Friday, December 28, 2012

Then, Then, and Now – Stamford Road


I wish I had this photo when I blogged about the old National Library at Stamford Road here. My recollections of this place generated much discussion and speculation about the shops along this stretch of Stamford Rd.


Zooming in on this photo, I can roughly make some of the signboards which have pictures of handbags and crocodiles; and names like Wah Siong Leather, Malaysia …., a vertical Chinese signboard which says; “马来西亚 _Japanese word_ 皮屋” (Malaysia ___ skin house). I would guess that that Japanese word says crocodile or reptile. Another Chinese signboard says, “鳄鱼蛇皮商行 (Crocodile and snake skins trading).

My thanks to Mike Robbins for sending me this mid-1960s photo which was taken by his former colleague, Ray Kirkman. The other two photos were taken by me.




13 comments:

gymike said...

Hi Chun See,

Where has all the traffic gone?!

Lam Chun See said...

I guess nobody wants to pay to use this tunnel to go to Orchard Rd. i myself have never used it even once.

lim said...

Memories of this old place come racing back. The Library was my most used place of study and the source of so many novels I borrowed. How can I forget that rattan furniture shop and the ice-kachang stall in the coffee shop below the National Library. It was so popular even with the bees swarming all over it. And not forgetting the food stalls along Waterloo street opposite the NL. The best mee rebus, mee goreng, and Indian rojak I've ever tasted.

Lam Chun See said...

I loved the mee rebus too. Yet to taste anything like it.

Lye Khuen Way said...

And that shop that deals in model planes, ship etc by Airfix and Revell and others!

Those were the days!

Thanks for the memories.

foodie said...

Thank you so much for the photo of the National Library Building -It brings back fond memories of early 1970 Saturday afternoons in the Library with my father and yummy food in the food stall at the corner.

Keith said...

What a sight! My favorite car with the most marvellous background.

Lam Chun See said...

Keith. You mean the white one? What car is that? Holden?

Keith said...

The old beetle

Anonymous said...

Hello Lam Chun See, The white car is a HR Holden made in Australia 1964-1965.With a 161 or 186 cu inch motor[aprox 2.8/3ltr],lucky there was no COE in those days!!
I enjoy reading your blog here in Perth,Singapore is being lost, it needs more people like you.
Regards Santa

Lam Chun See said...

Thanks Santa. I remember seeing a lot of Holdens on our roads during the sixties even though I was just a student. I can't recall what the Holden looked like. Just guessing.

Joseph Wong said...

My first thought was that the white car could be a Viva Vauxhall HB series, which is related to Holden. The Vauxhall brand was quite popular in Singapore around that time too.

Burns said...

Think the only thing that still stand at that site is he big tree next to the library. yah?