Mount Vernon (

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...

: 翡珑山; ms, Gunung Vernon) is a small hill in central Singapore west of

Potong Pasir Potong Pasir is a housing estate located between Toa Payoh and Sennett Estate in the Central Region of Singapore. For urban planning purposes, it is classified under the Toa Payoh area. Politically, Potong Pasir had been the longest-held oppos ...

and north of MacPherson Estate. Officially named in 1956, it is circumscribed by

Bartley Road Bartley Road is a major road in Singapore extending from Upper Serangoon Road to Tampines Avenue 10. The road has a distance span of 5.8km. En route, it passes through the areas of Serangoon, Bartley, Paya Lebar, Defu, Kaki Bukit and Bedok Reservo ...

, Upper Aljunied Road,

Upper Serangoon Road Hougang is a planning area and mature residential town located in the North-East Region of Singapore. The town is the most populous in the region, being home to 247,528 residents as of 2018. Hougang planning area is bordered by Sengkang to th ...

, and Upper Paya Lebar Road. It is named after British

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

Vice Admiral

Edward Vernon Admiral Edward Vernon (12 November 1684 – 30 October 1757) was an English naval officer. He had a long and distinguished career, rising to the rank of admiral after 46 years service. As a vice admiral during the War of Jenkins' Ear, in 1 ...

(1684–1757).

Features

Mount Vernon is relatively undeveloped due to Mount Vernon Crematorium and

Bidadari Cemetery Bidadari Cemetery (Malay: ''Perkuburan Bidadari'', Chinese: 比达达利坟场) is a defunct cemetery in Singapore. It used to serve the Christian, Muslim, Hindu and Sinhalese communities, and accepted burials between 1907 and 1972. The site of ...

being located on it. Both facilities have since shut down, and major residential development is expected in that area. The hill itself is likely to remain intact, however, as it is largely occupied by the

Mount Vernon Camp Mount Vernon Camp, also known as the Gurkha Cantonment, is an establishment of the Singapore Police Force built to house the training and residential facilities of the Gurkha Contingent's Gurkhas and their families. Located at Mount Vernon n ...

, the operational and residential base of the

Gurkha Contingent The Gurkha Contingent (GC) is a line department of the Singapore Police Force (SPF) consisting primarily of Gurkhas from Nepal, recruited by the British Army with the purview of the Government of Singapore. The contingent's roles are as a spe ...

Infrastructure

Public services

The

Singapore Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals The Singapore Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is a registered animal welfare charity in Singapore. Late 19th century The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA, to differentiate from the British RSPCA) was es ...

moved to the edge of Mount Vernon in 1984 after being relocated from

Orchard Road Orchard Road, often known colloquially as simply Orchard, is a major –long road in the Central Area of Singapore. Known as a famous tourist attraction, it is an upscale shopping area of Singapore, with numerous internationally renowned depa ...

Mount Vernon Columbarium Mount Vernon Columbarium was a columbarium complex on Mount Vernon, Singapore. Built in 1962 as a crematorium, the columbarium closed in 2018 to make way for future redevelopments in the upcoming Bidadari housing estate, with plans for a new funera ...

started operations in 1962. Due to inability to handle the amount of cremations needed daily, a new crematorium was built at Mandai. On 30 June 2004, the crematorium ceased cremation services. The Columbarium is still operational.. Bidadari Cemetery used to be a private burial site and 1972, became a public burial site. The Cemetery was closed on 2001 and graves exhumed to make way for a new town.

Education

Despite the small area, there are two education institutions in the area,

Bartley Secondary School Bartley Secondary School is a co-educational government secondary school in Singapore. It was founded in 1952, and is named after William Bartley (1885–1961), who was acting collector-general of income tax in the 1920s and president of the Mu ...

and

Maris Stella High School Maris Stella High School (MSHS) () is a government-aided, all-boys Catholic secondary school with autonomous status. As a full school, it comprises a primary section offering a six-year programme leading up to the Primary School Leaving Examin ...

. Mount Vernon was home to other several schools, including Mount Vernon Secondary and Sang Nila Utama Secondary, which have since been closed down.

Transportation

There are two MRT stations nearby. The nearer,

Woodleigh MRT station Woodleigh MRT station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the North East line (NEL), in Bidadari, Singapore. The station is underneath Upper Serangoon Road, near the junction with Upper Aljunied Road. Areas served include th ...

, part of the

North East Line The North East MRT line (NEL) is a high-capacity Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line in Singapore. Operated by SBS Transit, it is the shortest MRT line at . The line runs from HarbourFront station in southern Singapore to Punggol station in the no ...

has been operational since 20 June 2011.

Bartley MRT station Bartley MRT station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the Stage 3 of the Circle line, located on the boundary of Serangoon and Toa Payoh planning areas, Singapore. Situated along Bartley Road near How Sun Estate, Maris Ste ...

, by the side of Maris Stella High School, has been operational since 28 May 2009, and is part of the Circle Line.

References

*Victor R Savage, Brenda S A Yeoh (2004), ''Toponymics – A Study of Singapore Street Names'', Eastern University Press, Places in Singapore Hills of Singapore Toa Payoh {{Singapore-geo-stub