Singapore Shophouse (49)

A Singapore shophouse with a fascinating frontage! It's Utopia Apparel in Haji Lane (in the Muslim quarter of Singapore) and has batik patterns on it's upper facade.  

I'm not using my usual tools of ink and watercolour (or my usual sketchbook) but using mixed media was appropriate for this subject. 

I'm fascinated by the Singapore Shophouse, a prevalent style of architecture in Singapore (and other SE Asian cities) between the 1840s and the 1960s. They are narrow terrace houses 2 to 3 storeys high and typically housed a commercial shop on the ground floor and living quarters upstairs. 

The ground floor sits back from the road, while an overhanging veranda is supported by columns, creating the distinctive public five-footway which is a tiled or concreted pathway running the length of the row of shophouses. This feature was introduced in 1822 by Sir Stamford Raffles (founder of Singapore), as part of his town plan for early Singapore. 

Here is a photo of Utopia Apparels. It really is as in my sketch!

With their unique interiors, these buildings hold great nostalgia for me as my maternal grandfather's tailor shop on High Street, my paternal grandparents' home near the Peranakan suburb of Joo Chiat and my great-grandmother's home on Cantonment Road were all built in this architectural style. 

The overhanging verandah over the five-foot-way at my great-grandmother's house had a trap door on the floor. Through this we could check on who was knocking on the front door. Also a basket could be lowered down to purchase a snack from a food vendor. Children enjoyed dropping things down on unsuspecting passers-by.

Shophouses form the bulk of the Singapore Governments' gazetted conservation buildings and to this day with their colourful facades and eclectic mix of cultural influences (Chinese, Malay, French, Portuguese, English) are widely used for residential and commercial purposes.

You can read a nice account of the Singapore Shophouse here: https://www.roots.gov.sg/.../singapore-shophouses/story

Thank you to FB group #shopfrontchallenge #eurekawanders for the image (No.49).

Pen and ink, watercolour pencil, Caran D'ache Neocolor II water-soluble wax pastel.