Gilstead Road

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Gilstead Road, which probably derives its name from an English family name,1 connects Dunearn Road and Buckley Road. Near the Morimasa Gardens condominium, Gilstead Road divides into three roads of the same name: the first reaches a cul-de-sac; the second, main road continues as Gilstead Road and then connects to Buckley Road; and the third leads shortly to Evelyn Road.2 

Description
Gilstead Road is lined with old residential units, some of which date back to the 1920s. One of these old houses is an unnamed two-storey timber-and-brick house constructed in 1920. Towards Dunearn Road, two old unnamed and almost identical grand houses are located within spacious grounds.3 Modern flats were built near Gilstead Road too. For instance, a 10- and 11-storey twin-block development was built at the junction of Gilstead and Evelyn roads in 1975. Another example is Gilstead Court, a five-storey red-brick apartment block designed in 1978.4

Located at 9A Gilstead Road is the building for Life Bible Presbyterian Church. The foundation stone was laid by Rev. Paul Contento of the Overseas Missionary Fellowship on 28 April 1962.5

Conserved sites 
A bungalow at 10 Gilstead Road, which was bought by Life Bible-Presbyterian Church in 1990, was gazetted as a conservation site in 2003.6

Located at 25 Gilstead Road is a mansion that is on the conservation list and has been converted to other adaptive uses.7 This house, named “Westbourne”, was built in 1927 for the prominent medical doctor, Yin Suat Chuan (better known as S. C. Yin). It housed Yin and his family, including his son, Leslie Charteris, whose books inspired the TV series, The Saint. After Yin and his family, Dr J.S. Webster, a radiologist at the General Hospital (present-day Singapore General Hospital) who established the St John's Ambulance division in Singapore, lived in the house. Following Webster's departure, 25 Gilstead Road became home to the former Spastic Children’s Association of Singapore (now known as the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore).8 The association moved to its new premises in 2003.9 Subsequently, 25 Gilstead Road was tenanted to Gracefields Kindergarten Pte Ltd.,10 and later to St. James' Church Kindergarten.11



Author
Naidu Ratnala Thulaja



References
1. Peter K. G. Dunlop, Street Names of Singapore (Singapore: Who’s Who Publishing, 2000), 93. (Call no. RSING 959.57 DUN-[HIS])
2. Onemap.sg., “OneMap,” accessed 28 June 2016.
3. Norman Edwards and Peter Keys, Singapore: A Guide to Buildings, Streets, Places (Singapore: Times Books International, 1988), 107. (Call no. RSING 915.957 EDW-[TRA])
4. Edwards and Keys, Guide to Buildings, Streets, Places, 100, 107.
5. Ong Choo Suat, ed., Guide to the Sources of History in Singapore, vol. 2 (Singapore: National Archives, 1989), 78. (Call no. RSING 016.95957 GUI-[LIB])
6. Edwards and Keys, Guide to Buildings, Streets, Places, 100, 107; “10 Gilstead Road,” Straits Times, 6 October, 2009, 43 (From NewspaperSG); “Architectural Heritage Awards 2009: 10 Gilstead Road,” Urban Redevelopment Authority Singapore, accessed 15 April 2019.
7. Singapore Land Authority, “SLA Awards Former Changi General Hospital Site for a $20 Million Makeover and New Commercial Use,” press release, 2 February 2007.
8. “Four Good Tales and a Possible 5th Dimension,” Straits Times, 3 August 2003, 18 (From NewspaperSG); Edwards and Keys, Guide to Buildings, Streets, Places, 99; The Spastic Children's Association of Singapore, Annual Report 2011/2012 (Singapore: The Spastic Children's Association, 2011); Theresa Tan, “Charity Drops 'Spastic' in New Name,” Straits Times, 16 June 2013, 8. (From NewspaperSG)
9. “Significant Milestones,” Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore, accessed 15 April 2019.
10. Tan Hui Yee, “Call to Preserve 1912 'Crescent' House,” Straits Times, 3 January 2007, 23 (From NewspaperSG); Singapore Land Authority, “SLA Awards Former Changi General Hospital Site”; Laura Philomin, “Small Pre-Schools Fight for Survival in Congested Market,” Today, 22 February 2016, 2. (From NewspaperSG)
11. Laura Philomin, “Popular Preschool Manages to Extend Campus Lease, Wins Bid for Another Site,” Today, 20 November 2015, 26. (From NewspaperSG); “Facilities,” St. James' Church Kindergarten, accessed 15 April 2019.



Further resources
Arthur Sim, “A Cluster Housing Winner in Gilstead,” Business Times, 9 March 2005, 9. (From NewspaperSG)

K. C. Vijayan, “Court to Decide How Both Parties Share Premises,” Straits Times, 4 August 2012, 25. (From NewspaperSG)

Lee Kip Lin, The Singapore House 1819–1942 (Singapore: Times Editions for Preservation of Monuments Board, 1988), 214–15. (Call no. RSING 728.095957 LEE)



The information in this article is valid as at April2019 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.

Subject
Street names--Singapore
Streets and Places