Ceylon Road

Background

Located in the eastern part of Singapore in the Joo Chiat/Katong district, Ceylon Road connects East Coast Road and Crane Road.¹ The road was named after the island Ceylon (now known as Sri Lanka), as a large Ceylonese Tamil community had settled down around the area in the 19th century.²

History
The first group of Ceylonese came to Singapore after the Straits Settlements became a Crown colony in 1867. They arrived in large numbers from the 1880s to 1890s, and this influx was due to demand for trained men to fill the lower ranks of the Straits Settlements government service. Many Ceylonese were also attracted to work in Malaya, as there were ample job opportunities and higher wages compared to Ceylon. Hence, there was a steady stream of Ceylonese emigrating to the Straits Settlements and other parts of Malaya to take up clerical, technical and other administrative appointments in the civil service.³ In Singapore, they mostly settled around Ceylon Road, Marshall Road, Haig Road and Tanjong Katong Road.⁴

Description
Ceylon Road, along with Marshall Road, defines the western boundary of Joo Chiat. The eastern part of Singapore was opened up in the early 19th century with the development of coconut plantations and country homes belonging to European settlers. Many itinerant grocers and textile merchants plied the streets, while the back lanes were filled with food vendors during the 19th and early 20th centuries.⁵

Today, Ceylon Road is a residential area with several commercial and eating places situated along the length of it. Private apartments and condominiums that line the street include Ceylon Residence, Ceylon Court, Bellezza@Katong, as well as Spring@Katong which has been built on the site of the demolished Leck Teck Court.⁶

Two of the landmark buildings on Ceylon Road are places of worship. Near the junction of Ceylon and East Coast roads is the Sri Senpaga Vinayagar Temple. It was established in the mid-19th century by Ceylonese Tamils who built a shrine after they discovered a statue of Lord Vinayagar washed up on the banks near a Chempaka tree in the area.⁷ Not far from the temple is Saint Hilda’s Church. Built in 1949 and designed to look like an English parish church, it was accorded conservation status by the Urban Redevelopment Authority in 2009.⁸

Located on 139 Ceylon Road is the Eurasian Community House, the Eurasian Association’s four-storey building. Opened on 5 July 2003, it was officiated by then president S. R. Nathan, who was a long-time resident of Ceylon Road.⁹



Author
Naidu Ratnala Thulaja



References

1. Lily Kong and T. C. Chang, Joo Chiat: A Living Legacy (Singapore: Joo Chiat Citizens’ Consultative Committee in association with National Archives of Singapore, 2001), 21 (Call no. RSING q959.57 KON-[HIS]); Streetdirectory.com., Ceylon Road, map, accessed 3 November 2016.
2. Peter K. G. Dunlop, Street Names of Singapore (Singapore: Who’s Who Publishing, 2000), 44. (Call no. RSING 959.57 DUN-[HIS])
3. Dhoraisingam S. Samuel, Singapore’s Heritage: Through Places of Historical Interest (Singapore: Dhoraisingam S. Samuel, 2010), 24 (Call no. RSING 959.57 SAM-[HIS]); Rajakrishnan Ramasamy, Sojourners to Citizens: Sri Lankan Tamils in Malaysia 1885–1965 (Kuala Lumpur: R. Rajakrishnan, 1988), 51, 57, 59. (Call no. RCLOS 305.8954930595 RAJ)
4. Eunice Low, et al., Life in Katong (Singapore: National Library Board, 2002), 6. (Call no. RCLOS q959.57 LIF-[HIS])
5. Kong and Chang, Living Legacy, 12, 84.
6. Streetdirectory.com., Ceylon Road.
7. Kong and Chang, Living Legacy, 103; Streetdirectory.com., Ceylon Road.
8. Tay Suan Chiang, “Marked for Preservation,” Straits Times, 17 January 2009, 93. (From NewspaperSG)
9. M. Nirmala, “All Are Welcome at New Eurasian House.,” Straits Times, 4 July 2003, 27; M. Nirmala, “Eurasians Reach Out to Neighbour – The President,” Straits Times, 6 July 2002, 35. (From NewspaperSG)



The information in this article is valid as of May 2021 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.