,
between Allied and German troops. In April 1917, “The ridge was stormed
in a brilliant onslaught by Canadian troops . . . and other British troops . . .”
(American Peoples Encyclopedia, 1948, 19: 655).
18. KHARTOUM (1898)
Located on the left bank of the Blue Nile, almost at its junction with the
White Nile, Khartoum had been taken from the British by the Mahdists
in 1885. In 1898, General Kitchener’s troops recovered it along with
Ondurman, en face, on the left bank of the White Nile.
19. RAMILLIES (1706)
Ramillies was located in central Belgium, near Louvain, in what were then
the Spanish Netherlands. It was the site of another Marlborough victory
(see above, no. 5, Blenheim) against the French, during the War of the
Spanish Succession (1701–1714).
20. LUCKNOW (1857)
Lucknow is located in north-central India, in the basin of the Ganges. It
is the capital of Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populated state. It was for-
merly the capital of the kingdom of Oudh, whose acquisition by the British
led to the Indian Mutiny of 1857. Lucknow was involved in the con ict
and a military operation was needed to rescue British troops who were
besieged in the city.
446 ·Rodolphe De Koninck
21. QUEBEC (1759)
Quebec City is located in eastern Canada, on the St-Lawrence River, at
the head of its estuary. In September 1759, just outside its forti cations,
the attacking British troops, led by General Wolfe, were victorious over
the defending French troops, led by General Montcalm. This victory was
to have enormous consequences on the destiny of North America, since,
after the Paris treaty of 1763, which marked the end of the Seven Years
War (1756–1763), the whole of Canada became part of the British Empire.
22. MARNE (1914)
At the outset of World War I, from August to December 1914, several
erce battles pitched the Allied forces against the invading German army
in the valley of the Marne River, in northeast France. During this so-called
Battle of the Marne, at some crucial point, in September, the British army
launched a successful attack against the Germans who had to retreat to
the banks of the Aisne River.
23. PLASSEY (1757)
Plassey is located in Indian Bengal, a village some 150 km north of Calcutta.
It was the site of General Clive’s victory over the troops of the Nawab of
Bengal. Following the recent recapture of Calcutta, this was the decisive
battle following which the British established their control over Bengal and
northeast India, and, gradually, the whole of India.
24. MONS (1914)
Mons is located in Belgium, southwest of Brussels, very near the French
border. In August 1914, in the initial stages of World War I, near Mons,
the British expeditionary force, although heavily outnumbered by the
Germans, was able to slow them down and to achieve a successful retreat.
“A masterpeice of tactics, the retreat from Mons enabled the Allies to sta-
bilize their left ank prior to their oVensive in the Battle of the Marne”
(American Peoples Encyclopedia, 1948, 13: 947). (See above, no. 24, Marne.)
25. PEGU (1852)
Pegu is located in Lower Burma, some 80 km northwest of Rangoon.
Founded in the 6th century, it has been the capital of several pre-colonial
kingdoms. In 1852, following the Second Anglo-Burmese War, the annex-
ation of the province of Pegu represented the second stage in the British
conquest of Burma.
Wessex Estate ·447
26. NAMUR (1695)
Namur is located in southern Belgium. In 1692, in what were then the
Spanish Netherlands, in the context of the War of the League of Augsburg
(1689–1697), Namur was besieged and taken by the French under the com-
mand of King Louis XIV himself and Field Marshal Vauban. Shortly after,
in 1695, it was taken back by the Allies under the command of King
William III. (Major battles also took place near Namur during both World
Wars I and II).
Why in Singapore?
An evident question is why are all these references to British military his-
tory posted in a quiet residential neighbourhood of Singapore, apparently
mostly inhabited by civil servants and academics?10 Here again, informa-
tion appears scarce. It is, however, probable that the establishment of
Wessex Estate dates back to the 1930s or 1940s, prior to or just after the
Japanese Occupation. It is known that during those periods, military facil-
ities, including housing for the troops and the oYcers, were developed in
the hilly western outskirts of the city.
During the 1930s, the British military presence in Singapore was again
considerably increased, as was the number of civil servants. Two large res-
idential parks were built, Alexandra Park11 and the barracks and Portsdown
Camp and the military housing. Alexandra Park had more luxurious houses;
however, both are notable for very imaginative and attractive landscaping.
“The Hampshire Regiment, which created Portsdown Road Camp, were
noted for nding good sites and landscaping them with talent” (Beamish
and Ferguson, 1985:140).
There may be a reference here to Wessex Estate, for it is located just
oVPortsdown Road (Fig. 2).12 In addition, according to uncon rmed infor-
mation, at the time of the Malayan Emergency (1948–1960), British mili-
tary forces stationed in Singapore had to be increased and non-commissioned
British oYcers were given accommodation in Wessex Estate.
Whether the ats were built for and rst occupied by the British mili-
tary, prior to or following World War II, it is quite obvious that the names
of the buildings have something to do with those who occupied them and,
perhaps, more precisely, with the history of one or two given regiments,
possibly involved in all the theatres of war mentioned.
The 67th or South Hampshire Regiment
One of the regiments, and most likely the only one concerned, might very
well be the 67th or South Hampshire Regiment. It was de nitely involved
in the battle of Quebec (1759), its “Colonel” being the actual General
448 ·Rodolphe De Koninck
James Wolfe who led the British troops to victory, and then died of his
battle wounds (Cannon, 1849:45). The South Hampshire Regiment was
also involved in the battle of Barrosa (1811), the site in southwestern Spain
of another victory over the French (ibid., p. 29). Further research, involv-
ing access to the historical records of the South Hampshire Regiment,
should provide con rmation of the presence of the 67th Regiment in many
if not all of the battles and campaigns “remembered” at Wessex Estate.
Of course, until this research can be carried out, the interpretation pre-
sented here remains hypothetical and preliminary.
Whatever the case, it should be pointed out that the very name Wessex
carries deep historical connotations for the British. It refers to a historical
region of England, the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of West Sexena or Wessex,
whose formation began late in the 5th century, when it became the major
power in southern England for at least ve centuries (Saul, 1997:93).
Nowadays, it corresponds to the region located south and southwest of
London, which includes several counties such as Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire,
Surrey and, precisely, Hampshire.
The names of four of the ve streets that extend through Wessex
Estate, namely Weyhill, Whitchurch, Wilton, Woking, obviously refer to
towns located in Wessex, England.13 This is an illustration of what Yeoh
has pointed out, in reference to the pattern of street-naming in colonial
Singapore: “This resulted in the establishment of ‘colonies’ of related place
names based on a common theme” (Yeoh, 1996a:225). Furthermore, in
the case of Wessex Estate, the names of the buildings constitute a some-
what arrogant reminder of the military and imperial history of the former
colonial masters of Singapore, “with no natural connection between this
colony and these places.”14
Salvage Toponymy15 as an Art of Dealing with Historical
Remembrance
Place names, whether those of streets, speci c sites or even buildings play
an important role in the collective memories of communities (Dorion and
Hamelin, 1966). In Singapore, after 150 years of colonial rule, so much
of the toponymy “re ected the mental images and ideological purposes of
the dominant culture” (Yeoh, 1996b:300) that, by the mid-1960s, the post-
independence and highly interventionist authorities decided to intervene.
“In mounting a programme of nation-building, one of the projects was a
concerted eVort to sever colonial apron strings meant to foster and assert
a sense of local identity, a sense of place, through a rewriting of the every-
day landscape” (ibid.:301). That included “. . . reshaping the built envi-
ronment in the attempt to forge a radical discontinuity with the colonial
past, a ‘nation’ of people” (ibid.: 299).
In that context, it is somewhat remarkable that so many reminders
of the colonial past have remained prominent, even a good number with
Wessex Estate ·449
“no natural connection” to Singapore, as in the case of Wessex Estate.
Beyond representing a very original form of historical memory, perhaps
not so much local but rather global, the latter is also, and perhaps more
importantly, an elegant testimony to the sense of compromise with which
Singaporeans are, after all, attempting to deal with heritage.
Of course, there might be some more prosaic reasons behind the sur-
vival of Wessex Estate and the British military history reminders that it
carries. They may survive simply because no other use has yet been found
for the estate by the Urban Redevelopment Authority, which may be keep-
ing it in store, so to speak, as a development site for some future educa-
tional institution.16 After all, it is located in the broad vicinity of the National
University of Singapore, the Singapore Polytechnic and the recent Ministry
of Education building on Buona Vista Road. It may, or parts of it may
represent some kind of land bank for the Singapore Defence Forces.
Whatever the case, considering that it does not carry any really local “social
memory”, it is likely that Wessex Estate’s fate as an anachronic historical
register is doomed.
Hence, before it is too late, the present brief essay to try and take
stock of what Wessex Estate does or does not represent.
Acknowledgements
I wish to thank Lee Kip Lin, Paul Kratoska, Chua Beng Huat, Tay Kheng
Soon, Goh Guan Siew Mark Choo and Andrée Gauthier.
Notes
1. Paper originally prepared for the symposium of the International Geographical
Union (IGU) Study Group on the Cultural Approach in Geography, held in
Xi’an, China, from 17 to 19 September 2001.
2. For illustrations of this striking attempt to constantly monitor, plan and replan
the future, see, for example, Colony of Singapore (1955); Planning Department
(1975); Urban Redevelopment Authority (1991); Ministry of National Development
(2000).
3. See for example, Tamney (1995).
4. On this issue of conservation, the Singapore Heritage Society has certainly been
playing an important role, not only by encouraging and structuring the debate
over local issues but also because of its concerns for the integration of that
debate into a larger context, Asian as well as global (Lim, 1998).
5. Block numbers extend from 1 to 28. But there are no number 13 nor, appar-
ently, any number 18.
6. The interpretation presented he re is e ntire ly personal. None of the many
Singaporeans I interviewed about Wessex Estate since I “discovered” it in 1991,
whether or not they were residents of the said estate, were able to tell me much
about the origin of the names of the blocks of ats nor about the origin of
450 ·Rodolphe De Koninck
the buildings themselves. Although the names are quite evident on the build-
ings’ facades, none of these names are accompanied by a date nor is there
any known document providing these dates. I deduced them by consulting with
colleagues as well as by searching through sources dealing with British mili-
tary history, such as Freeman-Greenville’s Atlas of British History. Several of the
names refer to not so obvious cases. This applies to Hyderabad (no. 14), Tangier
(no. 17) and Namur (no. 28) and perhaps a few others, such as Arabia (no. 3)
or Delhi (no. 9).
7. The case of Namur (house no. 28) is not very clear. The most notable mili-
tary event having occurred there, involving the British, is the battle of 1695
when, during the War of the League of Augsburg (1689–1697), Namur was
taken back from the French by the Allies under the command of King William
III. But the actual reference might be to some more recent battle, such as one
of the many that took place near Namur during both World War I and II.
8. The reference to Tangier (house no. 17) is the most enigmatic. I have not
been able to nd a de nite explanation for it. It may refer to an event hav-
ing occurred at the outset of World War II, before the Spanish occupied it
(1940–1945), or just after that.
9. Hyderabad (house no. 14) is another unclear case. See further.
10. Until recently, Wessex Estate was managed by the Urban Management
Development Corporation (UMDC), which has been replaced by the Urban
Redevelopment Authority (URA).
11. Alexandra Park is located just east of Wessex Estate, closer to the city.
12. Portsdown Road is a winding feeder road linking Wessex Estate (Fig. 2) with
North Buona Vista Road and Ayer Rajah Expressway.
13. In Hampshire, there is one Weyhill as well as one Whitchurch; there are at
least four other Whitchurch in England. There is a town called Wilton in
Wiltshire and one called Woking in Surrey. Although several atlases were con-
sulted, no reference was found to a locality named Westbourne in southern
England, but one most likely exists.
14. This sentence is quoted by Yeoh. It dates back to 1927 and is attributed to
a Singapore municipal commissioner who objected to “the naming of new
roads . . . after Cawnpore, Lucknow, Simla, Lahore, Benares and Karachi on
the ground that there was no natural connection between this colony and these
places” (Yeoh, 1996a:225).
15. Yeoh uses the expression “exercise in salvage toponymy” (ibid., p. 305).
16. I wish to thank Chua Beng Huat for his suggestions on this issue.
References
Beamish, Jane and Jane Ferguson (1985) A History of Singapore Architecture: The Making
of a City. Singapore: Graham Brash.
Cannon, Richard (1849) Historical Record of the 67th, or South Hampshire Regiment, from
1758 to 1849. London (micro lm).
Colony of Singapore (1955) Master Plan. Report of Survey.
De Koninck, Rodolphe (1992) Singapore: An Atlas of the Revolution of Territory. Montpellier:
RECLUS.
Wessex Estate ·451
Dorion, Henri and Louis-Edmond Hamelin (1966) “De la toponymie traditionnelle
à une choronymie totale,” Cahiers de Géographie de Québec 10(20):196–211.
Edwards, Norman and Peter Keyes (1988) Singapore: A Guide to Buildings, Streets,
Places. Singapore: Times Books International.
Freeman-Greenville, G.S.P. (1979) Atlas of British History. London: Rex Collins.
Kong, Lily and Brenda S.A. Yeoh (1994) “Urban Conservation in Singapore: A
Survey of State Policies and Popular Attitudes,” Urban Studies 31(2):247–65.
Lim, William Siew-Wai (1998) Asian New Urbanism. Singapore: Select Books.
—— (1999) “Memories and Urban Places in Asian Emerging Economies.” Paper
delivered at the Asian and Paci c session of the UIA Congress in Beijing, June
1999.
Ministry of National Development (2000) Concept Plan Review. 2 vols., Identity versus
Intensive Use of Land and Land Allocation. Singapore.
Planning Department (1975) Revised Master Plan. Report of Survey. Singapore.
—— (1980) Revised Master Plan. Report of Survey. Singapore.
—— (1985) Master Plan. Report of Survey. Singapore.
Sandhu, Kernial S. and Paul Wheatley (eds.) (1989) Management of Success: The
Moulding of Modern Singapore. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.
Saul, Nigel (ed.) (1997) The National Trust Historical Atlas of Britain: Prehistoric to Medieval.
London: Sutton Publishing and National Trust.
Tamney, Joseph (1995) The Struggle over Singapore’s Soul. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter.
Urban Redevelopment Authority (1988) Historic Districts in the Central Area: A Manual
for Chinatown Conservation Area. Singapore.
—— (1991) Living the Next Lap: Towards a City of Excellence. Singapore.
Yeoh, Brenda S.A. (1996a) Contesting Space: Power Relations and the Urban Built Environment
in Colonial Singapore. Singapore: Oxford University Press.
—— (1996b) “Street Naming and Nation-Building: Toponymic Inscriptions of
Nationhood in Singapore,” Area, 28(3):298–307.
