Besides travelling overseas, I love wandering into less remembered areas of Singapore. This blog is about Istana Woodnuek. Before I start rattling on, a little background about this treasure.
Built in the late 1870s, Istana Woodneuk was built by Johor Sultan Abu Bakar ibni Daing Ibrahim for his wife, Sultana Fatimah (Turkish princess given by Ottoman Empire). However, it was destroyed by fire in 1925 and was renamed to Istana Wooden York in 1935 after rebuilding. As luck would have it, the structure was again damaged by fire due to bombing during the Japanese invasion in 1942. It as later renovated by Malcolm McDonald in 1945. It was said that from 1957 to 1986, there was a care taker responsible for upkeeping the building. However, after his demised in 2004, the entire place was left uncared for. As bad luck never left the place, it was again destroyed by fire by drug addicts in 2006. No repair was done after that.
Nestled in the dense vegetation between Holland Road and Tyersall Avenue, this abandoned mansion though lost it's previous glory, still retains it's magnificent stature.
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| The original 3 floor structure spot a blue roof |
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| This is what's left of the building |
The exterior looks dilapidated and unkept with plants growing all over the place.
The main hall retains it's grand stature though there are signs of wear and tear.
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| Before and After |
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| More stairs around the place |
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| Corridor pictures |
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| Storeroom under the grand staircase |
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| Some switches seen in the compound |
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| Some toilets in the compound |
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| Windows and grills |
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| Scene from the kitchen |
The rooms have become storage place for random strangers
Above are some pictures of the second floor. It has a balcony facing a whole field of spectacular greenery. Even though it looks really aged, I can only imagine its former beauty.
Some other random pictures I took around the place.
Saw this bathtub. Not sure where the water came from or why it's reddish brown. My guess for the color would be from the rust somewhere. Then again, the water level mark indicated that the water had been in the tub for quite awhile.
Near the entrance at the main hall, someone posted this poster. There is suppose to be A4 paper that acted as guestbook but I wasn't able to find them anywhere.
After a tiring bash through the dense vegetation, we were all tired out and decided to follow the path out but realised that it leads to a construction site. We pleaded with the workers to let us out. So friends, if you are thinking of visiting the place, do note that it is no longer open to public.
More photos here
