Banda Street

Banda Street, Chinatown, Singapore.

Banda Street (Chinese: 万达街) is a one-way street located in Chinatown within the Outram Planning Area in Singapore. The road links Spring Street to Sago Street, Sago Lane and Dickenson Hill Road.

Etymology and history

Banda Street lies on a hill, which has gone through several name changes over the decades. It was referred to as Dickenson Hill and then changed to Bukit Padre, a name which alluded to the Portuguese missionary school which stood on top of the hill amidst nutmeg trees. At the turn of the twentieth century, the hill was converted to a park by the Municipal Authority and became popular with the Chinatown residents.

This hill was the site of Banda Street Community Centre (later renamed to Kreta Ayer Community Centre, which started in 1969 and was renovated in 1980) and the Kreta Ayer People's Theatre (started 1969, renovated 1981). Banda Street and neighbouring Spring Street were known in Cantonese as fan tsai mei, or "end of the foreign brothels", because of the many Japanese prostitutes who operated from here in the pre-World War II era.

References

• Victor R Savage, Brenda S A Yeoh (2004), Toponymics - A Study of Singapore Street Names, Eastern University Press, ISBN 981-210-364-3

External links

• Uniquely Singapore website
• Singapore Infopedia article on Banda Street

Roads and streets in Chinatown, Singapore Amoy Street Ann Siang Hill Ann Siang Road Banda Street Boon Tat Street Club Street Cross Street Dickenson Hill Road Erskine Road Eu Tong Sen Street Jiak Chuan Road Kadayanallur Street Keong Saik Road Kreta Ayer Road McCallum Street Mosque Street Neil Road New Bridge Road Pagoda Street Sago Lane Sago Street Smith Street South Bridge Road Spring Street Stanley Street Teck Lim Road Telok Ayer Street Temple Street Trengganu Street Upper Cross Street