Emerald Hill

About this place

Emerald Hill is a neighbourhood and conservation area near Orchard Road in Singapore, about 2.5 km northwest of Raffles Place in a straight line. It was home to many wealthy members of the Peranakan community, and many of its houses show the «Chinese Baroque» style. Before the 19th century the hill was covered in rainforest; Chinese immigrants then planted pepper and gambier, exhausting the soil. William Cuppage, a postal clerk who became acting Postmaster General, leased it in 1837 and secured a permanent grant in 1845 for a nutmeg plantation, which failed to disease in the 1860s. The architect R. T. Rajoo designed many of its houses, and it is the setting of some stories by the Singaporean writer Goh Sin Tub. The quiet street is lined with two-storey terraced houses with blue, green and yellow facades, tall shuttered wooden windows, tile and plaster ornament and carved wooden gates, shaded by trees and greenery. Visitors stroll the street admiring the facades and sit in the cafés at its Orchard end. The houses are private homes, so take photos respectfully from the street.