Contact me at TimLight99@hotmail.com Return to Home Page

The City of Singapore's waterfront has an intricate and ever-changing history, not least because it has gradually moved southwards due to progressive land reclamation. Hence the place we know as Collyer Quay is at least half a mile from the present-day coastline.

I hope the following images give you some idea of how today's Collyer Quay has evolved from more humble beginnings. In many cases, I can only guess the dates of the pictures. Any more accurate information will be welcome, as will any images that fill gaps in the story.

Here we see Collyer Quay in the 1870s. The building in the centre background occupies the site of the Fullerton Building.
The date of this image is given as around 1900. Visible on the right is Johnston's Pier.
I think this picture is also around 1900, looking in the reverse direction.
A very similar view, but this time the tramway is in operation, so it must be 1905 onwards. Johnston Pier is on the left, and the Hong Kong Shanghai Bank is on the right.
Also from the early 1900s, this view shows Johnston Pier on the left, with the Hong Kong Shanghai Bank behind it. The Bank of Taiwan is in the background, and unfortunately I can't identify the building on the right.
This view is looking westwards. Tram tracks are in evidence, dating this picture as 1905 onwards. The buildings on the right are where the Fullerton Building stands today.
The tramway served Singapore from 1905 until the mid-1920s, when it was replaced by trolleybuses.
The original Collyer Quay was built on reclaimed land. Around 1910, a new sea wall was built to reclaim even more land. This photo shows the work in progress.
Another view showing the unfinished reclamation work.
Big changes took place in the early years of the century. The impressive "Union Building" has appeared, and the replacement Hong Kong Shanghai Bank is in the final stages of construction. Further along the quay we can see the turret of the Ocean Building.
Here we get a better view of the Ocean Building, with godowns in front. My notes date this picture at around 1926.
In the mid-1920s, trolleybuses replaced trams, as seen here c1931. The trolleybuses had different coloured sections to denote 1st and 2nd class.
A nice early 1930s view of Johnston Pier, with plenty of shipping in the background.
The Fullerton Building was completed in 1928, and it gave us a scene that remained almost unchanged for about 40 years. Johnston Pier was replaced in the 1930s, but the rest of these buildings were intact in the early 1970s.
A nice view along Collyer Quay, c1930, with no fewer than four STC trolleybuses.
The next major change on the waterfront was the construction of Clifford Pier, which replaced Johnston Pier in the mid-1930s. This art-deco building is still a feature of Collyer Quay today.
Seen from Finlayson Green c1937, we see that behind Clifford Pier is open sea, a rather different scene from the present day.
West of Finlayson Green, c1950, were these old and decrepit buildings. These were soon to be replaced by the Asia Insurance skyscraper.
Clifford Pier, c1950.
The next few images are before-and-after shots showing how the waterfront skyline grew upwards in the 1950s. This show the Hong Kong Shanghai building before it was extended.
... and afterwards. I think this extension was done in the late 1950s, certainly after 1954.
Early 1950s, looking towards Finlayson Green, before the Asia Insurance building was erected.
... and the same view in the mid-1950s, after completion of the Asia Insurance Building. At the time, this was the tallest building in South East Asia.
Another mid-1950s skyscraper was the Shell Building. This view shows the space that has been cleared for it.
And here it is, neatly slotted into that space.
This early 1950s view shows the scene before the Bank of China building was erected.
The Bank of China building was not on the waterfront, but it changed the skyline when it was built in 1954.
This is a mid-1950s arial view of the city and waterfront. The Bank of China Building is brand new, as is the Asia Insurance building, both completed in 1954. The Shell building is yet to be constructed.
This picture, taken c1960, shows the state of Collyer Quay on completion of the 1950s skyscrapers. After this burst of activity, the waterfront remained unchanged throughout the 1960s.
A ground-level view taken at about the same time.
We now take a leap forward in time. I guess this is late 1970s, but confirmation would be appreciated. The skyline is dominated by modern skyscrapers, but you can still pick out the Asia Insurance building, Clifford Pier, Shell Building and Union Building.
Another 1970s view. Clifford Pier is being crowded out by modern appendages.
Still the 1970s, and plenty of construction going on.
One more from the 1970s. Quite a mix of architectural styles.
View from Clifford Pier, c1989. The waterfront is now enclosed in a marina, thanks to land reclamation.
And finally, a satellite view from the year 2000. Land reclamation has pushed the sea out a long way from Collyer Quay.

Contact me at TimLight99@hotmail.com Return to Home Page