Orchard Heritage Trail - From Orchard to Garden

Estimated Trail Distance: 4.7 km
Dhoby Ghaut
Places
Dhoby Ghaut

In the early 1800s, the Orchard Road area was considered as belonging to the outskirts of town, as the commercial centre of Singapore then was located by the Singapore River.

Istana Park
Places
Istana Park

Istana Park, opened in 1996, occupies an area that was established as Orchard Park in 1971.

House of Tan Yeok Nee
Places
House of Tan Yeok Nee

Tan Yeok Nee was a Teochew pioneer and a major gambier merchant whose plantations were mostly located in Johor, Malaya.

Penang Road Open Space
Places
Penang Road Open Space

Penang Road Open Space houses a garden with plants that provide nectar for butterflies or food for their caterpillars.

Winsland House 2
Places
Winsland House II

Winsland House II consists of a pair of Edwardian-era semi-detached houses that were built in the 1910s, along with a new office development built in the early 2000s.

Emerald Hill
Places
Emerald Hill

Emerald Hill was the site of a former nutmeg orchard which started to take shape as a residential neighbourhood in the early 1900s.

Cairnhill
Places
Cairnhill

Cairnhill started to develop into a residential area after the failure of Charles Carnie’s nutmeg orchard.

Far East Plaza
Places
Far East Plaza

Far East Organization was a major developer of hotels and shopping centres in Orchard Road during the 1960s-70s.

Royal Thai Embassy
Places
Royal Thai Embassy

In the 1890s, Siamese King Rama V (1853-1910), also known as King Chulalongkorn, bought Hurricane House (located at the present Draycott Drive area) and the surrounding land.

Tudor Court
Places
Tudor Court

In the early 1900s, many houses in Tanglin and nearby Nassim Road were built in a style known as “black and white” or mock Tudor-Elizabethan.

Singapore Botanic Gardens
Places
Singapore Botanic Gardens

Despite the failure of nutmegs at Orchard Road, there was still much interest in horticulture amongst wealthier residents in Singapore.

This is a self-guided trail.

  1. Dhoby Ghaut
  2. Istana Park
  3. House of Tan Yeok Nee
  4. Penang Road Open Space
  5. Winsland House II
  6. Emerald Hill
  7. Cairnhill
  8. Far East Plaza
  9. Royal Thai Embassy
  10. Tudor Court
  11. Singapore Botanic Gardens

Dhoby Ghaut
Istana Park
House of Tan Yeok Nee
Penang Road Open Space
Winsland House 2
Emerald Hill
Cairnhill
Far East Plaza
Royal Thai Embassy
Tudor Court
Singapore Botanic Gardens

Duration: 2 hours; on foot or 1.5 hours with a bus ride 

The Orchard Road area was once covered with nutmeg orchards and although these orchards are long gone, the area still offers plenty of green spaces including the Butterfly Trail @ Orchard and Singapore’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site. Discover the natural heritage and beauty of Orchard Road through this trail route.

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Other Suggested Short Trail Routes

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