Conserved Building
78 Punggol Walk
Applicable Guidelines
Bungalow Guidelines
Conservation Area
Matilda House Conservation Area
Historic address: 78 Punggol Walk
Matilda House
About
Located off Punggol Road, Matilda House is the only remaining historical bungalow in Punggol, and stands as a significant landmark and marker of the area's past. Built in 1902 and gazetted for conservation on 21 February 2000, it has the potential to be developed for community use for Punggol New Town.
The History
The house was originally built for Mr Alexander Cashin, whose family history in Singapore can be traced back to the early 1840s. His father, Joseph William Cashin, was a lawyer's clerk who made good and became the first Eurasian millionaire, having made his fortune through opium farms — legal in the 1880s — and subsequently real estate. The Cashin family owned a vast quantity of land and properties, including the conserved house at 23 Amber Road. Cashin Street, off North Bridge Road, was also named after them.
According to the late Mr Howard Cashin (1920–2009), the house was named Matilda after his paternal grandmother, and was built by his father as a present for his wife. The residence was later used to film the BBC television serial "Tenko" in the 1980s, which dramatised the experiences of European women interned by the Japanese following the invasion of Singapore in World War 2.
The Building
Matilda House was a sprawling single-storey, six-bedroomed bungalow with attached servants' quarters and stables, set amid orchards of mangosteen, durian and rambutan trees. Its tropical character is accentuated through architectural features such as open verandahs, raised floors, and timber-framed lattices and louvres to permit cross-ventilation. The building has entrances on two sides, an open balcony at the front façade, and a long verandah designed for the enjoyment of coastal breezes and extensive views.
The grounds featured manicured lawns, tropical blooms and clipped hedges to the front, with tennis courts to the side. A long staircase ran down the garden over several levels to the sandy beach, a mere 200 metres away. The Cashin family also owned approximately 350 hectares of land in the area, on which there were rubber and coconut plantations.
The Legacy
As the only remaining historical bungalow in Punggol, Matilda House serves as a significant landmark and marker of its past, with the potential to be developed for community use for Punggol New Town.
Guidelines and Procedures
All proposed works will need to comply with the Conservation Guidelines and the Specific Restoration Guidelines (SRG). Conservation Permission is required before all additions & alteration works and operations of new use can begin.
Residential Fronts are characterised by timber casement windows flanking a double-leafed timber door. All buildings with residential front which is existing and/or identified in the 'Specific Restoration Guidelines', regardless of land use zoning, shall be retained and restored.
Explore Street View
The building can be found at this street.