Xiao Po - Two Horse Road

Explore Victoria Street are full of old-time favourite building such as Victoria Hotel and next door is the former New Hongkong Hotel now renamed Grand Pacific Hotel, the opposite is the evergreen of Bain Street Bras Basah Complex 

Walking down Victoria Street

Victoria Street (Xiao Po) begins from the junction of Stamford Road right up to the junction of Lavender Street. Along the way, there are lots of old building but sadly they are disappearing soon due to urban redevelopment and the earliest building was the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd, Covent of the Infant Jesus (Chijmes) I remember vividly I used to travel with my late mother one building stood at the corner of Bras Basah Road with Victoria Street called in Hokkien language (Teck Kok Seng Ong) which translate as a German Pharmacy, our mode of transport was the one-time famous pirate taxi plying the street, they will use to promote their fare, Xiao Po, 20 cents Toa Po 30 cents fast forward now we have the Taxi, Grab, Gojek for our convenience.

Kampong Bugis

Bugis which was commonly referred to as Xiao Po (小坡; little Slope) and was internationally known in the 1950s to 1980s for its gathering of transvestites and transsexual and know by others as Peh Soa Pu in Hokkien or Bai Sha Fu in mandarin  (白沙浮; white sand mounds). Beside Bugis MRT, there is Bugis Junction, Bugis Street Market (recreated from the former Albert Street), Bugis+, Bugis Cube, Village Hotel Bugis and so on.

Bugis Junction - Victoria Street (Two Horse Road)

It was built from the site of our former Bugis Street (Hak Kai), Malay Street, Hylam Street and Malabar Street bound by Victoria Street, Rochor Road, North Bridge Road and Middle Road. At that time it was known as Parco Bugis Junction and later renamed Bugis Junction. It is a commercial building with Offices, a Shopping Mall and Intercontinental Hotel

Along Victoria Street directly opposite our old Bugis Street stood Blanco Court with shops and a food centre together with some HDB flats in that vicinity and also a Community Centre before the construction of our Bugis MRT Station. When the plan was announced Blanco Court was evicted and the flats demolished to make way for the new development of our MRT, Blanco Court was converted and renovated into a private hospital named Raffles and the vacant plot was awarded to Raffles Group to build the new Raffles Specialist Centre.

Short Street (Tek Kha So Si Tek Hang)

Short Street begins at the junction where it meets Middle Road, Selegie Road and Wilkie Road where you can find David Elias Building at the junction is a Jewish landmark and opposite there was a building used by Tiger Balm Co which had been demolished. Along the way, you find a Tamil Methodist Church and further down the road you'll come across a dwell Student Living and next door is the famous Selegie Road HDB Flats you could also access Lasalle College of Fine Arts through Short Street and last but not least there is Chang Cheng Golden Wall Centre which had been sold by en bloc and that very short on Short Street.

Five Horse Road (Bencoolen Street)

Space Plaza

77, Bencoolen Street was once Kian Hua Hotel, now occupied by Space Asia Hub in a white building consist of a Showroom for furniture and also F&B, together with the unit next door a restored heritage building, next to sit  Masjid Bencoolen with a 12 storey Service Apartment.

Masjid Bencoolen

Prinsep Street (Six Horse Road)

Prinsep Street Presbyterian Church

Located at 77 Prinsep Street and within the Singapore Arts District, the church was founded by Rev. Benjamin Peach Keasrberry in 1843 and was previously known as the Malay Mission Chapel. This historical and heritage building was built for the outreach for the Malay people and was designed by the firm Swan and Maclaren with its notable features and deep red bricks and raised brickworks with a front belltower 

Deck

This is an unusual structure along 120A Prinsep Street it consists of Shipping Containers and built into an independent art space with its mission to support and naturing the community of photography enthusiasts in Singapore and South East Asia which act as a connector between art institutions which offer a platform for people to celebrate photography in the heart of Singapore.