Istana Tyersall

Tyersall Palace
Istana Tyersall
Former location at Tyersall Park, Singapore
Alternative names New Tyersall
General information
Status Demolished
Type Palace
Architectural style Corinthian
Classification B
Location Tyersall, Singapore
Address Tyersall Avenue
Town or city Singapore
Country  Singapore
Coordinates 1°18′40.0″N 103°48′38.0″E / 1.311111°N 103.810556°E / 1.311111; 103.810556Coordinates: 1°18′40.0″N 103°48′38.0″E / 1.311111°N 103.810556°E / 1.311111; 103.810556
Named for Tyersall House
Construction started 1890 (1890)
Completed 1892
Opened December 3, 1892 (1892-12-03)
Closed September 11, 1905 (1905-09-11)
Demolished 1935
Owner Abu Bakar of Johor (former)
Ibrahim of Johor (former)
Landlord State of Johor
Affiliation State of Johor
Height 70 feet (21 m)
Technical details
Floor count 2
Floor area 210 feet (64 m) by 174 feet (53 m) deep
Design and construction
Architect Dato Yahya Awaluddin
Engineer Howarth Erskine
Structural engineer Howarth Erskine
Services engineer Henry Clarence Hogan
Other designers Sultana Fatimah bte Abdullah
Main contractor Wong Ah Fook
Known for Lost palace of late Sultan Abu Bakar of Johor in Singapore

Istana Tyersall is a demolished historical palace used to located on the former Tyersall Park bound by Holland Road and Tyersall Road near the Singapore Botanic Gardens in Singapore. The land it was formerly built on is currently restricted to the public.[1]

The demolished palace had long been confused with the dilapidated Istana Woodneuk due to its proximity, which was located on another smaller hill not far away. The difference with the roof tiles of these former palaces is that while Woodneuk was blue, Tyersall was red.

History

William "Royal Billy" Napier once had a house built in 1854 at the Tyersall estate of 67 acres in Singapore. Upon his retirement and departure back to England in 1857, his house at Tyersall was put on sale by Boustead & Co. in March 1857 and would later be bought over by Abu Bakar in 1860. Abu Bakar would later move his residence there from Telok Blangah upon his reign as Temenggong after his father's death in 1862.[2]

Temenggong Abu Bakar was proclaimed as the Maharaja of Johor in 30 June 1868, and was eventually proclaimed as the 21st Sultan of Johor in 13 February 1886. Later on, he decided that it was time to build a new palace in Singapore to commemorate his ascension. In 1890, Sultan Abu Bakar had Napier's former house demolished to make way for his upcoming palace.

Architecture

Dato Yahaya Awaluddin, an architect and a member of the Sultan Abu Bakar's Cabinet was deployed to design the plans according to the wishes of the Sultan's 3rd wife Sultanah Fatimah. Sultanah Fatimah was a Chinese woman of the Cantonese heritage who was born under the name of Wong Ah Gew before she was married to the Sultan Abu Bakar.

The Sultan employed the service of his long-time acquaintance Wong Ah Fook, a Chinese contractor to oversee the building of the palace. Wong had already built many of Johor's heritage buildings prior to his work assignment in Singapore and was a close friend to Sultanah Fatimah who shared the same common surname and dialect.

Howarth Erskine[3] carried out most of the ironwork,[4][5] with some portions of it by H.C. Hogan, and the upholstering of furniture and equipments was provided by John Little & Co..

Sultana Fatimah did not live to see the completion of the palace as she had died in 25 February 1891.

According to Singapore Free Press, they noted that: "The rectangular building measured 210 feet long by 174 feet deep, was in the "Corinthian style of architecture" with a red tiled roof and a seventy-feet high tower in the center topped by the Sultan's symbolic star and crescent."

"Among its key features were a spacious projected carriage porch, a grand staircase with ornamental iron balustrades, a grand reception room, a ball room, a billiard room -- and it was fitted with electric light. The installation of electricity was hailed by the Free Press as indicative of an improvement of "domestic civilization, and a marked step in the industrial progress of the Colony." Interior-wise, the fanlights were Arabsque in design, the wood used was teak and ironwood and the building had altogether 420 doors."

Opening

In 3 December 1892, the palace was officially declared open by the Governor of the Straits Settlements Sir Cecil Clementi Smith accompanied by Lady Teresa Newcomen, with the Sultan addressed in English and Malay in the ballroom attended by the selected company of power brokers of Singapore and Johor officials with the Sultan of Pahang Ahmad Muazzam Shah and Sultan of Riau Abdul Rahman II Muazzam Shah among them.[6] The palace was known to be first building in Singapore to be supplied with electricity.[7][8]

Historic events

As well as the Sultan of Johor's official residence in Singapore, the palace was also a venue to several historic events and parties, one was in 10 December 1892, where the Sultan of Johor received the First Class of the First Grade of the Order of the Double Dragon by the Guangxu Emperor, as conveyed by the Consul General in Singapore of his care, sympathy and kindness for permitting the Chinese to settle in Johor. The presentation event was witnessed by a gathering of Chinese towkays.

Sultan Abu Bakar had died of pneumonia in South Kensington, London, in 4 June 1895,[9] it was at the palace that his son Tunku Ibrahim Al-Marhum received the telegram from Dato Sri Amar DiRaja on the same day informed of his father's death.

Tyersall and its premises was handled over to his son upon his reign as the Sultan Ibrahim of Johor in November 1895. The new Sultan however, would preferred to stay at the Woodneuk House, previously renamed as the Istana Woodneuk, of the nearby hill upon his arrival in Singapore.

Serious fire at the palace

In 10 September 1905, a fire broke out at Istana Tyersall at midnight, and there were no occupants at the palace. One of the servants at the premises spotted the fire at about 2 am of the following day of 11 September 1905 and telephoned the fire brigade. By 2.45 to 3.00 am, the alarm was sounded and three fire engines was deployed to the site and about 500 soldiers who were stationed nearby rushed to help put out the fire. The fire was extinguished by 6.00 am, which saw the palace’s ballroom and billard room "hopeless wrecked", several furniture and art collections were badly burnt. The cause of the fire was reported to be a faulty wiring ignited the hall's floor which was coated with "inflammable paint". Damage cost was estimated for up to S$200,000.[10][11] The palace was abandoned soon after.

Failed proposal of Tyersall Country Club

In 30 November 1910, the meeting was held at the Straits Chinese Recreation Club's pavilion clubhouse in Hong Lim Green, Singapore, announced that the Sultan was willing to lease the premises and the ground for 21 years at the rental of S$150 per month for the first 7 years, S$250 per month for the next 7 years, and S$350 per month for the last 7 years, all which have been approved by the Committee and members of the Club.[12]

In 7 December 1910, the Tyersall Country Club was formed at the meeting attended by the members of the various clubs of Singapore and chaired by the Governor of the Straits Settlements Sir John Anderson, at the abandoned Istana Tyersall[13] with the purpose to set up a first general social club in Singapore. The Club, according to Sir John Anderson, would "supply the real want" due to Singapore being the "only town of the great size without the general social club".

The Club proposed the plans to become the lessees of Tyersall Palace (Istana Tyersall), to determine the issue of debentures and other matters, which included the dividing of its halls and apartments, the rebuilding of its ballroom, the erection of the new buildings nearby with the capital expenditure of S$65,000 in 21 February 1911 [14] and later the estimated capital expenditure S$72,300 in 3 October 1911.[15][16][17] However the scheme was reported to have fallen through during the meeting at Tanglin Club in early 1912.[18]

Demolition

By 1930, the palace was in the state of dilapidation.[19] On 16 December 1932, a second fire incident occurred at the palace's tower which was put out in a few minutes by two fire engines.[20]

On another hill not far away, a new palace Istana Woodneuk, or Istana Wooden York to the State of Johor, was rebuilt on its former site in 1932 and completed in September 1935 as the replacement for the Sultan Ibrahim and his 3rd wife Sultanah Helen.[21][22] The dilapidated Istana Tyersall was reportedly been demolished under the tender issued from the Sultan in 1935.[23]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "State of Johor and Another v Tunku Alam Shah ibni Tunku Abdul Rahman and Others[2005] 4 SLR 380; [2005] SGHC 156". singaporelaw.sg. Retrieved 2017-12-27.
  2. ↑ "Singapore - Sheet 5/35 (Orchard, Tanglin, Holland)". nas.gov.sg. Retrieved 2017-12-27.
  3. ↑ "Howarth Erskine Limited, Singapore. Founded in 1875, Howarth …". nas.gov.sg. Retrieved 2017-12-27.
  4. ↑ "Page 3 Advertisements Column 1". Retrieved 2018-04-01.
  5. ↑ "Page 2 Advertisements Column 3". Retrieved 2018-04-27.
  6. ↑ "The sultan of Johore's Singapore Residence". Retrieved 2018-04-01.
  7. ↑ "MONDAY 5th DECEMBER. The Sultan of Johore's Singapore Residence". Retrieved 2018-04-01.
  8. ↑ "The New Singapore Residence of H. H. the Sultan of Johore". Retrieved 2018-04-01.
  9. ↑ "THE DEATH OF THE SULTAN OF JOHORE". Retrieved 2018-04-01.
  10. ↑ "A PALACE ABLAZE". Retrieved 2018-04-01.
  11. ↑ "SERIOUS FIRE AT TYERSALL". Retrieved 2018-04-01.
  12. ↑ "PROPOSED COUNTRY CLUB". Retrieved 2018-04-01.
  13. ↑ "DAILY TIME TABLE". Retrieved 2018-04-01.
  14. ↑ "Tyersall Country Club". Retrieved 2018-04-01.
  15. ↑ "THE TYERSALL CLUB". Retrieved 2018-04-01.
  16. ↑ "A Country Club". Retrieved 2018-04-01.
  17. ↑ "Newspaper Article -". Retrieved 2018-04-01.
  18. ↑ "TANGLIN CLUB". Retrieved 2018-04-01.
  19. ↑ "THE HEART OF THE LION CITY". Retrieved 2018-04-27.
  20. ↑ "FIRE AT SULTAN'S HOUSE". Retrieved 2018-04-01.
  21. ↑ "THE HOME BEAUTIFUL BUILT FOR SULTAN OF JOHORE". Retrieved 2018-04-01.
  22. ↑ "HER HIGHNESS THE SULTANAH HELEN". Retrieved 2018-08-07.
  23. ↑ "Memories of ©16 Singapore". Retrieved 2018-08-07.
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