Orchard Road was a small country lane in the 1830s surrounded by various nutmeg and spices plantations and fruit tree orchards. Its name was thought to have been derived either from the orchards that once flanked the lane, or from a Mr. Orchid, who was a plantation owner in the area. By 1860, the areas surrounding Orchard Road were subsequently developed for residential purposes, with private houses and bungalows built along Scotts and Tanglin Roads. Major development of the area only began in the 1960s. By the 1970s, Orchard Road had been transformed into the tourist and shopping belt that it is today.
