Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society/Volume 45/Chinese Names of Streets
Chinese Names of Streets.
The following notes, by an old resident, on Mr. Firmstone's valuable list in Journal No. 42 may prove of some interest.
Armenian Street.—Tan Seng Po was, I believe, a brother- in-law of Mr. Seah Liang Leah. His house was the one in Hill-street occupied till recently by St. Mary's College.
Beach Road (VII.)—"Twenty buildings," possibly this refers to the large houses in compounds which formerly fronted the whole of this road between Bras Basah Road and Clyde Terrace, and were in old times occupied by leading European residents.
Selegie Road.—"Tek-kha, foot of the bamboos." I remember when the road from near what is now the entrance to Sophia Road to Mackenzie Road was bordered by luxuriant lofty bamboos the most beautiful, I think, that I have seen. I mourned when they were removed to make room for houses.
Stamford Road.—The shop ceased to be a "shoe shop" a couple of years ago.
Tanglin.—"No 'little Tanglin.'" The part of Orchard-road between Tank-road and Grange-road, where there have been shop-houses for very many years, was formerly known as "Tanglin Kĕchil," and may be so still.
Keppel Harbour—"Jardine's Wharf."—Jardine's and the Borneo Company's Wharves were separate but adjoining the former the nearer to town.
Malacca.—Riverside.—"Foot of the Dutch trees,"—The Fort Road, the ascent to the Stadt House, and the road to Tanjong Kling were adorned with magnificent avenues of angsana (sometimes called "sena") trees—the same as we have on the Singapore Esplanade. These avenues all decayed in the course of two years—some five-and-twenty years ago, I should say.