Built in 1889 to replace the Merchant Bridge, which was not built high enough to allow boats to pass under it during hightide, Read Bridge was named after William Henry McLeod Read, a prominent merchant active in the local political and social scene.
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Named after William Henry McLeod Read, a prominent merchant who successfully petitioned for the Straits Settlements to be ruled directly from London as a Crown Colony, Read Bridge was built in 1889 to replace the original bridge, Merchant Bridge which was too low for tongkangs (lighters) to pass.
Officially opened by Governor Clementi Smith on 18 April 1889, Read Bridge holds fond memories for some locals. It was also known as Malacca (Melaka) Bridge because of the nearby Kampong Melaka, believed to be the place where Malays from Malacca first settled soon after Singapore’s founding. It was also the collection point of fuel and other imports from Malacca. The Masjid Omar Kampong Melaka, the oldest mosque in Singapore built in 1820 still stands today, as a testimony to the first Malay Kampong Melaka.
The bridge also used to be the haunt of the Chinese migrant workers, particularly the Teochews, as it was here that they gathered at the end of their work day to listen to the storytellers who spun tales of folk heroes and legends and also read the news to their largely illiterate clients. Storytelling rates were based on the duration of a burning joss stick, as the storyteller would light a joss stick before starting a story and collect his money once it finished burning.