Self-taught local street artist, Yip Yew Chong, shares with us his favourite spots in the quaint Everton neighbourhood.
Take a stroll down Everton Road and you’ll see precious scenes of old Singapore: a roadside barber trimming the hair of a young boy, and an elderly woman with a washing board. These stunning and meaningful murals are the works of homegrown artist Yip Yew Chong, who was inspired by the public art he saw in Penang. Here, he spills the beans on hidden gems in Everton Road and what has changed in this tranquil vicinity over the years.
Everton Road is home…
to my first murals. I’ve been living in this area since I got married in 1995. I walk past several empty walls at Everton Road on a daily basis, so these walls came to mind immediately when the idea of Singapore-style street art sprouted. Plus, Everton Road has a laidback and nostalgic charm with its quaint back alleys, Peranakan-styled houses, first-generation HDB flats and hippy cafes – ideal for heritage themed murals, which I’m truly passionate about.
The best way to explore Everton Road is…
by foot. An itinerary of Everton Road should include taking fun photos in front of the heritage murals Amah and Barber; chilling out at the 150 year-old fresco on the façade of No.66 Spottiswoode Park Road; admiring the Peranakan houses and Art-deco houses along Everton Road and Blair Road; popping into Baba House Peranakan Museum (No. 157) and Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s grandfather’s house (No. 147) along Neil Road; experiencing Everton Park’s first-generation HDB blocks with their mix of old and new trades; some trekking at the Spottiswoode Park forest with its three heritage trees; checking out the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station and its backyard remnants of the railway turntable and Hindu temple; and of course, fuelling up at the eateries along the row of shophouses fronting Kampong Bahru Road.
If friends from out of town are here for a visit for the first time…
I’ll bring them for a laksa (rice noodles served with coconut milk-infused broth) breakfast at Chinatown Complex Food Centre. Then, we’ll do a quick walkabout at the wet market on the first floor before making our way to the Sri Mariamman Temple. Next, it’s Telok Ayer Street to visit the Thian Hock Keng Temple and Nagore Durgha Muslim Shrine. We’ll grab a taxi to Bishan to see the Lego-like HDB blocks in the neighbourhood, and later to Little India for a late lunch of banana leaf curry rice. After lunch, we’ll head up to Mount Faber for its panoramic view and a cable car ride into Sentosa. In Sentosa, I’ll show them the gorgeous Siloso beach and we’ll soak our feet in the “South China Sea” for a short while. Before leaving the island, we’ll explore the Merlion Park. We’ll end the day roaming around the Marina Bay area to soak in Singapore’s sparkling night scene.
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