Sunday, January 9, 2011

Emerald Hill


Entrance to Emerald Hill - right next to Peranakan Pl., opp. to Somerset

Just off busy Orchard Rd, there is a place to chill out in the fresh - yet always humid- air.



A necessary break from the malls-that-make-you-dizzy, have some wine here after a "busy" evening shopping.



Going up-pish, it feels that you're entering a different world: chinese baroque terrace houses are still to be seen here. The informative sign on the front describes this style of houses as "a blend of chinese and neoclassical european desing, originating from Malacca".



Cuppage, the owner of the area back in the 1850s, had built his two residences here. He was the owner of a big nutmeg plantation in Singapore at the time. After 1900, the area was sold, and became a Peranakan (Peranakans are chinese descendants, influenced by Malay and European culture) neighbourhood, and some of the houses of that period have been renovated and are still here.


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