One of the first colonial streets built by the British in Singapore still exists today.

Well, part of it at least.

High Street in the present day only runs from the foot of Fort Canning Hill at Hill Street to North Bridge Road. Many will pass through it without even batting an eyelid.

However, in the past, High Street included Parliament Place and stretched all the way to the mouth of the Singapore River, where it reached the sea.

High Street was built in 1821 by convict labourers under the direction of Lieutenant Henry Ralfe. Ralfe was a gunnery officer on one of the escorting ships accompanying Stamford Raffles to Singapore in 1819.

The street probably got its name because it was located on high ground, making it less prone to flooding.

This was what High Street looked like the 1870s.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="631"] View of town from Fort Canning Hill in the 1870s. High Street is the wide and busy street to the left of the picture. Source: NAS[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="569"] High Street circa 1865 to 1890. Source: NAS[/caption]

Here is what High Street looked like in the 1900s.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="741"] High Street towards Fort Canning in the 1900s. Source: NAS[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="675"] High Street in the 1920s. Source: NAS[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="768"] High Street in the 1960s. Source: NAS[/caption]

In 1987, a fire occurred at one of the shophouses along High Street.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="512"] Fire at shophouse along High Street in 1987. Source: NAS[/caption]

Along High Street are many old landmarks such as the Old Parliament House (present day Arts House) and Old Supreme Court Building (present day National Gallery Singapore).

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="728"] Old Parliament House (present day Arts House). Source: NAS[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="485"] Old Supreme Court Building (present day National Gallery Singapore). Source: NAS[/caption]

This is what the point of Hill Street where High Street begins looks like today.

This is how High Street looks today.

Can you spot the differences and similarities?

Top image from NAS

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