Book
There Was a Time: Singapore from Self-rule to Independence, 1959–1965
Topics
History
11 February 2020
Discover the rhythm of daily life in Singapore between 1959 and 1965 – the pivotal time in its history when the city-state was granted internal self-rule by the British colonial government to the year it became a sovereign nation.
Singapore: Landmark Books, 2020.
About the Book
This collection of 328 photographs shows the rhythm of daily life in Singapore between 1959 and 1965 – the pivotal time in its history when the city-state was granted internal self-rule by the British colonial government to the year it became a sovereign nation.
This was when Singapore began its process of great development. Kampong folk moved into high-rise housing, new careers came with factories built in Jurong, the trading of stocks and shares began in Raffles Place, television was introduced to Singapore, and the new red-brick National Library opened on Stamford Road.
Yet, some things remained unchanged. Bumboats still jostled on the fetid waters of the Singapore River, children played on five-foot-ways, families enjoyed the sea air along Queen Elizabeth Walk, and eating out at street-side hawker stalls was a way of life.
For those who remember these scenes, this book will evoke a lost time. And for those who do not, it is a window to a simpler, unhurried life.