Not long ago, I embarked on a tour of the conservation houses along Blair Road. As part of the research for the article, I managed to speak to some individuals who had once owned or lived in these historic dwellings. Candidly, they shared a host of challenges they faced: persistent pest problems, inadequate parking, poor soundproofing, and the relentless demand for maintenance, particularly concerning leaks.
The feeling that came up the most was that, whilst many people find conservation houses beautiful and love the idea of living in or owning a historic building, the reality isn’t for everyone, as the upkeep involved is really a passion project. (These were also the reasons why the people I spoke to eventually left their properties.)
However, what about those who want to flirt with living in a conservation property? Is there somewhere in Singapore where they could enjoy the feeling of living in a unique building, but with less work involved? Well, after viewing the Ceylon/Carpmael Road area in the East, it seems like there could be! East Singapore, in particular, Katong, is famous for its beautiful shophouses but also has modern landed properties. It seems that one could enjoy the feeling of living in a historic neighbourhood minus the hassle there! So, let’s head that way to tour the area today: we’re specifically looking at the area bound by Dunman Road, Ceylon Road, Crane Road and Oman Road.
PHOTO: Stackedhomes
As mentioned, the area has many beautiful conservation properties. So even if you’re not living in one, you’ll be able to enjoy the sight of these unique buildings, if you live here. Best of both worlds in my opinion.
Some historic shophouses in the hood. At the time of writing, there was a shophouse for sale at $3.1 million. PHOTO: StackedhomesOther historic buildings built in a different style (across the road from Tiong Bahru Bakery.) PHOTO: StackedhomesAnother, more modern but still considered vintage house in the area. PHOTO: Stackedhomes
As you can see, the area is rich in buildings dating back to different parts of Singapore’s history.
The area also has a few boutique condos so, if your budget doesn’t stretch to a landed house, but you don’t want cookie-cutter condo living, you can also get an apartment in the area.
Small condo in the hood. PHOTO: StackedhomesAnother old apartment building. PHOTO: StackedhomesAnd my favourite (at least from the outside), Carpmael Lodge. (None for sale at the time of writing.) PHOTO: StackedhomesAs shown in the Master Plan above, most properties in the area have a plot ratio of 1.4, which is why we’ve seen some turned into boutique condos. However, the area is not as built-up as, say, the Telok Kurau area, and still has its charm. (Too many boutique condos in a small landed enclave leads to too much congestion!) PHOTO: Stackedhomes
Something else the area is famous for is the Eurasian Heritage Gallery. It’s right smack in the middle of the neighbourhood and opposite some residential houses. If you like Eurasian food, there’s Quentin’s in the building. I love having good food within easy walking distance of one’s home.
PHOTO: StackedhomesThe restaurant has live music on some evenings. PHOTO: StackedhomesEurasian feast. (The loyalty programme is great! After this meal, I had enough points for a free bottle of sauce!) PHOTO: StackedhomesObviously, there’s some information about Eurasians in Singapore here too. PHOTO: StackedhomesAnd even free parking! (Very handy so that guests don’t clog up the street parking.) PHOTO: StackedhomesThere’s a small URA zone next to the Eurasian Gallery so guests/residents with second or third cars can also park here (if they pay for it.) Very nice, as one of the biggest issues in non-GCB landed estates is parking. PHOTO: Stackedhomes
Next to this URA car park is an interim Park, Ceylon Park.
There’s a shaded area and lots of trees to provide cover. (Behind the playground is the main road, Dunman Road.) PHOTO: StackedhomesTurn to your left and right across are the landed houses. PHOTO: Stackedhomes
Let’s head out and explore since we’ve already seen quite a bit of the Eurasian Gallery.
As you can see, street parking is not allowed here, which keeps the roads nice and free of cars. (And, as mentioned earlier, there’s a URA zone for guests.) PHOTO: StackedhomesWe turn left again and walk down the road. (Behind us is Dunman Road.) PHOTO: StackedhomesPassed an interesting property. PHOTO: StackedhomesSome redeveloped properties. I guess these 2 units were done by the same architect! PHOTO: StackedhomesThis unit has a huge driveway. As you may have observed, there are quite a few different sizes of properties. PHOTO: Stackedhomes But mostly terrace houses. PHOTO: StackedhomesAnother nice old property. My feeling is that the largest units are on my left, and the smaller terraces are on the right. PHOTO: StackedhomesTerrace units to the right. PHOTO: StackedhomesA photo with the cars in the porches, so you can have a better benchmark of exactly how much parking space you have. PHOTO: StackedhomesAt the end of the road, to the left, are a few HDB blocks. PHOTO: StackedhomesWalking to the HDB. So far, we’ve seen terrace units, detached and now semi-Ds. PHOTO: StackedhomesWe pass a second park along the way: Carpmael Park. PHOTO: StackedhomesLet’s be honest: it’s not the most beautiful playground we’ve seen during the walkabouts, but at least you have at least 2 options in this neighbourhood. PHOTO: StackedhomesAt the end of the road, there are more street parking lots. PHOTO: StackedhomesReached the end of Ceylon Road i.e. Crane Road. PHOTO: StackedhomesTo the left of Crane Court, Haig View/the Haig Road HDB blocks. PHOTO: Stackedhomes
As we walk down Crane Road, we immediately see the historic shophouses, some of which are commercial units. (I’ll show more pictures of this later!)
PHOTO: Stackedhomes
Where Crane Road meets Onan Road, we find Tiong Bahru Bakery.
Road junction. PHOTO: StackedhomesA row of commercial shophouses. PHOTO: StackedhomesNow, as you’ve probably heard and seen a gazillion times by now (if you follow this landed estate series), parking is often an issue that crops up in a landed enclave. As you can infer from the sign here, this neighbourhood is not free of parking issues. PHOTO: Stackedhomes See what I mean? This area may have it a little worse than others (despite the URA designated lots) because with eateries and the like come more visitors to the estate i.e. more parking spaces are required. (Right behind Onan Road runs Joo Chiat Road, where you can find maaaaany places to eat, such as Guan Hoe Soo, a famous Peranakan place, and Teochew Traditional Seafood Steamboat.) PHOTO: Stackedhomes
Anyway, let’s continue our walkabout.
The East seems a bit more artistic than the West: similar to what we saw at Bedok, we have some emblems decorating the walkways here. PHOTO: Stackedhomes Another design we see at another part of the estate. PHOTO: StackedhomesThose are the tables and chairs for Tiong Bahru Bakery on our right. PHOTO: StackedhomesMore streets where parking is not allowed. PHOTO: StackedhomesHere’s what the houses look like here. PHOTO: StackedhomesClose-up: as you can see, you MAY be able to park a second car if you open the gates but it’ll be a bit tight. PHOTO: StackedhomesThe other side of the road is luckier, as they have a long driveway in front of their gates. PHOTO: StackedhomesMaybe it’s the design but the units here look bigger too. PHOTO: StackedhomesPHOTO: StackedhomesOr maybe the plots are just bigger here, judging from how big the driveways are. PHOTO: StackedhomesPHOTO: StackedhomesLove this “private” public car park lot. PHOTO: StackedhomesMore designated street parking. Also note how wide the road is here (sans parked cars, of course.) PHOTO: StackedhomesWe pass Ceylon Lane along the way. PHOTO: StackedhomesA quick peek down Ceylon Lane. PHOTO: StackedhomesNice empty streets on a weekday (On a weekday, there is sometimes a jam going down these roads.) PHOTO: StackedhomesPHOTO: StackedhomesAh here’s a photo to show what I mean earlier: when the pavement in front of the houses is wide enough, you can fit a second car there. PHOTO: Stackedhomes One thing I’ve noticed in the East is the residents seem to love gardening. PHOTO: StackedhomesThat’s a pretty impressive plant! PHOTO: StackedhomesThis is what the roads are like when there are cars parked on the street. PHOTO: StackedhomesSame road, but with a car trying to drive down. No problems driving through this street, in my opinion. (Not too narrow, even with the cars parked on one side.) PHOTO: StackedhomesMore conservation properties for you to admire (next to an apartment block actually.) PHOTO: StackedhomesAnd next to a terrace house on the other end! PHOTO: Stackedhomes Love how the resident here has turned the walkway into a patio area. PHOTO: StackedhomesAnother shophouse. PHOTO: StackedhomesThere’s also a coffee shop in the area. (And Dunman Food Centre is just a few minutes walk away.) PHOTO: StackedhomesAnother neighbour who loves greenery. PHOTO: StackedhomesPotential for building upwards, as shown above. PHOTO: StackedhomesHere’s someone who’s making use of that opportunity – the house is much deeper than I had expected! PHOTO: StackedhomesA bakery/confectionary in the area. PHOTO: StackedhomesJust North of the houses is Masjid Khalid. I didn’t see a temple or church on the walkabout but Katong Presbyterian is about 10 minutes walk to the East. Not sure about temples though – are any residents of the area able to enlighten us in the comments? PHOTO: Stackedhomes
So now that we’ve seen the estate, how did you find it? You’re probably not surprised to hear that I’m a fan, since it has quite a village feel and tons of good eateries nearby. For parents, Tanjong Katong Girls’ School is also within the ever-so-important 1km mark. However, if the area has taken your fancy, I do recommend that you visit the area on a weekend, to see if you’re comfortable with the traffic levels then, as it can get pretty crowded!
