What “Siglap” means

Siglap probably comes from the Malay si-gelap — “the dark one” or “the darkness that conceals”. One explanation is the thick canopy of trees that let little sunlight through; another is a solar eclipse said to have occurred when the village was founded in the early 19th century. 12

Tok Lasam and Jalan Sempadan

Kampong Siglap is believed to have been founded by Tok Lasam — described in some accounts as coming from Pontianak and in others as a Minangkabau prince — in the early 19th century, though accounts differ on the exact date. 12 The graves of Penghulu (chieftain) Tok Lasam, his wife and his commander stand at the end of Jalan Sempadan — “border street” in Malay — marked with yellow cloth to denote royalty. 2

Siglap was once home to four fishing villages: Kampong Siglap, Kampong Hajijah, Kampong Lim Choo and Kampong Goh Choo. Malay villages here were known for annual kolek (canoe) races that drew competitors from Johor and the surrounding islands. A small Japanese fishing village also operated here from the 1920s until before World War II. 1

From seafront to suburb

By 1907 there were seaside bungalows with bathing enclosures, and the Municipal Commission took over Siglap in 1929, building roads and drains to encourage housing. Private estates followed in the 1950s. 1 The East Coast Reclamation project from 1966 pushed the coastline out and created the land for East Coast Park and the ECP, but ended the fishing villages; the last Kampong Siglap residents were resettled in 1985. 1

By the 1970s, Siglap had become an affluent residential area, and a 1980s survey found the Siglap constituency had the highest proportion of white-collar workers in Singapore. Siglap Centre opened in 1993 on the site of the old Siglap Market, and a height limit set by URA in the 1990s preserved the low-rise shophouses that give the area its village feel. 1

A note on boundaries

Planning maps and postal districts don’t always agree. URA places Siglap in the Bedok planning area, while many of its landed streets fall under postal District 15 — which is why Siglap homes are usually marketed as D15 landed. 1

Sources

  1. Siglap — Singapore Infopedia, National Library Board
  2. Siglap, Frankel Estate and Opera Estate (Bedok Heritage Trail) — Roots.gov.sg, National Heritage Board