BUKIT BROWN CEMETERY
A familiar landmark to residents in Bukit Timah and probably a fascinating sight to fitness enthusiasts who have been exploring the Lornie Nature Corridor, the Bukit Brown Cemetery was opened in 1922 by the colonial government. Spanning a total land size of 860 sq m, it was the first Chinese municipal cemetery in Singapore, and estimated to hold up to 100,000 tombs in its original state.
It was named after a now-defunct road called Bukit Brown Road and also after George Henry Brown, a British trader who used to live at Mount Pleasant, where part of the cemetery sits. It was the resting place of many famous Chinese pioneers, including Tan Lark Sye, Chew Joo Chiat, Gan Eng Seng and Chew Boon Lay. The largest tomb cluster at 600 sq m belonged to late businessman Ong Sam Leong (whom Sam Leong Road was named after) who had bought it for his family. Ong died in 1918 and his wife was later buried next to him in 1935. Years later, his sons (one of them was Ong Boon Tat whom Boon Tat Street was named after) who were behind the New World Amusement Park in Jalan Besar, were buried in the same plot as well.
Since 1991, the Singapore government has earmarked the cemetery for residential use. This means that the graves would be exhumed gradually – reportedly to be completed by 2030.