Did you know? Beyond Singapore’s gleaming skyscrapers, there are crumbling mansions, and wartime artefacts on our little red dot. These lost areas were teeming with life before they were abandoned to nature. We know that unlike, other countries, land in Singapore is scarce and expensive so you don’t see much abandoned land or property, but the ones in this list are truly enthralling. While some are available to the public, the majority are not, so please do not trespass.
Bukit Timah Railway Station
Bukit Timah Railway Station was maintained by the Malaysian government from its opening in January 1903 until it was handed over to the Singapore government in July 2011. It is now a preserved structure that has been accessible to the public since September 2011. The Station is still standing as it was when the KTM (Keretapi Tanah Melayu) abandoned it. It has not been renovated or modified since then and is a great spot for photos and train lovers alike.
Location: 1 Railway Station, Singapore 599938
Status: Open To Public
Tanglin Brunei Hostel
Image Credits: Tanglin Hill Bruneian Hostel, State of buildingsThe history of this abandoned hostel at the end of Tanglin Road dates back to the mid-1950s. Built by the Brunei government to offer housing for Brunei students studying in Singapore, the hostel closed in 1983 as the country’s education system evolved, resulting in lesser students studying abroad. The student numbers dwindled as the years went by and the building has been unoccupied ever since. The structure is now decaying, with graffiti on the walls, and multiple reports of ghostly sightings throughout the years.
Location: 7A Tanglin Hill, Singapore 248042
Status: Closed To Public
Istana Woodneuk
Image Credits: Istana Woodneuk, State of buildingsThis location has been dubbed Singapore’s most extravagant haunted mansion. Daredevils are more than welcome to visit (although we would not recommend you to) because the issue is not the ‘ghosts‘, but the police since you might get prosecuted for trespassing. Regardless, it’s worth noting that Singapore is home to haunted mansions, like in the movies.
The now abandoned property is located near Holland Road and Tyersall Road in the thick woods. It was formerly home to a Sultan of Johor, but it is now deserted and overgrown with flora and ruins. What’s even creepier is that the location isn’t marked on the Singapore map and is thus off-limits.
Location: 766 Tyersall Ave, Singapore 257699
Status: Closed To Public
Cashin House
Image Credits: Cashin House. MothershipCashin House, also known as The Pier, is located at Lim Chu Kang and was constructed in 1906 by an Irish trader called Henry Cashin. The Matilda House, one of Singapore’s oldest residences, was also owned by the Cashin family. When the Japanese Imperial Army arrived on the northwestern shore in 1942, Cashin House was seized and reputedly utilised as an improvised brothel by the Japanese.
Due to its picturesque setting, the Cashin Family recovered it after the war and converted it into a weekend resort. However, after Howard Cashin’s death in 2009, the pier was abandoned. It has been walled off and closed to the public since 2013, but plans are in the works to reopen it as a new visitor entrance as part of Lim Chu Kang Nature Park, which is set to open in 2022.
Location: Lim Chu Kang
Status: Closed To Public
Chee Guan Chiang House
Image Credits: Chee Guan Chiang House. MothershipThis artistic home at 25 Grange Road was designed by Ho Kwong Yew, a well-known local architect, in 1938. The structure was commissioned by Chee Guan Chiang, the child of Malacca-based financial mogul Chee Swee Cheng. It was later renamed the Leonie House after WWII and catered to international boarders and visitors.
The facility, however, was kept unoccupied after the 1970s owing to a court battle that continues to this day. The building’s outside resembles something out of a science fiction movie, even in todays time of modernity, but inside it’s like a post-apocalyptic wasteland, covered with trees and graffiti.
Location: 25 Grange Rd
Status: Closed To Public
It might be tempting to visit some of these places even when they aren’t open to the public and we advise you to not do so. But if you still insist, there are extensive guides online crafted by many experienced urban explorers, just don’t be surprised when you spend the night in a police station.
