CHIJMES

The Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus occupied this block from 1854, running an orphanage and a school, and the Gothic chapel built in 1904 with stained glass from Belgium was its centre. The convent moved out in 1983 and the complex was converted in the 1990s into a courtyard of restaurants and bars with the chapel as a function hall. The Gate of Hope on the Bras Basah side is where infants were left for the sisters to take in.

What you actually see

• The chapel - a 1904 Gothic building with Belgian stained glass, now a function hall.
• The cloisters - the convent walkways round the courtyard, lined with restaurants.
• The Gate of Hope - the doorway where abandoned infants were left for the nuns.
• The courtyard - the enclosed dining space at the centre of the complex.

When to go

Year round; the courtyard runs into the evening and is at its best after dark. The chapel is often booked for events and closed. Weekends are busy.

Honest expectations

The chapel is a private events venue and frequently inaccessible. The complex is a commercial dining development and reads as one. Prices in the restaurants are high.

Nearby

St Andrew's Cathedral is south, and the National Museum is west.