A History of the Emerald Hill Estate, Singapore

The Early Years, The Age of Nutmeg

Before the time of Stamford Raffles and William Farquhar, Emerald Hill was believed to be fully covered in primary rainforest. Around the early 1800s, many Chinese immigrants occupied the land with Gambier or pepper plantations to make a living of their own, exhausting the land to its ends.

Emerald Hill – Singapore’s First Conservation District

In 1900, the Emerald Hill estate was purchased by local Chinese businessmen Seah Boon Kang and Seah Eng Kiat, who then carved up the land into smaller lots and sold them to individual owners who built the first terrace houses and shophouses at Emerald Hill.

War and Occupied Singapore, Independence

The Second World War impacted Emerald Hill just like other places in Singapore. During the occupation from 1942 to 1945 some of the commercial buildings were repurposed for use by the Japanese military (Singapore Chinese Girl’s School). Residences which had been holiday homes became full time residences.

An Enclave for Wealthy Local Chinese and Peranakans

Emerald Hill Conservation Association

In 2008 The Emerald Hill Conservation Association (EHCA) was formed by a group of Emerald Hill homeowners, who were concerned as to the long term protection of the Emerald Hill Estate, as a historic and cultural based residential area.

Before the 1980s, Emerald Hill Road was linked to the main Orchard Road. In the early 1980s, proposals were put forth to consider the conservation and integrity of the Emerald Hill buildings.

Emerald Hill, Present to Future

Emerald Hill today is but a few steps off of bustling Orchard Road with its international branded retail offerings and across from high speed train access to all of the island state.