Neo Tiew? Tew Chew? Covent Garden?

These names probably sound a little unfamiliar - because these estates aren't around anymore.

Singapore's landscape is ever-changing and retired engineer Koh Kim Chye and former teacher Eugene Ong hope to preserve these memories in a new book titled Singapore's Vanished Public Housing Estates (SVPHE).

SVPHE will feature 27 Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT) and Housing Development Board (HDB) housing estates that have been expunged.

Check out this gorgeous teaser, where you'll find out more about the inspiration and drive behind the book:

Koh and Ong are raising funds to the tune of $10,000 to publish the book. So what kinds of housing estates will you expect to find in SVPHE?

Princess Elizabeth Park Estate

Constructed in 1951, the Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT)-developed Princess Elizabeth Park Estate was built to commemorate the royal marriage of - no prizes for guessing - then Princess Elizabeth to the Duke of Edinburgh.

Fun Fact: The original block of SIT flats were financed via financial donations (then called 'subscriptions'), hence the rental of the flat units were very cheap. The units were allocated for low-wage workers such as trash collectors.

For more information on Princess Elizabeth Park Estate, check out James Tann's blog, which chronicles memories of his time growing up in the estate.

Kampong Silat Estate 

Around the same time, the Kampong Silat Estate (consisting of over 300 flats spread out across 31 blocks) was also being constructed by SIT.

Contrary to popular belief, the name was not derived from the Malay martial art silat. Instead, the name is a corruption of salat (straits), referring to the Singapore Straits in the south.

Fun Fact: Kampong Silat Estate was designed to be a self-contained village with it's own service shops and housing quarters. By the early 2000s, less than half of the blocks remained - these were sent for the Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme. By 2014, five of these blocks were gazetted by URA for conservation.

More forgotten estates

Aside from the above two estates, you'll also find that Koh's vast photographic collection also features places like Albert and Rochore House, Covent Garden, Tew Chew Street, Kallang Airport Estate, and Taman Jurong - just to name a few more.

Keen to get a copy of this incredible piece of local history? You can contribute anywhere between USD$30 (about S$42) to USD$70 (about $98) to Koh and Ong's Indiegogo crowdfunding project to produce the book.

Book got what ah?

What can you get inside the book?

Aside from photographs and write-ups, you'll also find vintage maps, HDB eviction notices and other memorabilia peculiar to each estate.

The book will also include essays on Singapore's public housing by Dr Eunice Seng (Faculty of Architecture, HKU), Dr Eddie Tay (English Department, CUHK), and Yu-Mei Balasingamchow (co-author of 'Singapore: A Biography').

Be warned though: there are only nine more days to go in the crowdfunding and only 500 copies of SVPHE will be printed. Faster chiong hor.

Top photo adapted from Do Not Design.

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