Can you picture a cemetery in an upper-class district? That was Former Hock Eng Seng Cemetery. It stood in Bukit Timah.
Today we’re exploring the history of this unique place. It’s a story of land scarcity and changing times in Singapore.
The Former Hock Eng Seng Cemetery was opposite Fifth Avenue Condo. Before the bungalows arrived its tombs commanded a view. They overlooked Bukit Timah Road and the nature reserve. Imagine the good fengshui on that grassy slope.
Fifth Avenue’s steepness surprised visitors. It wasn’t visible from Bukit Timah Road. People didn’t expect such a climb after Guthrie House.
A 1992 photo sparked interest in the Former Hock Eng Seng Cemetery. It showed a lone omega-tomb below a fence. Houses for the living and dead in one frame. It was an unusual sight.
Details about this cemetery are scarce. A 1973 news article listed it as closed to future burials. It didn’t appear on maps. Was it a private burial ground for a rich family? Or was the cemetery larger in the past?
The plot is small now. But other tombs could have been exhumed before 1992. The cemetery is under the Singapore Land Authority today. Some believe it was private land acquired by the government.
The exhumation left a big hole. You can still see the omega outline cut into the slope. Stone remnants litter the pit. These could be from the tomb’s base. Imagine the scene when they tore down the house of the dead. Rubble scattered around.
The tomb’s position once commanded a good view. It overlooked the Bukit Timah environs. That was the fengshui in its heyday.
Was that omega tomb the only one? Probably not. Depressions hint at other tombs. Some are closer to the road. Others are misleading.
The Hokkien burial ground was known as Hock Eng Seng Cemetery. It was also called State Land Lot 2088 pt Mukim 4. In 1995 the government issued an exhumation notice. About 600 graves were there.
Tan Pin Pin’s short film Moving House featured the 1995 exhumation. The film showed her great-grandparents’ grave.
Lorong Panchar ran along the foot of the hill. The Former Hock Eng Seng Cemetery occupied this hill. The road switched to one-way traffic during Qing Ming. This helped manage the crowds visiting the cemetery.
The Urban Redevelopment Authority announced the exhumation of 600 graves. It was a privately run cemetery where plots were sold. Discounts were given for booking two plots.
Next time you pass by this area remember its past. The Former Hock Eng Seng Cemetery may be gone. But its stories remain etched in the land.