Bukit Timah

This article is about the area that is located in the Central Region of Singapore. For the hill that the area was named after, seeBukit Timah Hill.For other, seeBukit Timah (disambiguation).

Bukit Timah/ˈbʊkɪtˌtiːmɑː/,often abbreviated asBt Timah,is aplanning areaandresidential estatelocated in the westernmost part of theCentral RegionofSingapore.Bukit Timah lies roughly 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from theCentral Business District,bordering theCentral Water Catchmentto the north,Bukit Panjangto the northwest,Queenstownto the south,Tanglinto the southeast,Clementito the southwest,Novenato the east andBukit Batokto the west.

Bukit Timah
Planning AreaandHDB Estate
Other transcription(s)
•Malay	Bukit Timah(Rumi) بوکيت تيمه‎(Jawi)
•Chinese	Võ cát biết mã(Simplified) Võ cát biết mã(Traditional) Wǔjí Zhīmǎ(Pinyin) Bú-kit Ti-má(HokkienPOJ)
•Tamil	புக்கிட் திமா Pukkiṭ timā(Transliteration)
From top left to right:National Junior College,Ngee Ann Polytechnic,The Chinese High School Clock Tower Building,Aerial view of the Bukit Timah portion ofHolland Village,formerBukit Timah railway station
Location of Bukit Timah in Singapore
Location in Central Region
Bukit Timah Bukit TimahinSingapore Bukit Timah Bukit Timah (Asia) Bukit Timah Bukit Timah (Earth)
Coordinates:1°19′45.88″N103°48′7.48″E
Country	Singapore
Region	Central Region
CDCs	Central Singapore CDC North West CDC South West CDC
Town councils	Bishan-Toa Payoh Town Council Holland-Bukit Panjang Town Council Jurong-Clementi Town Council Tanjong Pagar Town Council
Constituencies	Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC Holland-Bukit Timah GRC Jurong GRC Tanjong Pagar GRC
Government
• Mayors	Central Singapore CDC Denise Phua North West CDC Alex Yam South West CDC Low Yen Ling
• Members of Parliament	Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC Chee Hong Tat Holland-Bukit Timah GRC Christopher de Souza Sim Ann Jurong GRC Rahayu Mahzam Shawn Huang Wei Zhong Tanjong Pagar GRC Chan Chun Sing
Area
• Total	17.53 km2(6.77 sq mi)
Population (2019)
• Total	77,860
• Density	4,400/km2(12,000/sq mi)
Ethnic groups
•Chinese	67,400
•Malays	640
•Indians	3,840
• Others	5,980
Postal districts	10, 11, 21
Dwelling units	2,423

Owing to its prime location, Bukit Timah has some of the densest clusters of luxury condominiums and landed property in the city, with very few public housing.

Etymology

The last identification of the area was on the 1828 map by Frankin andJacksonand was noted as Bukit Timah.As the interior of Singapore was not fully explored, it is likely the name came from the Malays.

In Malay, Bukit Timah meantTin bearing hill.The original Malay name wasBukit Temak,meaning "hill of thetemak trees"as the temak trees were abundant in the area.It was possible that the British in Singapore had mispronounced or misheard and became Bukit Timah.

History

Bukit Timah Road,was completed in 1843 to provide a link to the highest point of Singapore, theBukit Timah Hill.The road was then extended northwards to Kranji in 1845, making it one of the earliest roads connecting the north to the south.

TheBukit Timah railway station(BRTS) was one of the five Singapore-Kranji railway stations opened in 1905, the first railway of Singapore. BRTS was decommissioned in July 2011 together withTanjong Pagar railway station.Sections of the former railway station have been repurposed as a community space, and is now part of the Rail Corridor.

Bukit Timah was a major battleground during the final stages of theJapanese Invasionin 1942, where theBattle of Bukit Timahwas fought. The battle resulted in the fall of Bukit Timah to the Japanese as British had failed to repel the invaders from the area.

Beauty World was formerly namedTai Tong Ah Sai Kai which was founded as an amusement park during the Japanese Occupation. Following the end of occupation, Tai Tong Ah Sai Kai was renamedBeauty Worldin 1947 and reopened as a market. After being badly damaged by series of fires in the 1970s, Beauty World was acquired by the government and was redeveloped as a shopping centre, which opened in 1984.

Infrastructure

The Bukit Timah area is a particularly prominent location with high land value.

TheBukit Timah Race Course,athoroughbredhorse racingfacility, was opened in 1933 and operated until 1999. The land has since been renovated, and is currently home to The Grandstand, which hosts several food outlets, childcare services and a Giant supermarket.

The nearby area hosts manybungalows,typically expensive in land-scarce Singapore, as well as high risecondominiums.Manyexpatriatesand well-heeled Singaporeans live in this region. Its main attractions include popular eateries at Sixth Avenue, as well as Turf City.

This region was later extended and Upper Bukit Timah (District 21) was formed.

Mass Rapid Transit

There are 7MRTstations within the planning area, spanning 2 lines, theDowntown LineandCircle Line.Stage 2 of theDowntown MRT linetrain service started on 27 December 2015 and parallels the Bukit Timah Road. It connects Bukit Panjang in the North-Western edge of Bukit Timah to the city centre in the South. Both lines have an interchange station atBotanic Gardens MRT station.The 6 other stations are:

• DT5Beauty World
• DT6King Albert Park
• DT7Sixth Avenue
• DT8Tan Kah Kee
• CC20Farrer Road
• CC21Holland Village

Education

Bukit Timah is known to having many international schools in the region, due to the high number of expatriates and immigrants living in this region.

Primary schools

• Bukit Timah Primary School
• Henry Park Primary School
• Methodist Girls' School (Primary)
• Nanyang Primary School
• Pei Hwa Presbyterian Primary School
• Raffles Girls' Primary School

Secondary schools

• Anglo Chinese School*
• St Joseph's Institution
• Singapore Chinese Girls School*
• Hwa Chong Institution
• Methodist Girls' School (Secondary)
• Nanyang Girls' High School
• National Junior College
• St. Margaret's Secondary School
• Assumption English School
• Assumption Pathway School

Tertiary Institutions

• Hwa Chong Institution
• National Junior College
• St Joseph's Institution
• Ngee Ann Polytechnic
• Singapore University of Social Sciences

Other schools

• Chatsworth International School
• DIMENSIONS International College (Bukit Timah Campus)
• Holland International School
• Hwa Chong International School
• St Francis Methodist School
• Singapore Korean International School
• Swiss School in Singapore

See also

• Bukit Timah Monkey Man– cryptid said to be living in the Bukit Timah forest

Sources

• National Heritage Board (2002),Singapore's 100 Historic Places,Archipelago Press,ISBN981-4068-23-3