Outram

History

Known as si pai poh in Hokkien, which means "Sepoy plain". The Sepoy Lines and police station and parade ground are at one end of Outram Road. Both designations of Sepoy Plain and Sepoy Lines refer to the public shooting of 47 sepoys at the wall of Outram Prison in 1915. This was in the aftermath of the 1915 Singapore Mutiny, which was quelled by local and British military forces. Outram was once home to one of the earliest civil prisons in Singapore, Outram Prison. Located at the foot of Pearl's Hill, it was built in 1847 by Charles Edward Faber of the Madras Engineers. During the Japanese occupation in 1942, Outram Prison was briefly controlled by the Japanese and was used to hold prisoners of war. The prison was subsequently handed to the British forces following the end of the occupation. Outram Prison was eventually demolished in 1966 to make way for a housing project, Outram Park Complex, which was completed in 1970. It consisted of twelve 16-storey blocks together with a shopping complex. Outram Park Complex was selected for SERS in 1998 and was demolished by 2003, with its residents being relocated to Cantonment Towers in Everton Park. The land currently remains vacant and there are plans to revitalise Pearl's Hill, which includes building an integrated mixed-use development consisting of 6000 residential units, by the 2030s.