Outram, Singapore
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Outram ( ) is a
planning area Planning is the process of thinking regarding the activities required to achieve a desired goal. Planning is based on foresight, the fundamental capacity for mental time travel. Some researchers regard the evolution of forethought - the capaci ...
located within the Central Area of the Central Region of
Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
. The area is bordered by these planning areas:
Singapore River The Singapore River is a river that flows parallel to Alexandra Road and feeds into the Marina Reservoir in the southern part of Singapore. The immediate upper drainage basin, watershed of the Singapore River is known as the Singapore River Plann ...
to the north, the
Downtown Core The Downtown Core is the historical and downtown centre of the city-state of Singapore and the main commercial area in Singapore excluding reclaimed lands with two integrated resorts such as the Marina Bay Sands, one of the most expensive buil ...
to the east and south, and
Bukit Merah Bukit Merah, also known as Redhill, is a Planning Areas of Singapore, planning area and New towns of Singapore, new town situated in the southernmost part of the Central Region, Singapore, Central Region of Singapore. The planning area borders T ...
to the west. Outram comprises four subzones, China Square,
Chinatown Chinatown ( zh, t=唐人街) is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, O ...
, People's Park and
Pearl's Hill Pearl's Hill, briefly Mount Stamford, is a small hill in Singapore. Located in the vicinity of Chinatown, it is one of the few surviving hills in the city area. History The hill was the location of gambier plantations owned by the Chinese who ...
. Outram is home to several key
municipal A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the gov ...
buildings, such as
Singapore General Hospital Singapore General Hospital (SGH) is an academic health science centre and tertiary referral hospital in Singapore. It is located next to the Bukit Merah and Chinatown districts of the Central Region, close to the Outram Community Hospital (O ...
(SGH) and several other specialist
health Health has a variety of definitions, which have been used for different purposes over time. In general, it refers to physical and emotional well-being, especially that associated with normal functioning of the human body, absent of disease, p ...
centres operated by
Singapore Health Services Singapore Health Services, commonly known as SingHealth, is the largest group of healthcare institutions in Singapore. Established in 2000, the group consists of four public hospitals, two community hospitals, five national specialty centres a ...
(SingHealth) as well as the
Central Narcotics Bureau The Central Narcotics Bureau (中央肃毒局) or CNB is a department under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) tasked to combat drug trafficking and distribution and is responsible for coordinating all matters pertaining to drug eradication in ...
and the Police Cantonment Complex. Outram Secondary School is situated in nearby York Hill. Across the Outram Road from the
Outram Park MRT station Outram Park MRT station ( ) is an underground Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore), Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) interchange station in Singapore. The station is on the East–West MRT line, East–West, North East MRT line, North East and Thomson-East ...
is the
Health Sciences Authority The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Health of the Government of Singapore. It is a multi-disciplinary agency responsible for applying medical, pharmaceutical, and scientific expertise to protect and ...
building. Along the same side of the road further down towards College Road, is Block 9 where Mortuary@HSA is located. At the junction of Outram Road and College Road stands the Alumni Building which at one time housed the Department of Scientific Services (DSS) before it was relocated to its present location in HSA Building.


Etymology

Outram Road was named by the Municipality in 1858 after a
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
general, Sir James Outram (1803–1863), of the
Indian rebellion of 1857 The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against Company rule in India, the rule of the East India Company, British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the The Crown, British ...
fame. The nearby Havelock Road was named in reference to Major-General Sir
Henry Havelock Major-general (United Kingdom), Major-General Sir Henry Havelock (5 April 1795 – 24 November 1857) was a British general who is particularly associated with India and his recapture of Siege of Cawnpore, Cawnpore during the Indian Rebellion of ...
. General Outram and General Havelock were two of the leaders in the British army during the Indian rebellion of 1857.


History

Known as ''si pai poh'' in
Hokkien Hokkien ( , ) is a Varieties of Chinese, variety of the Southern Min group of Chinese language, Chinese languages. Native to and originating from the Minnan region in the southeastern part of Fujian in southeastern China, it is also referred ...
, which means "
Sepoy ''Sepoy'' () is a term related to ''sipahi'', denoting professional Indian infantrymen, traditionally armed with a musket, in the armies of the Mughal Empire and the Maratha. In the 18th century, the French East India Company and its Euro ...
plain". The Sepoy Lines and police station and parade ground are at one end of Outram Road. Both designations of Sepoy Plain and Sepoy Lines refer to the public shooting of 47 sepoys at the wall of Outram Prison in 1915. This was in the aftermath of the
1915 Singapore Mutiny The 1915 Singapore Mutiny, (also known as the 1915 Sepoy Mutiny or the Mutiny of the 5th Light Infantry) was a mutiny of elements of the British Indian Army's 5th Light Infantry in British Singapore. Up to half of the regiment, which consi ...
, which was quelled by local and British military forces. Outram was once home to one of the earliest civil prisons in Singapore,
Outram Prison Outram Prison, also known as Pearl's Hill Prison or Civil Jail, was a prison at Pearl's Hill, Outram, Singapore, Outram, Singapore. Originally occupied and known as the Civil Jail, Outram Prison was opened in 1882 and served as the main prison co ...
. Located at the foot of Pearl's Hill, it was built in 1847 by Charles Edward Faber of the Madras Engineers. During the Japanese occupation in 1942, Outram Prison was briefly controlled by the Japanese and was used to hold prisoners of war. The prison was subsequently handed to the British forces following the end of the occupation. Outram Prison was eventually demolished in 1966 to make way for a housing project, Outram Park Complex, which was completed in 1970. It consisted of twelve 16-storey blocks together with a shopping complex. Outram Park Complex was selected for SERS in 1998 and was demolished by 2003, with its residents being relocated to Cantonment Towers in Everton Park. The land currently remains vacant and there are plans to revitalise Pearl's Hill, which includes building an integrated mixed-use development consisting of 6000 residential units, by the 2030s.


Infrastructure


Transportation


Road

Main roads in Outram include: *
Eu Tong Sen Street Eu Tong Sen Street (; ) is a major one-way road located in the central part of Singapore in the planning areas of Outram, Singapore River and Bukit Merah. The road starts at the junction of Hospital Drive, Kampong Bahru Road and New Bridge Roa ...
,
New Bridge Road New Bridge Road (; ) is a major one-way road located within the Central Area in Singapore. New Bridge Road starts at the Coleman Bridge to the south of the Singapore River and extends into Chinatown within the Outram Planning Area, before j ...
,
South Bridge Road South Bridge Road () is a major road in Singapore, running south of the Singapore River in Chinatown. It starts at Elgin Bridge and ends at the junction of Neil Road, Tanjong Pagar Road and Maxwell Road.Savage; Yeoh, p. 472 History South ...
, and
Neil Road Neil Road () is a one-way road in Chinatown, Singapore, Chinatown and Tanjong Pagar in the Urban planning areas in Singapore, planning areas of Outram, Singapore, Outram and Bukit Merah in Singapore. The road starts at the junction of South Bridge ...
– These parallel, one-way roads run north-south and align with the North East line. * Havelock Road, Upper Pickering Street, and
Upper Cross Street Upper Cross Street (Simplified Chinese character, Chinese: 克罗士街上段) is a street located in Chinatown, Singapore, Chinatown within the Outram, Singapore, Outram Planning Area in Singapore. The street starts after Cross Street at the ju ...
– These roads run east-west provide access to Chinatown and the Downtown Core, linking to the Central Expressway (CTE). * Outram Road – An alternative road connecting the Downtown Core to Bukit Merah and the CTE.


Mass Rapid Transit

Outram is served by four MRT stations, including: *
Outram Park MRT station Outram Park MRT station ( ) is an underground Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore), Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) interchange station in Singapore. The station is on the East–West MRT line, East–West, North East MRT line, North East and Thomson-East ...
– A triple-line interchange ( East West line, North East line, and Thomson-East Coast line) located at the boundary of Pearl’s Hill and Bukit Merah. * Chinatown MRT station – A major interchange station between the North East line and Downtown line, serving the Chinatown subzone. *
Maxwell MRT station Maxwell MRT station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the Thomson–East Coast line (TEL) in Singapore. Situated in the Downtown Core and Outram along Neil Road, the station is near the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Mus ...
– A Thomson-East Coast line station serving Chinatown and Maxwell. *
Telok Ayer MRT station Telok Ayer MRT station ( or ) is an underground Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore), Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the Downtown MRT line, Downtown line (DTL). Situated in Outram, Singapore, Outram, Singapore, the station serves various offic ...
– A Downtown line station on Cross Street, situated at the boundary between Outram and the Downtown Core.


Education

Outram is home to Outram Secondary School, the only government educational institution in the area. It is located on York Hill in the Pearl’s Hill subzone.


Tourist attractions

Outram features many historical and cultural landmarks, centered around Chinatown. Notable attractions include: * Buddha Tooth Relic Temple – A Buddhist temple and museum built in the
Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...
architectural style. * Sri Mariamman Temple – Singapore’s oldest Hindu temple, established in 1827, known for its elaborate ''gopuram'' (entrance tower). * Chinatown Heritage Centre – Museum showcasing the history of early Chinese immigrants in Singapore.


Commercial

Outram’s commercial areas concentrated around Chinatown, with several shopping malls and mixed-use developments, including: * Chinatown Point * People’s Park Centre * People’s Park Complex * OG People’s Park


Housing

While much of Outram’s land is zoned for commercial use, several residential precincts exist within the district, including Duxton, Kreta Ayer, York Hill, and Upper Cross Street. Housing developments in Outram comprise a mix of Housing and Development (HDB) flats and private condominiums. Notable housing projects in Outram include The Pinnacle@Duxton, a 50-storey residential development. The Pinnacle@Duxton is notably one of the tallest public housing developments in Singapore and has won multiple architectural awards. Other public housing areas in Outram include older HDB flats around York Hill and Upper Cross Street. In addition to public housing, Outram features several private residential developments. One Pearl Bank, a 39-storey condominium completed in 2024, replaces the iconic
Pearl Bank Apartments Pearl Bank Apartments () was a high-rise private residential building on Pearl's Hill in Outram, Singapore, Outram, near the Chinatown, Singapore, Chinatown area of Singapore. As the tallest and densest residential building in Singapore when ...
. People’s Park Complex, completed in 1973, is a mixed-use development located in the heart of Chinatown, next to Chinatown MRT station.


Politics

Outram is divided into two constituencies,
Tanjong Pagar Group Representation Constituency The Tanjong Pagar Group Representation Constituency is a five-member Group Representation Constituency (GRC) in Central and Western Singapore. The five divisions consists: Buona Vista, Telok Blangah, Moulmein-Cairnhill, Tanjong Pagar- Tiong ...
and
Jalan Besar Group Representation Constituency Jalan Besar Group Representation Constituency is a four-member Group Representation Constituency composed of several city suburbs along with the Central Area of Singapore. The Jalan Besar GRC is the electoral division representing the largest ...
. The residential precincts in Tanjong Pagar and Duxton Plain of Chinatown subzone fall under Tanjong Pagar-Tiong Bahru division of Tanjong Pagar GRC while the rest of Outram falls under the Kreta Ayer-Kim Seng division of the Jalan Besar GRC. The current Members of Parliament (MP) are
Indranee Rajah Indranee Thurai Rajah (; born 12 April 1963) is a Singaporean politician and lawyer who has been serving as Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and Second Minister for Finance since 2018 and Second Minister for National Development and ...
of Tanjong Pagar GRC and
Josephine Teo Josephine Teo Li Min. In this Chinese name, the family name is Teo (''née'' Yong). In accordance with custom, the Western-style name is Josephine Teo and the Chinese-style name is Teo Li Min. (née Yong; born 8 July 1968) is a Singaporean ...
of Jalan Besar GRC.


References

* Victor R. Savage, Brenda S. A. Yeoh (2003), ''Toponymics: A Study of Singapore Street Names'', Eastern Universities Press,


External links

* {{Authority control Places in Singapore