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Orchard | |
|---|---|
| Other transcription(s) | |
| • Chinese | 乌节 Wūjié(Pinyin) O͘-chiat(HokkienPOJ) Wu1 Zit3(CantoneseJyutping) |
| • Malay | Orchard |
| • Tamil | ஆர்ச்சர்ட் Ārccarṭ(Transliteration) |
.jpg) .jpg)     From top left to right:ION Orchard at night,Wheelock Place at night,Ngee Ann City,Orchard Central at night,Shaw House andParagon | |
 | |
 Location in Central Region | |
  Orchard Orchard (Asia) Show map of Asia.svg) Orchard Orchard (Earth) Show map of Earth | |
| Coordinates:1°18′17.4″N103°49′54.6″E / 1.304833°N 103.831833°E /1.304833; 103.831833 | |
| Country |  Singapore |
| Region | Central Region |
| CDC | |
| Town council |
|
| Constituency | |
| DGP exhibited |
|
| PA incorporated |
|
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Central Singapore CDC |
| • Members of Parliament | Tanjong Pagar GRC |
| Area | |
• Total | 0.96 km2 (0.37 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 52nd |
| Population | |
• Total | 1,290 |
| • Rank | 38th |
| • Density | 1,300/km2 (3,500/sq mi) |
| • Rank | 33rd |
| Demonym | Official
|
| Postal district | 9 |
Orchard Road, often known colloquially as simplyOrchard, is a major 2.5 km (1.6 mi)-long road in theCentral Area ofSingapore.[4] A famoustourist attraction, it is an upscale shopping area, with numerous internationally renowneddepartment stores,shopping malls,restaurants, andcoffeehouses located in its vicinity.[4] It is a popular hotspot in Singapore, especially at night,[5] attracting trendy[6][7] urban youth.
TheOrchard Planning Area is aplanning area as specified by theUrban Redevelopment Authority. It is part of the Central Area located within theCentral Region. Orchard is bordered byNewton in the east and north,Tanglin in the west,River Valley in the south andMuseum to the southeast. It consists of three subzones, Orchard, Somerset and Tanglin (not to be confused with its neighbouring planning area).
Orchard Road got its name from thenutmeg,pepper, andfruit orchards orplantations that the road once led to.[8] Such plantations were common in the area in the 19th century.[9] Previously, it was known inHokkien as "Tang Leng Pa Sat Koi" (simplified Chinese:东陵巴刹街;traditional Chinese:東陵巴剎街;Pe̍h-ōe-jī:Tang-lêng Pa-sat-koe;lit. 'Tanglin Market Street'), and in Tamil, it was known as "Vairakimadam" (Tamil:வயிராகி மடம்,romanized: Vayirāki maṭam,lit. 'Fakir's place') inside town limits and "Māttu Than" (மேட்டு தான்,Mēṭṭu tāṉ, 'High Ground') from Koek's Market to Upper Tanglin.[10]
After more than a century as a two-way thoroughfare, Orchard Road became a one-way street east ofScotts Road in 1974.[11][9] and entirely in 1977 when Orchard Boulevard was completed.[12] Orchard Road starts at the junction with Orange Grove Road, which is the location of the Orchard Hotel. It then stretches southeast across the Scotts Road–Paterson Hill junction,Orchard MRT station, Bideford Road,Somerset MRT station,Central Expressway,Dhoby Ghaut MRT station, and ends at the junction with Handy Road (just before Prinsep Street), where it becomesBras Basah Road. It has extensive underground infrastructure, including underground pedestrian walkways between the malls running underneath the street and other streets in the vicinity. The numbers begin at Handy Road and end at Orange Grove Road.
Orchard Road was already cut in the 1830s, though the new road was not named inGeorge Coleman's 1836Map of Singapore. In the 1830s the Orchard Road area was the scene ofgambier and pepper plantations. Later, nutmeg plantations and fruit orchards predominated, hence its name.
By 1846, the spread of houses had reached up to Tank Road. There were none on the left side and only three or four houses went past Tank Road on the right side of Orchard Road.
One major sight during this period was a Dr. Jun tending his garden, which helped endorse the road's name. He had a garden and plantation at the corner of what is now Scotts Road and Orchard Road.
Towards the later part of the 1840s, graveyards began to appear along the road. By 1846, the Chinese had a large graveyard around what is now theHilton Singapore Orchard and Ngee Ann City, while theSumatrans fromBencoolen had their burial ground where the current Hotel Grand Central stands. Later aJewish cemetery was established; it was located where Dhoby Ghaut MRT station is now and was demolished in 1984.
In the 1860s, Orchard Road had a great number of private houses andbungalows on hills looking down through the valley where the road passed through. Early in the 1890s,King Chulalongkorn, the thenKing of Siam, acquired "Hurricane House" in the vicinity of Orchard Road throughTan Kim Ching, the Thai Consul in Singapore. Two further pieces of adjoining property fronting onto Orchard Road were purchased in 1897. These subsequently became the site of the Royal Thai Embassy at 370 Orchard Road.[13] Hurricane House was sold off around 1909[14] shortly before the King's death.
In the early 20th century, it was noted that Orchard Road "present[ed] the appearance of a well-shaded avenue to English mansion[s]," comparable in its "quiet but effective beauty toDevonshire lanes."
In the 1960s, a group of Indonesian forcesbombed theMacDonald House in Singapore, just a few months before Singapore got its independence from Malaysia. A number of people were killed and the police managed to execute the two military officers responsible for this.[15]
Orchard Road was initially designated to be completely smoke-free with the exception of designated smoking areas by 1 July 2018. However, the implementation was pushed back to 31 December 2018, as businesses will need more time to identify appropriate locations and set up designated areas for smoking, according to theNational Environment Agency (NEA).[16][17] Food establishments that currently have smoking corners within the no-smoking zones will also be given the same extension to remove them. Currently, around 40 designated smoking areas have been set up, including five public ones at Orchard Towers, Far East Plaza, The Heeren, Cuppage Terrace, and behind Somerset MRT station. Since its announcement, NEA has said that the majority of stakeholders have been supportive of this initiative.[16]
As of 1 January 2019, Orchard Road was officially declared as a strictly smoke-free zone except within the designated smoking areas.[18]
At Orchard Road's eastern end is the official residence and office of thePresident of Singapore, theIstana, marked with Nibongpalms and aplaque that reads, "As the nibong is amangrove palm, this site must have once been amangrove swamp."
Singapore's first Prime MinisterLee Kuan Yew's house is located at 38 Oxley Road, which is just south of Orchard Road.
On the western side of Orchard Road is theSingapore Botanic Gardens, the only tropical garden in the world that is aUNESCO World Heritage Site.
About halfway down Orchard Road are Cairnhill andEmerald Hill, which are mainly private residential areas. Next to Emerald Hill isCentrepoint, which houses the supermarketCold Storage, the oldest surviving business establishment in the area.Amber Mansions, one of the earliest apartment blocks in Singapore, which was built around the turn of the 20th century, was torn down in the 1980s to make way for the Dhoby Ghaut MRT station.
Specialists' Shopping Centre was one of the earliest redevelopment projects on Orchard Road. It occupied the site of the former Pavilion Cinema, which was demolished in 1979. Specialists' Shopping Centre was itself demolished in 2007 to make way for new development, calledOrchard Gateway.
Elsewhere just off Orchard Road is Scotts Road.Scotts Shopping Centre housed Singapore's firstfood court, which sat below the Ascott Singapore. It was torn down in June 2007 to make way for Scotts Square.
The first shop of note on Orchard Road wasTangs founded in 1934 and established on Orchard Road in the 1950s.
Orchard Road shopping malls includeION Orchard,Wisma Atria,Ngee Ann City,Orchard Central, Orchard Gateway, 313 @ Somerset, Orchard Plaza,Plaza Singapura,The Centrepoint,The Heeren, Mandarin Gallery, Cathay Cineleisure Orchard,Wheelock Place,Liat Towers, Shaw House andScotts Square.
Prominent tenants do include:
| List | Store | Opened from | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| ALUXE | ION Orchard | ||
| Apple | 270 Orchard Road | 2017[19] | |
| Castlery | Liat Towers | ||
| Charles & Keith | ION Orchard, 313 @ Somerset, Plaza Singapura, Ngee Ann City, Wisma Atria | ||
| Cold Storage | Plaza Singapura, Paragon, Ngee Ann City | ||
| Cotton On | 313 @ Somerset, Plaza Singapura | January 2008 | |
| Cotton On Body | ION Orchard (Orchard TEL Exit), Orchard Plaza, Plaza Singapura | January 2008 | |
| Cotton On Kids | Wisma Atria, Plaza Singapura | January 2008 | |
| Courts Nojima | The Heeren | ||
| Decathlon | The Centrepoint | ||
| Diptyque | ION Orchard | ||
| DMK | Plaza Singapura | ||
| Don Don Donki | Orchard Central | ||
| Genki Sushi | 313 @ Somerset, Plaza Singapura | ||
| H&M | Orchard Building | ||
| IORA | Wisma Atria, 313 @ Somerset | ||
| Itacho Sushi | ION Orchard | ||
| Jo Malone | ION Orchard | ||
| Love Bonito | ION Orchard, 313 @ Somerset | ||
| LUSH | ION Orchard, Wisma Atria, Orchard Gateway | ||
| Marks & Spencer | Plaza Singapura, Paragon and Wheelock Place | ||
| M&G Life | Wisma Atria | ||
| Melissa | Wisma Atria | ||
| MLB | Mandarin Gallery | ||
| Muji | ION Orchard, Paragon, 313 @ Somerset, Plaza Singapura | ||
| Nike | 268 Orchard Road | 2024[20] | Largest store in Asia outside of China. |
| Pazzion | Ngee Ann City, Wisma Atria | ||
| Playdress | Plaza Singapura, 313 @ Somerset | ||
| Pop Mart | Plaza Singapura, ION Orchard | ||
| PrettyFIT | Wisma Atria | ||
| Rubi Shoes | ION Orchard (Orchard NSL Exit) | 21 July 2009 | |
| Sephora | Ngee Ann City, ION Orchard, Plaza Singapura | ||
| Sunday Staples | 313 @ Somerset | ||
| Superga | ION Orchard | ||
| Takashimaya | Ngee Ann City | ||
| The Travel Store | Plaza Singapura | ||
| Tonkichi Japanese Restaurant | Ngee Ann City | ||
| Uniqlo | ION Orchard, Orchard Central, Plaza Singapura | ||
| Vivaia | Wisma Atria | ||
| Zara | ION Orchard, 313 @ Somerset |
There are four majorMRT stations in the Orchard Road vicinity: Orchard,Orchard Boulevard, Somerset and Dhoby Ghaut MRT stations.[21] These stations are important hubs for commuters, locals, students and tourists who travel to the shopping and business district of Orchard.
Bus services provided bySBS Transit,SMRT Buses,Tower Transit Singapore andGo-Ahead Singapore provide access to Orchard Road. Bus stops are staggered to avoid causing congestion, with the scheme being implemented on 13 May 2004 (1st Phase, Mandarin Orchard Singapore) and 28 May 2004 (2nd Phase, Midpoint Orchard). A bus lane was introduced in 2005, operational from 7.30 am to 8 pm, Monday to Saturday. It was extended to 24 hours in 2016. Westbound passengers can board their buses at Penang Road (Dhoby Ghaut Station), Somerset Road (Somerset Station), Orchard Turn (opp Ngee Ann City/Takashimaya), Orchard Turn (Orchard Station), Orchard Boulevard (opp Orchard Station) and Orchard Boulevard (Wheelock Place).
Orchard Road has numeroustaxi stands, which are mostly found at shopping centres and hotels. It is prohibited to hail taxis at locations other than these official stands.
Those driving into Orchard Road may enter from the west via Tanglin Road. Vehicles fromBukit Timah Road or Newton Road that travel via Scotts Road can turn left into Orchard Road at the Marriott Hotel junction. Vehicles coming from the opposite direction on Paterson Road can enter Orchard Road by turning right. There are also a number of other roads leading into Orchard Road. Orchard Road is one-way heading south and leads into Bras Basah Road which is a one-way street heading south.
Orchard Boulevard-Orchard Road system from Sunday
One-way scheme in Orchard Boulevard starts tomorrow
Proposed Acquisition of Hurricane House
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