This is a coloured postcard showing a view of Keppel Road leading to the harbour in early 20th century Singapore. The road and harbour were named after Admiral Sir Henry Keppel. Sir Keppel had a long association with Singapore. He first came to Singapore in 1832 and visited the island several times up to 1903. During those visits, he surveyed and planned for the development of a harbour along the Straits of Singapore, an idea first conceived by Sir William Farquhar which only gained momentum with Sir Keppel’s efforts and enthusiasm for the project. The harbour opened in 1886 and was originally called ‘New Harbour’, the old being Collyer Quay which was increasingly becoming more congested. The road leading to the harbour was concurrently named ‘New Harbour Road’. It was only in 1900 that the Acting Governor of the Straits Settlements, Sir Alexander Swettenham, renamed both the harbour and the road leading to it in honour of the man who had been their key architect.
