Sunday 13 August 2017

House of Lady Hill Road

Entrance to Former Kinloss House
Up the hill off Orange Grove road road at 3 Lady Hill Road, was once a boarding school for the children of British soldiers from 1957 to 1970, has been turned into training centre for insurance agents and financial advisers in 2008. We used to buy personal insurance from AXA in the past.
We arrived at 3 Lady Hill Road before 3.30pm on 12th Aug 17. I saw an elder couple stood outside the gate. Saw a few SLA staff inside the building as it was still early and we managed to take some shots surrounding the area.

Former Kinloss House
Here is the little history which I heard years ago in 2000s.
Kinloss House was a British Army managed boarding house for children attending Bourne School at Alexandra and Gillman Barracks in the 1960s. There were dormitories lower down the hill on 2 levels with the girls living mainly in the house but with a few living in huts on the first lower level.Rising up the graceful staircase (which went from right to left) brought you into the large open communal space that was used for homework (dozens of desks), Saturday night cinema and Sunday night dances (of the old style ballroom). The girls' dormitories entrance doors led off from this common room.
Outside the main house, one level down (a short flight of 6 steps or so) was the first 'quadrangle' of 3 dormitory huts in a straight line: 2 boys' and behind a wire fence, one girls'. Each hut had 4 dormitories, with a toilet block at the end of each. One small part of a boys' hut next to the partition fence with the girls' accommodation was used as a disco.
The next level down was via flights of about 20 steps. It was a largely open space with more huts. On the left going down was a boys' dormitory line and to the right was the teachers' hut. There was a further level below this that was used only by boy scouts making fires; but there was also a large bungalow down there in which the service staff, such as cooks and service chef.
In recent years, some of these buildings have even been converted into educational or training institutions by commercial entities that seek to leverage on Singapore’s status as a business and financial hub in Asia.
Like one of the buildings at 3 Lady Hill Road, home of the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Singapore between May 1970 and 1976. It was formerly an officers' mess for the British Forces. Later, it became office of the SILO Home Appliances Centre (1981-1982), the Arms and Explosives Branch (1983-1993), Hup Chung Electronics Corporation (1986-1990) and Kinloss Co-operative Society Limited (1992-1995). The Faculty, formerly located at the Singapore Polytechnic in Prince Edward Road, was renamed "Faculty of Architecture and Building" in October 1972. In April 1976, it moved into the Kent Ridge campus.
The Main Entrance of the building
The former Kinloss House, building set on 1.9 hectares of land was the last tenant of the AXA University Asia Pacific Campus, a training centre for the AXA Group. It houses 10 training rooms, a large multi-purpose hall and numerous break out spaces before it moved out. AXA, which has leased the property from the Singapore Land Authority (SLA), renovated the building and outfitted it with equipment and technology enhancements while respecting its 'historical character'. AXA invested a total of $7.7 million to refurbish Kinloss House, with additional funding from the Singapore government, which was keen to ensure the building’s colonial and historic heritage was well preserved.
White Washed wooden stairway
I remember in 1980s. there was a Kinloss Retail Shop (first opening Police Co-operative Store) that was named in its location in the Kinloss House (next to former Ladyhill Hotel) located near No. 3 Lady Hill Road. A year later, The Police Co-operative moved to No. 3 Lady Hill Road, the site of the Kinloss House, which would lend its name to the Co-operative’s Kinloss Retail Shop.
Graceful Main Staircase
The main stairs leading up to the old library of the former boarding school.
Little did I heard that AXA had received 'requests' from people who wanted to hold their weddings in this former Kinloss House however they (AXA) turned down their requests.
Spacious Conference room
This spacious room could be a conference meeting room for AXA. However this common room could have filled with chairs and tables for British students of boarding school in 1950s.
Built-in side desk seen on the left
Looking at the corridor of multi-purpose hall, there is a simple classic desk facing huge glass window wooden shutters on the left, the side wall on displays could be the book shelves side by side, on the right a built-in cabinets against the wall if I could think of.
Multi-Purpose Hall
The main staircase to multi-Purpose Hall that used to be the old library for boarding school.
Long Corridor room (then)
Credit by JadeW
Long corridor to rooms (now)
Yet another long corridor passageway to the dorm doors of boarding school and training rooms for AXA. Looking at the chandelier hung on the ceiling reminds me of my oldest uncle's 3-storey bungalow has similar century elegant style chandelier in the living hall.
A TV or Monitor Screen placed on the shelf
Could be a TV or Monitor screen placed on the shelf in the multi-purpose hall.
Elegant Chandelier@Kinloss House
Elegant chandelier at former Kinloss House with 16 candle tubes adorned with brass lead crystals.
Spectacular Chandelier@Bukit Teresa Bungalow
The most spectacular antique vintage Black Chandelier at my oldest uncle's bungalow at Bukit Teresa with 32 brass candles tubes is adorned with high lead pear shaped crystals as well as high lead octagonal shaped crystal droplets. It suits in every colour of the wall that is present in the living room.
 The Indoor Planter box room
This room holds gatherings or high tea meeting clients and students of AXA. There used to be some plants decorated in the centre of the indoor concrete planter box.
Vintage Fire Alarm Bell
Typical old school fire alarm bell can be found in old buildings, old schools and industrial buildings.
Spiral Staircase@Kinloss House
 Spiral Staircase@BukitTeresabungalow
The spiral staircase at 3 Lady Hill of former Kinloss House is wide compared to one of my oldest uncles' 3-storey bungalow at Bukit Teresa road which is too narrow and made of teak-wood steps. Walking up the narrow spiral staircase  
Steps down to Basketball court
Outside the former Kinloss House, down the hill facing the white-washed arch, there is the staircase down to basketball court and tennis court field.
Balcony on Upper floor
View from Balcony
The main building of former Kinloss House with carved out balcony on the upper floor, to view outside the scenery of opposite colonial buildings.
View of former Kinloss House
1st group outside former Kinloss House
Former Kinloss House has lots of history that was built by Scotsman in early 1900s and this beautiful colonial house has been thru historical eras. Once a colonial house then it occupied by Japanese during Occupation, and then it became a Boarding School for Bourne students from Gilman Barracks followed by Police Co-operative mess and the last recent AXA University (Asia Pacific Campus) till 2017. Currently, the building is vacant.
Thanks to SLA and Mr Jerome for the wonderful piece of history of the colonial building.

5 comments:

  1. Back in 1964 my Aunty Hannah (Cocksedge) was Matron for the British boys boarding at Kinloss House. My twin sister Angela and myself, at the age of 14, had the adventure of our lives when we went to stay with her at Kinloss House for three weeks at Easter 1964. It was especially amazing for us as we came from a working class mining village in South Yorkshire and were probably the only people in the village to travel abroad then.
    We didn't have a camera so the only record is in our memories and one or two souvenir photos.
    We travelled up to Penang and Singapore stopping at the Cameron Highlands. No cable car to Singapore then, just the ferry. Hannah was helping out at the family planning clinic on Singapore so we stayed a few days. It was undeveloped then, not the busy city it is now but we did visit the Tiger Balm Gardens and had afternoon tea at Raffles.
    Then in 1995 we travelled back with Aunty Hannah and our sister in law, Lynne, visiting the places where we stayed and Hannah lived and worked.
    Aunty Hannah was in her 80s then and sadly passed away 10 years later. I cherish those wonderful memories of our childhood trip of a lifetime and will pass them onto my children and grandchildren.

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    1. Hi Moira
      It's good to hear from you to share your rich history and former residence at Kinloss House back in 1960s n 1990s. Thank you for your sharing.

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  2. I just wanted to add to my post above "Now there's a film in the making"
    Best wishes Moira Black nee Carbis.

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  3. Hello Moira,

    My name is Chloe and I represent EHL Singapore, which has now taken over Kinloss House as our Singapore Campus. We are creating a project about Kinloss House to share its rich history and I would love to hear more about your memories at Kinloss. Please contact me at chloe.tay@ehl.ch and I hope to hear from you soon.

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    Replies
    1. Dear Chloe
      What a lovely surprise to hear from you.
      I will speak to my twin, Angela, about your project and will be delighted to share our memories and we might have a few photos that we would be happy to share.
      I look forward to hearing from you again.
      Best wishes
      Moira.

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