Beaulieu House

Built in the 1910s, Beaulieu House was the holiday residence of Joseph Brooke David, a Jewish businessman. Beaulieu means “beautiful place” in French, and the house may have been named for its scenic location and intricate design.

Beaulieu House was built in a neoclassical style, as seen from its elegant ornamentation and plaster details. The roof features a prominent patio with ornate cast-iron balustrades. Similar cast-iron railings run along the front porch, which has terrazzo clay floor tiles that catch and reflect light. Inside, the main hall is covered by encaustic floor tiles with geometric patterns.

In the 1920s, Beaulieu House was acquired by the colonial government and occupied by C. H. Cole, the Superintending Civil Engineer who oversaw preliminary work on Sembawang Naval Base. Later, the house was occupied by Vice-Admiral Sir Geoffrey Layton, Commander-in-Chief of Britain’s Eastern Fleet from 1941-42.

After the war, Beaulieu House was occupied by senior naval officers, such as Rear-Admiral Francis Brian Price Brayne-Nicholls, Chief-of-Staff of Britain’s Far East Fleet, who would salute visiting ships from Beaulieu Jetty, a small pier below the house. After the British forces left Singapore in 1971, the area around Beaulieu House was redeveloped into Sembawang Park, which opened in 1979.

Since 1981, Beaulieu House has served as a restaurant and in 2005, the building was accorded conservation status.

Explore the Suggested Short Trail Routes:

• Historical Landmarks of Sembawang, 2 hours with public transport (7km)
• Communities of Sembawang, 3 hours with public transport (8km)
• From Dockyard to Shipyard, 2.5 hours with public transport (5km)

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