Conserved Building

11 Keppel Hill

Applicable Guidelines

Bungalow Guidelines

Conservation Area

Southern Ridges Conservation Area

Historic address: 11 Keppel Hill

About

11 Keppel Hill is one of the tropical residences built by the Harbour Board, the Cable & Wireless Company as well as private individuals.

The History

No. 11 Keppel Hill is shown as ‘Keppel House’ in the 1913 plan published by Fraser & Neave on the Principal Residences and Places of Interest in Singapore. The house was likely to have been built in the second half of the 1800s. It was used as a residence by the Tanjong Pagar Dock Board, and was built for one of the senior members of management for Keppel Harbour, on top of the hill as befitting his position. The elevated location also allows the occupant to observe the arrival and departure of vessels into the harbour. The then-Chairman and General Manager of the Singapore and Penang Harbour Boards, Mr S.A Lane, was one of the former inhabitants of the house. It used to be a popular venue for concerts, fund raisers and social gatherings, such as those of the Overseas League.

The Building

The two-storey building is elevated above the ground level and has masonry construction on the first floor and timber structural work on the second floor. The main external feature of the house is its grand entrance that is approached through a flight of grand masonry stairs with crisply moulded grey plaster work balustrades. The entrance itself is shaded by the upper floor, which is supported on massive cast iron columns that were imported from the UK. It is said that parts of the building were constructed out of ships’ masts.

The interiors of the building have several key features that are of architectural and historic interest. The main entrance foyer features a series of arches with fine plasterwork and the floor is of patterned marble laid to create a series of frames. One of the main side halls feature a period floor finish of coloured geometric tiles that creates the impression of a large carpet. There is one particularly grand timber staircase with well carved balustrades and newel posts.

The interiors of the upper floor are more simple. The focus of this floor is the large living room with all-round windows presenting a panorama of the entrance into Keppel Harbour. The ceiling of this room is exposed to show the thick roof beams that have been arranged in an interesting structural way. At the rear of the building, there is a verandah with ornate cast-iron balustrades.

Other period features of the house are the original servants’ quarters which retain the original green-glazed Chinese porcelain vents. These vents are of a pattern that is no longer in production. The side garage has a half-timber roof structure supported on slender pre-cast reinforced concrete frames of the 1930s.

The Legacy

This building is closely related to the development of the adjoining New (Keppel) Harbour, and the hills were key battle sites in the defence of Singapore during the Japanese invasion of 1942.

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.