Historic Districts

The Boat Quay Historic District, bounded by South Bridge Road, Circular Road, Lorong Telok and North Canal Road, was traditionally the centre of trading activities along the Singapore River.

Located next to the Downtown Core, its shophouses and warehouses, which lined the river, give it a unique charm and character. Today, it is an area with predominantly commercial premises of retail and eating establishments.

The Chinatown Historic District, located south of Singapore River, is the original settlement of the Chinese community in Singapore. It is a largely intact area of shophouses with original texture and fabric, depicting the simple lifestyles of the early immigrant community. The District comprises 4 subdistricts, each with a distinctive character. They are:

1. Kreta Ayer
   Bounded by New Bridge Road, Park Road, Upper Cross Street, South Bridge Road, Sago Street, Trengganu Street and Smith Street, is known for its bustling street atmosphere and festive events.

2. Telok Ayer
   Bounded by South Bridge Road, Cross Street, Boon Tat Street, Stanley Street, McCallum Street, Amoy Street, Ann Siang Road and Erskine Road, is associated with long rows of shophouses and religious buildings along Telok Ayer Street, and hilly residential and club houses at Ann Siang Hill.

3. Bukit Pasoh
   Bounded by New Bridge Road, Keong Saik Road, Kreta Ayer Road, Neil Road and Cantonment Road, provides the setting for a mixture of residential, association and commercial activities.

4. Tanjong Pagar
   Bounded by Neil Road, Maxwell Road, Peck Seah Street, Wallich Street, Tanjong Pagar Road and Craig Road, features winding streets and a mixture of residential and commercial activities.

There are altogether five national monuments within the Chinatown Historic District. They are the Sri Mariamman Temple and Jamae Mosque in Kreta Ayer, and the Thian Hock Keng Temple, Nagore Durgha Shrine and Al-Abrar Mosque in Telok Ayer.

The Kampong Glam Historic District, bounded by Ophir Road, Victoria Street, Jalan Sultan and Beach Road, was traditionally a Malay residential area with ethnic-based activities at the periphery and along Arab Street. Its unique characteristic lies in the contrast between its streetscape, with its low and uniform scale, and the large open spaces of the palace grounds.

It is largely an area of shophouses with original texture and fabric. The presence and influence of the Arabs in the early 1910s were registered by the names allocated to its streets.

The Sultan Mosque and the Istana Kampong Gelam, both national monuments, are located within the Kampong Glam Historic District.

The Little India Historic District, bounded by Serangoon Road, Sungei Road and Jalan Besar, is recognised as the hub of Indian community life in Singapore. It is well patronised by local Indians and people of other ethnic origins, and Indians from abroad. It was once used for agriculture and later for cattle trade.

The District’s historical value lies in its rich variety of buildings, streetscape and urban texture of its main streets, side roads, backlanes and open spaces. Most of its built fabric of the late 19th century or early 20th century is still largely intact.

The Abdul Gaffoor Mosque, a national monument, is located within the Little India Historic District.