Architect Edwin Lutyens | ||
Address 345 Old Nelson Rd, Singapore 758692 Similar House of Tan Yeok Nee, Sembawang Park, Renishaw Hall, The Cenotaph - Whitehall, Liria Palace | ||
Driving to old admiralty house 23 may 2015
The Old Admiralty House (Chinese: 旧海军部屋; pinyin: Jiù Hǎijūnbù Wū) is a historic building, located at Old Nelson Road within the Sembawang Planning Area in the North Region of Singapore. The building is now the administration building of Furen International School, a boarding school specialising in preparatory education for students pursuing A-Level and O-Level studies.
Contents
History
The Old Admiralty House was constructed in 1939, and was used by the British Armed Forces for strategic planning during World War II. It was then named Canberra House, and was also the residence of the Flag Officer of the Malayan Area.
After the Japanese surrendered in 1945, the building was renamed Nelson House and became the residence of the Commodore Superintendent of the Royal Navy Dockyard who, with the help of 200 Japanese prisoners of war, built the estate's first swimming pool.
In 1958, the building was renamed Admiralty House, and became the residence of the British Royal Navy Commander-in-Chief, Far East Station. The building was renamed again to ANZUK House in 1971.
After the British forces left Singapore in 1975, Sembawang Shipyard inherited the building and used it as a recreation club. In 1991, the building was renovated to become Yishun Country Club. The Karimun Admiralty Country Club then took over the building with a change in tenant in 2001.
In 2002, the building became known as Old Admiralty House, and was gazetted as a national monument on 2 December.
In 2007, Singapore Land Authority (SLA) put up the Old Admiralty House for public tender — the first time for a national monument — after Karimun Admiralty Country Club vacated the premises. YESS Group Pte Ltd won the bidding and it became Admiralty Country Club. The club however failed to take off and the property was returned to the Singapore Land Authority in 2010.
On 22 March 2011, Furen International School (FIS), a boarding school specialising in preparatory education for students who intend to pursue 'A' Level and 'O' Level Examinations took over the running of the property. The school converted the building into its administration building, a nerve centre to run the surrounding academic and hostel buildings.
In order to do justice to this beautiful building, FIS works very closely with the Preservation Monument Board in restoring the building to its former glory; all of it privately funded by the school without subsidy from the government.
Architecture
The Old Admiralty House was built by the British architect Sir Edwin Lutyens, who is known for designing the Cenotaph in London and the planning of the Indian capital New Delhi when it was chosen to replace Calcutta as the seat of the then-British Indian government in 1912.
The two-storey colonial residence was designed in a unique Arts and Crafts architectural style popular in the 19th century.
The house, resembling a traditional English cottage, sits on a lush, open garden and has an interesting internal layout. The design is "asymmetrical" and visitors will have to change directions several times before finding the main rooms.
The building is on a 5.6-hectare site, which includes six hostel blocks, six academic blocks, dance studio, swimming pool, tennis courts, basketball courts, laundry block and an air-raid shelter.