Mount Emily and Mount Sophia
Dhoby Ghaut
Central, Singapore
January 2010
Mount Emily and Mount Sophia, the names of streets and a hill, are located in Rochore, just a short walk up from Dhoby Ghuat. Access is by Sophia Road.
A flea mart was in a warehouse held the very day we were there...
In early colonial times Mount Sophia was commonly referred to as Flint's Hill, after Captain William Flint, the first resident there since the end of 1823. Sophia was Raffles' second wife, and also the name of Flint's daughter, both believed to be the hill's namesake.
Somehow the place has a feel reminiscent of an era gone by...
Mount Sophia was one of the earliest middle-class residential districts. Besides Flint, it was home to prominent businessman Eu Tong Sen. Others include August Behn, V. Lorenz Meyer and F.A. Schreiber (of Behn, Meyer & Co.) who were listed as the hills residents in 1842. In the early 1880s, the hill boasted of grand houses. On 6 June 1885, the Children's Home opened in Sophia Road. Sophia Flats, built in the 1930s, stands at the entrance to Mount Sophia.
Interesting little nooks and crannies abound...
Sophia means "wisdom" in Greek and is an appropriate reference to the proliferation of educational institutions on that hill. These include Trinity College, and the Nanyang Academy (of Fine Arts or NAFA) which moved to Mount Sophia in 1983. The College has since moved to Upper Bukit Timah while NAFA to Bencoolen Street.
Even ordinary places like the park and the toilets are unique...
The former Methodist Girls School was turned into a hip, creative area for budding artists in October 2007...
Visitors here drive fascinating mobiles...
Where only a thin line divides the quiet from the bustle a few steps away...
The majestic colonial building spotlighted at twilight...
More photos are available on Merlion Wayfarer's Picasa at :
Places - Dhoby Ghaut
Sources
- "Mount Sophia" by Vernon Cornelius-Takahama (21 September 1999). Singapore Infopedia. Retrieved from http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_482_2004-12-27.html.
- "The Art of Old School - The Buzz Generating Newcomer" by Mabel Tay (24 October 2007). Mount Sophia Pte Ltd. Retrieved from http://www.oldschool.sg/press_release_general.pdf.
