This is a rare panoramic view of the south of Singapore from Pearl’s Hill taken by August Sachtler who was active in Singapore between 1864 and 1874. The buildings, starting from the left, were formerly the Seamen’s Hospital, the Tan Tock Seng Hospital and the Apothecary’s House. Pearl’s Hill was named after Captain James Pearl who started acquiring land on the hill from Chinese gambier planters in the 1820s until he owned the entire hill. He sold the hill to the government in 1828 when he retired to Europe.This view shows Fort Canning and Kampong Malacca on the left, New Bridge Road and the back of Chinatown and Boat Quay with its myriad two-storey shophouses in the centre. To the right, one can see, faintly, the distinctive gopuram of the Sri Mariamman Temple on South Bridge Road.
