The Queenstown area, of which Tanglin Halt and Margaret Drive is a part of, also holds special significance to many of us Singaporeans (including me and my family).
Being the first satellite town centre of Singapore, Queenstown used to be where we gravitated to for shopping, recreation, and to borrow books at Singapore’s first branch library!
And so, if you have some time on the weekends, you could take a heritage walk to visit the neighbourhood which will soon be erased from modern history:
Queenstown Heritage Trail
This Queenstown heritage trail is based on a “My Community” walk which took place in 2016 – a time before the HDB Margaret Drive BTOs were built.
Start at Queenstown MRT Station
Back then in 2016, we gathered at Queenstown MRT Station as the starting point. Thanks to the tour organisers, we were all each ‘loaned’ a device so we could listen to the guide through earphones, which was very useful as our group was big – about 50 people!
Right under the escalators of the Queenstown MRT station, you might remember this little building which used to house the Queenstown Driving Test Centre.
Landmark 1: Queenstown Town Centre
We walked a small stretch down the road to reach the former Queenstown ‘Town Centre’ which consisted of the former Margaret Drive Hawker Centre, cinema, bowling alley, and restaurants (all have been demolished by 2016), but we’re glad this familiar building remained.
Today, this spot is taken by the towering new Margaret Drive BTOs. There is also a newly erected two-storey Margaret Drive Hawker Centre where the famous chicken rice still stands.
Coincidentally, the famous Chef Hainanese Western Food from the former Tanglin Halt Food Centre has moved here, too (opens after 7pm only).
Landmark 2: Queenstown Library (Conserved)
The Queenstown Public Library has been in service since 30 April 1970, and features an iconic Queenstown bow-tie motif on its facade.
On 24 July 2023, National Library Board (NLB) announced that Singapore’s oldest public library, Queenstown library, will be closed for 2 years from 2025 for a major revamp.
As its neighbours, the Queenstown hawker centre and theatres were demolished, fears spread that the last visage of old Queenstown, the Queenstown library would be taken away too.
Queenstown bow-tie motif
Queenstown was named after the late Queen Elizabeth II
However, in 2013, Queenstown Library was gazetted for conservation.
A tranquil and scenic reading room
This must be one of the reasons why people keep coming back. The reading room on the second floor has an amazing view of greenery that’s pretty rare in built-up Singapore.
If you’re there, speak to the librarians who will be able to share some interesting tidbits about the building’s history with you.
Landmark 3: Former Queenstown Theatre
The sign says it all – the theatres opened in 1965, and were converted to churches in 1985 after the introduction of TV and videotapes led to the drastic fall in takings.
From the looks of the theatre’s entrance, it seems like the building belongs to Modernist architecture.
Landmark 4: Queenstown Queensway Cinema
Not to be mistaken – the former Venus and Golden City Theatre was not the same as the Queenstown Queensway Cinema that’s located along the main Commonwealth Avenue (visible from the MRT tracks).
The former Queenstown Queensway cinema was built in 1977, shuttered in 1999, and demolished in 2013. It was located at 250 Commonwealth Avenue, Singapore 149727.
Landmark 5: Stirling Road HDB
We’re surprised that Singapore’s first HDB flats at Stirling Road (blk 45, 48 and 49) are still around, even commemorated with a sign!
They welcomed their first residents in 1961. But we heard they will go too. Why not preserve these blocks as a sign of how far we have come in public housing?
We don’t want to remember Queenstown just with pictures, right?
Read More: Oldest HDB in Singapore – Stirling Road (1950s)
Landmark 6: Queenstown Stadium & Swimming Pool
This retro pastel mix of pink and turquoise gate marks the entrance of the Queenstown Stadium – also Singapore’s first sports complex built in 1970.
It also used to host the NDPs (National Day Parade) through the 1970s and 1980s.
Landmark 7: Tanglin Halt
The most recent victim to gentrification and refurbishment, 31 residential and retail blocks from the Tanglin Halt estate were cleared to make way for new developments.
The entire estate, now pretty much vacant, is set to be demolished by 2024. Most of the estate’s residents have been relocated to the new Dawson HDB estate in 2021.
Along Tanglin Halt Road, near the food center, you’ll pass by several rows of shops – all witnesses to the hustle and bustle that used to take place there. Here, I took a picture of this hairdressing salon through its glass window (there was no one in).
This will be a great set for a movie don’t you think?
Landmark 8: Church of the Blessed Sacrament (Conserved)
On to more iconic buildings. The Church of the Blessed Sacrament has been around since 1963. It was proposed by Archbishop of the Malacca Diocese, Father Michael Olcomendy, due to the lack of churches serving Catholics in the Alexandra and Redhill area.
Due to the lack of funds and small Catholic congregation, the church was built in stages between 1963, only completing in 1965.
This church is best known for its outstanding architecture, specifically its slated roof with folds designed in the shape of a tent, which references the “tent of meeting” stated in the Bible.
The Church of the Blessed Sacrament was designed by Y. Gordon Dowsett of Van Sitteren and Partners, and attained conservation status in 2005.
Landmark 9: Sri Muneeswaran Temple
Just right next to the church, is the Sri Muneeswaran Temple, which was built in 1932 as a humble attap hut for the Hindu devotees who worked for the Malayan Railway. Later in 1970, a newer temple was built by the devotees. Deity statues you see here were imported from India.
Landmark 10: Commonwealth Drive Rail Corridor Entrance
We head onto the Rail Corridor via the entrance at 67 Commonwealth Drive or Commonwealth Park, both en route to Wessex estate!
Landmark 11: Wessex Estate
A disused water tank at Wessex estate, once home to British military personnel. The 26 buildings were built between the 1930s and 1940s, and were named after the battles the Brits fought around the world.
If you can spot, there are 58 semi-detached houses, too.
Landmark 12: Cafe Colbar
A popular restaurant bar amongst the Queenstown and Tanglin Halt teens in the ’80s and ’90s, the famous Colbar at 9A Whitchurch Road is an “old school kopitiam” which opened in 1953.
It remains popular with expats and locals (and furry friends) alike.
Landmark 13: 51 Commonwealth Drive by Singapore Improvement Trust
After having a drink and snack at Colbar, walk back to the Commonwealth Drive area from Wessex. You will see these Singapore Improvement Trust flats that are also set to be demolished.
Built in 1963, these buildings were the first flats in Tanglin Halt built in a beautiful Modernist style. They are, at times, called “Old Tanglin Halt”, and easily recognisable by their unique architecture style and three-storey blocks. There are nine such blocks left.
We would love to go into one of the homes to have a peek! The environment’s wonderfully green.
This special spot is also where you can see three generations of HDB flats – from the first generation SIT flats, to the later 12-storey flats (not seen from this angle), to the high-rises of today.
Queenstown Heritage Walk: Takes 3 hours
This tour took almost 3 hours, and back then, we ended at the Tanglin Halt food centre, where delicious food awaits for lunch. Today, you can walk a little further to the refurbished Margaret Drive Hawker Centre.
Queenstown has changed a lot and is set to change even more, as more demolition takes place over the next few years.
So, go on one of these heritage tours before everything’s gone, and we only have pictures to remember the estate by!
This article was first published in 2016 before the Queenstown estate was demolished to make way for new HDB BTO Margaret Drive flats.