Bukit Brown Heritage Guided Tour

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Join volunteers from a.t. Bukit Brown (all things Bukit Brown: http://bukitbrown.com/) for a leisurely morning stroll through Bukit Brown to listen to stories of Singapore's heritage and pioneers. One of the highlights of this tour is found on top of the highest hill in Bukit Brown - tomb of Ong Sam Leong, a successful businessman who passed away in 1918. The tomb which covers an area of a few 5-room HDB flats is probably the largest tomb in Singapore. The tomb is designed with intricate carvings depicting Chinese mythology tales of Filial Piety and Eight Immortals and guarded by life-sized Sikh guard statues and an accompanied earth deity shrine, which is as big as a normal tomb.

Meeting place:
At the Lor Halwa Main gates

Meeting time:
08:45 am

Cost:
Free guided tour

Dress code/ Things to bring:

1. Wear light breathable clothing. Long pants and long sleeves if you are prone to insect bites or sunburn.

2. Comfortable covered non-slip shoes. Slippers are not recommended.

3. Sunblock lotion and insect repellent

4. Sun hat and sunglasses (optional)

5. Umbrella or poncho

6. Waterproof or ziplock bags to protect your electronics from rain (if any)

7. Water (at least 1 L for there is no water source nearby)

8. Light snacks

9. Walking sticks (recommended if you are not used to walking uphill on dirt track)

Things to note:

1. We will be walking mainly on paved roads. But some of the interesting graves require a bit of uphill trekking.

2. Do read up on Bukit Brown before going so you have a better understanding of the place (e.g. BukitBrown.com)

3. Please go to the toilet before coming. There are NO toilet facilities anywhere nearby.

4. As Ong Sam Leong's tomb is located uphill, the visit to the tomb will be subjected to weather conditions. It will be skipped if there is a downpour or lightning.

How to get there by MRT / Bus:

Bus services available: 52, 74, 93, 157, 165, 852, 855.

From North: Go to Marymount MRT and walk to bus-stop #53019 along Upper Thomson Road. Take Buses 52, 74, 165, 852, 855. Alight 6 stops later at bus-stop, #41149, opposite Singapore Island Country Club (SICC), Adam Road. Walk towards Sime Road in the direction of Kheam Hock Road until you see Lorong Halwa.

From South: Go to Farrer Road MRT and walk to bus-stop #11111 at Farrer Road, in front of Blocks 2 & 3. Take Buses 93, 165, 852, 855. Alight 5 stops later at bus-stop, #41141, just before Singapore Island Country Club (SICC), Adam Road. Cross the bridge, walk towards Sime Road, follow the road until you see Lorong Halwa.

By car:
Turn in from Lornie Road, to Sime Road. Then, turn left into Lorong Halwa.
Parking space available at the largish paved area near the cemetery gates.

Here is a map of the grounds:

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Excerpt from http://vicinitysights.com/bukit-brown/ :

Bukit Brown Cemetery (aka Kopi Sua or Coffee Hill) was officially set up as a public Chinese burial ground on 1 January 1922. It was opened for more than half a century until its closure in 1973. There are about 100,000 graves in an area of about 200 hectares in size.

The cemetery was named after its first owner, George Henry Brown a shipowner, trader and broker who arrived in Singapore in the 1840s. The land was then later bought by Ong Kew Ho and the Hokkien Huay Kuan, who gave it to the Ngee Ann Kongsi. To meet the pressing need for more Chinese burial grounds, the Municipal government acquired a section of the land and converted it into a public cemetery. By 1929, Bukit Brown Cemetery accounted for about 40 per cent of all officially registered Chinese burials within municipal (city) limits.

Many well-known and prominent Singaporeans are interred at Bukit Brown Cemetery. They include Lim Chong Pang (Chong Pang Village), Gan Eng Seng (Gan Eng Seng School), Ang Seah Im (Seah Im Road), Chew Boon Lay (Boon Lay Town), Cheang Hong Lim (Hong Lim Square) and Chew Joo Chiat (Joo Chiat Road). The grandfather (Lee Hoon leong) and aunt (Lee Choo Neo) of Singapore first Prime Minster Lee Kuan Yew are also buried in Bukit Brown. Bukit Brown is also “distinguished” for having some of the oldest and biggest graves in Singapore. The oldest grave in Bukit Brown dated to as early as 1833. The headstone belongs to a man called Fang Shan, who died in 1833. The tomb of Ong Sam Leong and his wife is said to be the largest tomb in Singapore. It is as big as a few Housing and Development Board (HBD) flats.

Over the decades, Bukit Brown has evolved into a rich ecosystem. Many species of birds are spotted including migratory and endangered ones. However there are plans by the government to clear the cemetery for new development. A shell MRT station (Bukit Brown MRT Station) was already built in the area. Construction of a new road that cuts through the cemetery will also begin in year 2013. In fact the whole area is earmarked as a future new town by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA). Conservationists object to this, saying the area is rich in heritage and biodiversity.