May 12, 2016

2544 SINGAPORE (Central Region) - The city in about 1925

Robinson Road in Singapore
2544 Robinson Road in Singapore in about 1925

Named after Sir William Cleaver Francis Robinson, Governor of the Straits Settlements in 1877-1879, Robinson Road is a major trunk road in Singapore's central business district. It was once a sea-side thoroughfare until land reclamation works in Telok Ayer Basin shifted the shoreline further east to make room for the building of Shenton Way, opened in 1951. Cross Street starts from Shenton Way and ends at the junction with South Bridge Road in Chinatown. Of course that  before the construction of Shenton Way, it started from Robinson Road.

The picture dates since about 1925, and show the junction of Robinson Road and Cross Street. The three-storey round-cornered building on the left is now the site of Robinson Towers. Hong Leong Building, belonging to the well known businessman Lok Yu, occupies the site of the row of four-storey shophouse on the right of the picture. Because of this, the Robinson Road is known in Hokkien as Heng Liong Koi, which means Hong Leong Street. On the round-cornered building can be seen an advertising for Capstan, a brand of unfiltered British cigarettes, very popular in that time.

About the stamps
The stamp is part of the series National Day - Areas of Historical Significance in Singapore, about which I wrote here.

References
Robinson Road, Singapore - Wikipedia
Cross Street - Wikipedia

Sender: Marius Vasilescu
Sent from Singapore, on 21.03.2016

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