Clarke Quay portraits

Some new paintings and photos that depict the charm and charisma of the Clarke Quay district along The Singapore river.

Corner Kopi tiam exterior at The quay.


Birds eye view


Johore road was a hub of activity, market in the daytime, and a haunt for transvestites at night with eating stalls, bars and at least three Taoist temples.



Funeral Lorry from The Tay Teck Society parked on Ord bridge
These funereal transports were much more common in the 1960s/70s
gorgeously decorated, a dragon or phoenix placed on the top beam to signify the gender of the deceased. And paper money strewn from the back on the route to the cemetery, as dictated by tradtion  to gain the cooperation of any malignant spirits.


Celebration for the 9 Sovereigns by The Liang Hiang Tua temple celebrating the vegetarian festival along the bank of the river, NB the 9 suspended lanterns hoisted for the occasion .

River folk series 2

More portraits of river folk  from the collection. These were selected to share the mood of the river at that time.

 
favourite trishaw man



temple brother



rolling up one
  
short back and sides....

  

  
                                                                                     tomorrow today?  fortune teller....

Faces of the river folk

Going through the archives I see so many portraits of people from that time. Here is a selection of some of them. Faces from the river.

peanut seller                                                                  twakow guys resting

ladies in a doorway                          corner shop




lunch break                                                                 street sinseh

   mateship                                                                 tobacco seller with his snakeskin rattle

The Kallang Boat temple (nr.1 missing ikons list)

In coastal China and HongKong there are a group of people, most likely Hakka in origin, referred to as "Boat People". They have their own Taoist style ritualised worship .
  In Singapore at the Kallang river I noticed under the Benjamin Sheares Bridge along Nicoll Highway a small double tiered boat painted in green and red which on closer inspection turned out to be a temple. It lay permanently parked there for many years until the river clean ups in 1987.
   I can't say too much about this as I never saw anyone to talk to. I do feel rather disappointed with myself that I did not make the effort to investigate more deeply. One day it just disappeared. Similar to so many things I took for granted ...and then..poof !** ~~  they were gone.
    ** (Message to self..make a list for further discussion of Singapore entities that disappeared)
 Anyway here is no 1 on that list :



Heres hoping there is some other soul out there that knows something about this Boat temple, or anyone ancient as myself who remembers it. Please make contact or just leave a comment.
I will search for some other photos I have on this topic and plan to add later.

Heres an idea in case there is a following. Do use this blog to pose your own questions about buildings or monuments that you remember now long gone and were wondering.






The above photo is of another boat temple parked at Pasir Panjang wharf, (Pulau Retan) visited by now deceased photographer and my friend Phillip Little in the late 1980s.

The old Fatty's restaurant

This blog centres on the river and places close by also including old iconic places once famous locally and internationally. I will do something later on Bugis street, but today I want to focus on a super restaurant located in Albert Street known Internationally as "FATTY'S", where the main dish served was Hainanese style chicken rice.
   The street at night was full of energy with a bustling traffic till the am hours. Here is a photo that will speak more than words to describe the scene.

Clarke Quay moods

1.Clarke Quay one pic is birds eye view of temple celebration at night. Dinner tables set along the wharf.
2. And a day time view of the river with the boats still moored along the bank with The Liang Hiang Tua temple in the centre.
3. A procession along Clarke Quay with the public loo (see separate thread) in the background.
4. A quiet side lane near Angus street on the south bank. The common sight of clothes drying on bamboo rods and a ritual offering in progress possibly for the full moon (Chap-Goh).

A visit to the cinema

Finding these two photos of the old alhambra cinema brought back early memories.  My parents took me to see  Fall of the house of Usher (see poster) with Vincent Price of course. Scared out of my shell, my love for the horror genre was born.


The Alhambra and Malboro theatres were two cinema halls in Beach road. After changing ownership several times finally The Cathay organisation took over post WW2.

  

The evening I was taken to the Alhambra was in 1960, a bridge partner (of my parents) failed to turn up so a visit to the cinema was suggested. The Cinema was already old and badly in need for refurbishment. I recall the sound of peanuts being cracked open, and the sound of presumably rats, too dark to see, scurrying on the floor amongst the rubbish left overs from  earlier screenings.
    I believe that 9 years old me was holding on to my mother the entire film, with its visit to coffin laden ancient crypts and sadistic cackling around every corner.
 The final denouement of a swishing pendulum blade swinging ever lower to the naked belly of a whimpering heroine.
   My mother said she would never return, the cinema was in a disgraceful condition.
   I have recollections of visiting The Cathay, The Pavillion and Capitol cinema end 50s and early 60s. Perhaps another day there will be room to discuss the visits to local cinemas. That might well be an entertaining project.