This is the second tour I participated with the National Heritage Board (NHB) in commemoration of the 78th anniversary of the Fall of Singapore. We will be visiting the former View Road Hospital in this tour.
Where is Former View Road Hospital?
As the name imply, the former View Road Hospital is located at View Road, off Admiralty Road West, in Woodlands, Singapore.
I shall use this opportunity to remind all of you that these facilities are on private property or state land. So do not enter without authorization. Hence I really really do recommend everyone to grab opportunity such as tours organised by the NHB to be able to enter such historical sites.
So is this Place Haunted?
A quick search online will reveal that this place was rated as one of the most haunted places in Singapore.
It was true that this place was used as an alternative site to house the patients from Woodbridge Hospital (famously known as the Mental Hospital in Singapore) due to overcrowding issues in the late sixties. As such, many urban explorers claimed to have spooky encounters here. However a better term for the place would be a rehabilitation center as it houses those less severely ill patients. In this facility, programs consisting of learning of new trades such as laundry, toy-making, farming, woodwork and tailoring were introduced to help the patients in seeking employment after their discharge. As a matter of fact, these patients are allowed to leave the hospital during the day to work at nearby factories. Hence this place is not as "dirty" as many urban explorers have thought. Significance in History
Looking beyond its role as a rehabilitation center, this building also plays a significant role during the Japanese Occupation.
It was believed that the construction of the building started in late 1941 just before the outbreak of war. Its intention was most likely to be a British Barrack. If you look at satellite image of the building from Google Map as of 2020, you can see that the building looks like an letter E. However based on analysis of documents and photographs taken during 1941, there were only records of the main building (highlighted in red). Hence it was believed that the 3 extended blocks were built after.
Now lets look at the structure of the building. From the courtyard, you can see that the first floor of the building is surrounded by thick and tall walls. It is believed that these walls are capable of absorbing the blast from bombs that were drop within the courtyard. Hence it can be deduced that the extension of the building were done during the wartime. In other words, it was carried out by the Japanese when they took over the facilities.
The main attraction of this building is that it was on top of a hill. Hence it provides an aerial view of the surrounding inclusive of the Straits of Johor. There was even an watch tower at the roof of the main building. Hence it is clear why the Japanese would want to further developed this area for defensive purposes.
If you pay attention to the window frames, you can observe that some of the rooms were converted into office.
Like any other WW2 sites in Singapore, there is the presence of bomb proof bunker here. What makes this bunker special is that it is fully above ground.
My Verdict
Like many sites in Singapore, Former View Road Hospital might be demolished to give way to new development plans to enhance Singapore.
Hence I really really recommend everyone to grab hold of opportunities to visit these sites before their stories gets buried under modern concrete.
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KelvinYo. I am from Singapore. I love to travel. Follow me as I share my experiences and tips for budget travelling as well as my hunt for Ho Kangs around Singapore. Archives
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