MacPherson | |
|---|---|
Neighbourhood | |
| Name transcription(s) | |
| • Chinese | 麦波申 |
| • Pinyin | Màibōshēn |
| • Malay | MacPherson |
| • Tamil | மக்பெர்சொன் |
 Public housing residences at MacPherson | |
 | |
| Coordinates:1°19′36″N103°53′24″E / 1.32665°N 103.890019°E /1.32665; 103.890019 | |
| Country |  Singapore |
| Planning area | Geylang |
| Subzone | MacPherson |
| Population (2024)[1] | |
• Total | 26,850 |
MacPherson is a neighbourhood located within the district ofGeylang in theCentral Region ofSingapore. Its location roughly corresponds to the identically titled subzone in theGeylang Planning Area and is approximately sandwiched between the neighbourhoods ofAljunied and Paya Lebar.[2][3] MacPherson largely consists of variouspublic housing estates centred on Circuit Road and an industrial area. ThePelton Canal runs through the neighbourhood, which separates a private housing estate off MacPherson Road, and the public housing estate along Circuit Road.
Many residents in MacPherson are from the older generation, as the area was one of the first major public housing projects developed between the 1950s to 1970s.[4] As a result, the majority of facilities in MacPherson are designed to be wheelchair and elderly-friendly. Nevertheless, in recent years, multiplebuilt-to-order (BTO) public housing developments have been constructed, such as MacPherson Spring and MacPherson Weave, which are geared towards newly established young families.
The neighbourhood is served by MacPherson Community Club, operated by thePeople's Association (PA) with Residents' Committee (RCs)[5] and Neighbourhood Committees (NCs)[6] scattered around the entire neighbourhood. These organisations facilitate various programmes to promote community involvement and interaction among residents.
Politically, MacPherson is represented inParliament as theMacPherson Single Member Constituency, withTin Pei Ling of thePeople's Action Party (PAP) as itsMember of Parliament (MP) since 2015.[7]
The area is also alternatively calledJalan Klapa, as the area historically ran through a coconut plantation.[8] MacPherson Road was named afterColonelRonald MacPherson (1817–1869). MacPherson was involved in theFirst Opium War of 1841 and was appointed Staff Officer to theArtillery in theStraits Settlements in 1843. He succeededColonel H. Man as ExecutiveEngineer and Superintendent of Convicts and Resident Councillor,Malacca in 1855 and 1857 respectively.
He had been active in forming a local volunteercorps at the outbreak of theCrimean War and was appointed First Captain Commandment of theSingapore Volunteer Rifle Corps (SVRC) that was formed in 1854. When the first Municipal Act came into operation in 1856, he became anex officio member of the Commission, becoming President on three later occasions. He was appointed the first Colonial Secretary when theStraits Settlements became aCrown Colony in 1867.
MacPherson had also designed the currentSt Andrew's Cathedral along the lines of the ruinedNetley Abbey inEngland and had built it in six years using forcedpenal labour sent over from theBritish Raj. Completed in 1862, thecathedral is considered one of the finest specimens of ecclesiasticalarchitecture in theFar East. On thecathedral grounds, the architect is commemorated in amemorial called the MacPherson Memorial Monument. MacPherson died in 1869 and was subsequently buried at the oldBukit Timah Road Christian Cemetery, by which around this time Jalan Klapa was subsequently renamed in commemoration. The cemetery today has since beenlandscaped and made into apark.
The nameMacpherson itself – or MacPherson orMcPherson, according to different spellings – is believed to have come from theGaelic Mac a' phearsain and means 'Son of the parson'. For some old folks it was called Persiaran Keliling.[9]
The neighbourhood is served by religious sites such as churches, temples and mosques. They include Trinity Christian Centre, Grace Baptist Church, Sallim Mattar Mosque and Huang Lao Xian Shi Temple.[10] These religious organisations often have charity extensions and are actively serving the needy in the MacPherson neighbourhood.
Parks and recreational facilities are distributed around the neighbourhood,[10] with the main park being thePelton Park Connector,[11] which stretches the entire distance from Balam Road to Paya Lebar Way. There are also larger parks such as theAljunied Park located near the neighbourhood.[12]
TheMinistry of Education has a total of 4 mainstream Primary and Secondary Schools in MacPherson, Singapore.[10] They areGeylang Methodist School (Primary),Geylang Methodist School (Secondary),Canossa Catholic Primary School, andSt. Margaret's Primary School, which is temporarily relocated here for improvements work to be conducted on their old campus. There is also a school for special needs students, called Canossian School.[13]
The neighbourhood is served by theCircle MRT line andDowntown MRT line atMacPherson MRT station andMattar MRT station.
The neighbourhood is served by theGeylang Polyclinic, which is operated by theNational Healthcare Group (NHG).[14] There are also many private general practitioners around the neighbourhood, usually located below the public housing flats.
The nearest shopping malls are 18 Tai Seng, Paya Lebar Square, and Paya Lebar Quarter. The majority of the shopping options here in MacPherson are located in the markets or along theHDB shophouses.[15]
A distinctive identity of MacPherson from the rest of Singapore are itshawker food culture. The neighbourhood's hawker centres are often featured and patronised bylocal media as well asfood bloggers, including international ones.[16][17][18][19][20][21] In particular, five distinctive and large hawker centres located in MacPherson encompasses the entire neighbourhood.[10]
To cater to the diversity of races and religions in MacPherson, and Singapore in general, they serve unique dishes stemming fromSingaporean cuisine which had been created by the localChinese,Malay,Indian andEurasian communities. Most notably, the hawker centres that have been intensively featured by the news and on social media are 79 and 79A Circuit Road Hawker Centre, as well as the two-storey complex located at 80 Circuit Road Food Centre.[21]
Although hawker centres are widespread throughout the country, the allure towards MacPherson are due to the fact that the majority of the hawker stall owners are older and would prepare their food in the traditional styles, and due to the demographics of MacPherson, the cost of food is also lower for more widespread affordability.[21] However, there is also a trend of newer hawkers, typically of a younger age, starting out their first hawker stall which sells regional Asian cuisines, such asJapanese andThai cuisine.[22][23][24]
