Bukit Brown Cemetery

Bukit Brown opened in 1922 as a municipal Chinese cemetery and holds around a hundred thousand graves, including many of the merchants and pioneers whose names are on Singapore streets. Burials stopped in 1973 and the forest has grown back through it, so tombs sit under canopy with Sikh guardian statues, glazed tiles and elaborate stone settings among the roots. Part was cleared for a road in 2013, which prompted a large volunteer documentation effort.

Background

The land once belonged to George Henry Brown, a British merchant, so the hill became known as Brown's Hill, rendered in Malay as Bukit Brown. In 1872 it was given to the Seh Ong Kongsi, which opened a private clan cemetery there during the 1870s. The municipal cemetery opened on 1 January 1922 and, though unpopular with the Chinese community at first, saw more use after some modifications. By 1929, forty percent of Chinese burials in Singapore took place here, and the unreserved plots ran out in 1944. Covering 173 to 213 acres, it is thought to be the biggest Chinese burial ground beyond China, and it was placed on the 2014 World Monuments Watch as at risk.

Source: Wikipedia, "Bukit Brown Cemetery"

What you'll find

• The pioneer graves - tombs of merchants whose names are on Singapore's streets.
• The Sikh guardians - carved stone figures flanking the larger tombs.
• The regrown forest - canopy grown back over the cemetery since 1973.
• The volunteer documentation - the recording effort prompted by the 2013 road.

When to go

Year round; morning is coolest and guided walks usually run then. Mosquitoes are heavy. Qingming in April brings families to tend graves.

Before you go

Part of the cemetery was cleared for a road and further redevelopment has been announced; what is there may not remain. Mosquitoes are severe and repellent is essential. Without a guide the site is confusing and the significance invisible.

Nearby

MacRitchie is north, and Bishan is east.

Key facts