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Philip Street

Description
Philip Street, one of the older streets in Singapore, ran along the coastal area in the early 19th century. In 1826, a group of Teochews built a temple on this street, which was dedicated to the sea goddess Ma Cho Po. The temple faced the sea and became a landmark, giving rise to the street becoming known as lau la keng khau, which meant "the mouth of the grandfather temple". In 1830, most part of this street and some nearby streets were razed down by a fire that began in a blacksmith's shop. This paved the way for the construction of better dwellings in 1831, whereby shophouses and terrace houses went up to replace badly-built houses. In the 1980s, the area encompassing Philip Street, Market Street and some nearby streets underwent urban redevelopment, and the shophouses were replaced by skyscrapers. Today, the street is part of the Central Business District.

OCBC Centre East, a 15-storey building, is located at the start of the street. It was designed by I.M.Pei, and construction of the building was completed in the 1990s. Next to it is the Yue Hai Ching Temple, with its vibrant roof having exquisite animal and human figures sculpted on it. Built in the typical Teochew architectural style, the temple underwent renovation in the 1990s. Buildings on the other side of the street are Commerce Point, Tan Ban Kiam Building, Grand Building and a portion of the Golden Shoe carpark.

Variant names
Chinese names:
(1) Lau la keng khau, meaning "the mouth of the grandfather temple", a reference to the location of the Yue Hai Ching Temple as being at the start of this street.
(2) Ma-miu kai (Cantonese), meaning "double temple street". The Yue Hai Ching Temple is built in such a way that two temples are enclosed within one outer wall.
Others: Phillip Street.



Author
Naidu Ratnala Thulaja



References 
Buckley, C. B. (1984). An anecdotal history of old times in Singapore: 1819-1867 (pp. 209-211, 667). Singapore: Oxford University Press.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 BUC)

Dunlop, P. K. G. (2000). Street names of Singapore (p. 242). Singapore: Who's Who Publications.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 DUN)

Edwards, N., & Keys, P. (1988). Singapore: A guide to buildings, streets, places (pp. 395, 451). Singapore: Times Books International.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 EDW)

Henige, D. P. (1970). Colonial governors from the fifteenth century to the present; a comprehensive list (p. 158). Madison: University of Wisconsin Press.
(Call no.: R 325.31 HEN)

Savage, V. R., & Yeoh, B. S. A. (2003). Toponymics: A study of Singapore street names (p. 302). Singapore: Eastern Universities Press.
(Call no.: RSING 915.9570014 SAV)

Firmstone, H. W. (1905, January). Chinese names of streets and places in Singapore and the Malay Peninsula. Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, 4, 120-121.
(Call no.: RSING 959.5 FIR-[IC])

OCBC group forking out $ 194m to build 15-storey block. (1994, November 12). The Business Times, Companies & Markets, p. 6.

Wong, C. M. (1996, June 28). Students to soak in culture at sea. The Straits Times, Life, p. 20. 

Subject
Geography>>Population>>Urban Planning
Architecture and Landscape>>Streets and Places
Street names--Singapore
Singapore--History--19th century
Urbanization--Singapore
Arts>>Architecture>>Religious buildings
Arts>>Architecture>>Architectural structure
Arts>>Architecture>>Public and commercial buildings

Librarian Recommendations
>> Chinatown
>> Chulia Street
>> Market Street
>> Yue Hai Ching Temple


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