Emerald Hill

Emerald Hill was a nutmeg plantation subdivided from the 1900s and built up with terrace houses for wealthy Peranakan families, and the result is a lane of facades running uphill directly off Orchard Road: pilasters, carved timber swing doors, ceramic tiles, plaster reliefs and coloured glass, each house competing with its neighbour. It was among the first areas conserved in Singapore, in the 1980s, and the houses are private homes with a few bars at the bottom end.

History

William Cuppage leased the hill in 1837 and secured a permanent grant in 1845 for a nutmeg plantation that failed in the 1860s; in 1901 the Seah brothers divided the land into 38 plots, and Peranakan families, Lim Boon Keng's among them, built most of the terrace houses. Peranakan Place was set up in 1985 when the area was designated for conservation (Wikipedia, Emerald Hill, Singapore).

The main sights

• The terrace facades - ornate Peranakan fronts with tiles, carving and coloured glass.
• The pintu pagar - the carved half-height swing doors at the entrances.
• The uphill lane - the street rising directly off Orchard Road.
• The conservation - one of the first areas protected in Singapore, in the 1980s.

When to go

Year round; the street is viewed from outside at any hour. Morning light suits the facades. The bars at the lower end fill in the evening.

Practical notes

These are private homes and there is nothing to go inside; the visit is walking a street and looking. It takes half an hour. The bars at the bottom are the only commercial part.

Nearby

Orchard Road is at the foot, and Somerset is beside it.

Key facts