Queenstown is located at the central-western end of the island about five to eight kilometres from the city. The area was named “Queenstown” to commemorate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II 1953. It was the first satelite town in Singapore and much of it was developed during the first Five-Year Building Programme (1960-1965). From 1952 to 1968 a total of 19,372 dwelling units were constructed.
Previously, this was a large swampy valley with a channel running through in a southeastern direction. On either side of this agricultural area were hills – feng xing and feng ling. The former was a rubber plantation and the latter , a cemetary also know as boh beh kang. The village in the area, with maily Hokkien and Teochew-speaking dwellers was also known by this name. Residents of this area were mostly farmers producing vegetables, fruits or rearing pigs and poultry, while the remaining were city workers. There was also a British military camp known as Buller Camp.
In 1947, the Housing Committee of Singapore highlighted the problem of inadequate housing in Singapore. The Report proposed the decentralisation of the population away from the city with the building of self-contained residential areas in the suburbs. This proposal was believed to be an influence of the New Town movements in post-war Britain.
Queenstown was subsequently chosen by the Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT) as a site for housing development due to its proximity to the successful first public housing scheme in Tiong Bahru. Construction of the Queenstown’s first housing estate, Princess Margaret Estate, began in July 1952. By late 1953, the preliminary batch of three-room flats was ready for occupation. By 1956, work on the Princess Margaret Estate (later shortened to Princess Estate) had more then 1,000 flats comprising one, two and three room units and 68 terrace houses. A ceremony was held in October that year at Forfar House, a 14-storey block which was a prominent landmark in those days.
The are continued to developed as a self-contained community. Some of the facilities and amenities developed included the Town Centre and the Swimming and Sports Complex. The former was fully completed in 1969 with three cinemas and a variety of outlets including an emporium, a fresh food market, a maternity and child health centre, a bowling alley and a nightclub cum restaurant. The Swimming and Sports Complex was completed in August 1970.
In the 1970s, the success of the New Town led to the development of two nearby neighbourhoods – Buona Vista Estates and Holland Village with Queenstown New Town as a model. However, by the 1980s, the area had become a mature estate with a higher proportion of senior citizens residing in the area then elsewhere, and a gradual migration of the younger generation into other HDB new towns.
For more information and highlights of Queenstown, visit our Queenstown Trail.