Located off Serangoon Road, Bendemeer House was formerly called the House of Whampoa or Whampoa House. It was a mansion designed and built in 1840 by Hoo Ah Kay (better known as Whampoa), a Kapitan China (“leader of the Chinese people”) of Singapore. In 1964, the government acquired the historic building and the 30-acre estate on which it stood for the development of the Kallang Basin housing and industrial project. The building was demolished in 1964 to make way for urban development.1 In 2012, the site where Bendemeer House used to be was featured in the newly launched Jalan Besar Community Heritage Trail.2
Description
Fruit tree plantations once dotted the expansive grounds of Whampoa House. A Chinese garden maintained by Cantonese horticulturists was famed for its rockeries, aquariums, bonsai and well-manicured topiaries. There was also a mini-zoo, which had animals such as the bear, musang, loris, silver cat, as well as an aviary with peacocks and a pond with the water lily Victoria regia, a gift from the regent of Siam.3
Whampoa was well known for his hospitality. The Whampoa Gardens, or nam-sang fa-un in Cantonese, was a gathering place for the local Chinese community. During the Lunar New Year season, in particular, the garden was transformed into a wonderland with merry-go-rounds and joy-wheels, with food and goods stalls. Whampoa also frequently hosted naval officers and important guests in his home. In 1867, a large dining room attached to the main house was completed to host a dinner for the returning Admiral Henry Keppel.4
After Whampoa’s death, Whampoa House was bought over by Seah Liang Seah and renamed Bendemeer House.5
Author
Bonny Tan
References
1. “Govt Buys Historic Whampoa House for $3.8 Mil,” Straits Times, 25 March 1964, 13; “On The City’s Edge,” Straits Times, 17 September 2012, 14–15. (From NewspaperSG)
2. “On The City’s Edge.”
3. Charles Burton Buckley, An Anecdotal History of Old Times in Singapore (Singapore: Oxford University Press, 1984), 658–59 (Call no. RSING 959.57 BUC-[HIS]); Donald Moore and Joanna Moore, The First 150 Years of Singapore (Singapore: Donald Moore Press, 1969), 240–42 (Call no. RSING 959.57 MOO-[HIS]); Song Ong Siang, One Hundred Years' History of the Chinese in Singapore (Singapore: Oxford University Press, 1984), 51–57 (Call no. RSING 959.57 SON-[HIS]); Augustine Low, “Pictures Offer Peek into Kallang’s Past,” Straits Times, 19 October 1984, 16. (From NewspaperSG)
4. Buckley, Anecdotal History of Old Times, 658–59; Moore and Moore, First 150 Years of Singapore, 240–42; Song, One Hundred Years' History, 51–57; Gloria Chandy, “Mansion That Was the Hub of the Social Set,” New Nation, 3 March 1980, 9. (From NewspaperSG)
5. Buckley, Anecdotal History of Old Times, 660; Song, One Hundred Years' History, 55.
Further resources
Singapore Press Holdings (SPH), Bendemeer House Located between Lavender Street and Woodsville Circus – Main Attraction of Whampoa’s (Hoo Ah Kay) House Is Its Magnificient Gardens Comprising a Fruit Orchard and Orange Plantation, 24 November 1958, photograph, National Archives of Singapore (media-image no. PCD0108 – 077)
Singapore Press Holdings (SPH), Demolition of Historical ‘Bendemeer House’ in Serangoon Road, Which Belonged Originally to a Prominent Chinese Whampoa (Hoo Ah Kay) in 19th Century Singapore, 16 March 1964, photograph, National Archives of Singapore (media-image no. PCD0108–073)
The information in this article is valid as at July 2019 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history on the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.
The information on this page and any images that appear here may be used for private research and study purposes only. They may not be copied, altered or amended in any way without first gaining the permission of the copyright holder.
The Old Hill Street Police Station (formerly known as the MICA Building), home to the Ministry of Communications and Information and the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, is a colonial landmark located at the junction of River Valley Road and Hill Street. It officially opened in 1934, and was...
Pearl’s Hill is an enclave in the Outram area bounded by the Central Expressway, Outram Road, Eu Tong Sen Street and Upper Cross Street. Initially the location of Chinese-owned gambier plantations, the hill was first called Mount Stamford, after Sir Stamford Raffles. Its current name is taken from Captain James...
Kallang is bounded by the northeastern boundary of the Central Area, the Central Expressway, the Pan Island Expressway, the proposed Kallang Expressway, Mountbatten Road and the East Coast Parkway. It covers nine subzones and a total area of 920.7 ha. Some of Singapore’s earliest settlers lived in Kallang. They were...
Some of the earliest mentions of Adelphi Hotel can be found in newspaper advertisements published in 1850. The proprietor of the hotel, C. Goymour, announced in the 7 May 1850 issue of The Straits Times newspaper that the hotel had moved to High Street. Subsequently, Adelphi Hotel moved to Coleman...
The Woodlands Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station was constructed as part of the Woodlands MRT line, built in the early 1990s, which connects Choa Chu Kang to Yishun. Located directly under the Woodlands station is Singapore’s first underground bus interchange. ...
Fort Canning Hill, previously known as Bukit Larangan and Government Hill, is 156 ft high and located at the junction of Canning Rise and Fort Canning Road. It has been a landmark since Singapore’s earliest recorded history. In the 14th century, it was likely the site of a palace whose...
The Cenotaph, located at Esplanade Park along Connaught Drive, is a war memorial which commemorates the sacrifice of men who perished during World War I and II. It was first unveiled on 31 March 1922 by the Prince of Wales (later Duke of Windsor and King Edward VIII). The war...
Marshall Road, located in Katong, runs parallel to Ceylon Road and connects Pennefather Road to East Coast Road. After its junction with Fowlie Road, it becomes a one-way road leading away from East Coast Road. It was named in 1934 after Captain H. T. Marshall, the first Chairman of the...
Labrador Park/Fort Pasir Panjang, former defence battery, nature park and designated reserve area, is located in Singapore’s Central Region. The name Labrador is derived from “Labrador Villa”, the name of the residence of prominent ship chandler, George John Mansfield, built in 1881. Known as Fort Pasir Panjang, it was one...
The “elephant statue” is a bronze monument located at the High Street entrance of the Old Parliament House (formerly known as the Old Court House) in the Downtown Core of Singapore’s Central Region. It was a gift from Thailand’s King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) to commemorate his visit to Singapore in...