When completed, the Bukit Batok estate was renamed Hillview Estate. It was located adjacent to the old SIT Princess Elizabeth Estate, along Hillview Avenue, off Upper Bukit Timah Road. Hillview Estate comprised 13 blocks of flats, with a food centre, a wet market, a new community centre and a row of 2 storey shophouses. These were constructed between 1975 and 1978.
The design of the HDB flats was of the then standard slab block type comprising 3 and 4 room flats. In addition, there were three 20-storey blocks of 5 room flats which had a good vista of Bukit Gombak, Dairy Farm or Bukit Timah Hill. A planned block (blk #9) of 2-room flats was never built.
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| The Hillview Estate (centre) as seen from Bukit Gombak/ Jalan Gumilang. The low rise buildings in the middle background is Dairy Farm Condo over across Upp Bukit Timah Road. Fuyong Estate is at the top right, on the slope of Bukit Timah Hill ridge. |
The building of the new Hillview Estate actually hastened the demise of the older Princess Elizabeth estate. The government's focus then was on home ownership and P.E.E. residents were encouraged to purchase flats at Hillview Estate instead of relying on rental from the HDB. Rent for a SIT flat at that time was between $24 to $46 a month! However, government policy at that time was home ownership and thus, as residents slowly moved away, the old SIT flats were mothballed and not released for further leases.
The shopkeepers and market stall vendors at the old P.E. Estate were given options to move into the new wet market or HDB shophouse at Hillview Estate. Sadly, this migration left P.E.Estate looking somewhat like a ghost town by the mid 1980s when all the P.E. residents were finally evicted and offered alternative homes at Bukit Gombak.
Hillview Estate itself lasted till 1999 when it was placed under the biggest HDB SERS* relocation plan. The entire estate was to be demolished and residents were moved enbloc to new HDB homes at Bukit Batok New Town. (*SERS= Selective Enbloc Relocation Scheme)
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| The new apartment blocks at Bukit Batok New Town where the Hillview residents were relocated enbloc. |
I had relatives in 4 families living at Hillview at that time and I know that there were lots of unhappiness over the SERS program. Many residents felt betrayed as they were promised new amenities and improvements to their estate by politicians. Instead, after deposing the opposition who ran the constituency, the residents were informed of the destruction of their neighbourhood.
Like Princess Elizabeth Estate which was bulldozed in the late 1980s, Hillview estate was progressively torn down starting with the eviction from 1995 and the area left vacant until 2010 when the land was sold to condominium developers.
I would love to hear from ex-residents of Hillview Estate and if you do have a photo you would like to share, please send it to me here.
Hi, i used to stay at blk 2, the block that was nearest to the sewerage plant. My kitchen overlooks it. It gave my meals a unique smell all the time. I remember the day when the wrecking balls came to tear it down. I also remember walking to the indian barber behind the block at what we used to call the attap houses. I also fondly remember the 193 / 173 bus interchange. Alas, it has all disappeared. One of the guys who sold great mixed vege rice at the indian coffee shop is now selling the same at the hawker centre at beauty world centre. Its still good!
ReplyDeleteI was born and raised in Hillview Estate and could still vaguely remember the wonderful sight of the bustling wet market with culling of live chickens, the hawker centre with the very popular yong tau foo stall, and the bakery at Blk 1 which sold curry puffs. I attended my kindergarten at the void deck of Blk 11 and later at the nearby community centre. Life seems so carefree back then :)
ReplyDeleteI was born and raised in Hillview Estate too and everything that you have described here are familiar yet vague to me too. I miss everything that was part of my childhood in Hillview; the kindergarten, the wet market, hawker centre (yes, the yong tau foo stall!), community centre, the otah vendor at the round-about...
DeleteHillview estate ...... The shops serving the estate was mainly in block 1, and if I recall correctly, the shops were: the hill view cake shop (great curry puffs), an aquarium shop, hardware store, a chinese medical hall, Ong clinic, an indian mamak provision shop, Eliza confectionary, Lim clinic, bookstore & stationary shop, another indian provision shop and a chinese provision shop. Apart from the hawker centre, there were also two coffee shops in the block facing the Hillview community center, as well as a hardware store. Boy, I miss those days in Singapore.
ReplyDeleteI think the shops and their correct sequence is as follow :Queen's House cake shop, aquarium shop, hardware shop, Ong's clinic, Chinese medical hall, Eliza bakery, Lim's clinic, 2 Indian provision stores, Bookstore, Indian provision store, Sundry shop and Chinese provision store. I know it well, as my parents operated one of the shops (guess which one...haha). I have fond memories of the kampung spirit, where almost everyone knows everyone.
DeleteShops are at Blk 1 and 8. Fish head curry think relocated to Beauty world but seldom see the chubby chef liao. Niang dou fu relocated to sterling Market behind the famous chicken rice with no SOUP. Xi yang yang and the TMC shops relocated to Bukit Batok with most of the Hillviewers.Hill View really unforgettable, kite flying, made shift kampong house near blk 6. Everyone seem to know one another so well those days and no locks required.
Deletei stayed at blk 6 and remember fondly the silat practice in the community centre and below and the sound of people playing tennis. as well as dr. ong's clinic, tay joo shop, the bakery with the best chicken curry puffs as well as delicious hawker food such as wanton mee and carrot cake. taking 176 to go to bukit panjang plasa and 173 (i think) to westmall..those were amazing days.
ReplyDeleteThere are 2 bakery shops at Blk 1. The first shop (from the circus) is Queen House Confectionery. There is another bakery shop in the middle. The shop name contains "Elizabeth".
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone remember the full name and know if it still exists today?
Actually I prefer their curry puff.. still longing for that taste till now..
I used to live on Jalan Gumilang on top of Hillview. Hillview estate was where I spent much of my childhood with my grandparents. I went to kindergarten at the community center between 1989-1990. Fond memories of the old wet market and the hawker center which served good food. If my memory serves me correctly, hillview estate was still standing and occupied by residents in 1995 till around 1997/8? I recall still going to the hawker center for lunch after secondary school classes ended. Maybe the residents have been evicted by then. There was a hardware/bookstore there along the road into community center where i bought mini light bulbs to experiment with batteries and wires in primary school.
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ReplyDeleteI used to live right at the hilltop (Blk 54 if I recall correctly). It took 20mins walk from Castrol roundabout. Vehicles need to use the road (after Jalan Remaja) via makeshift bus interchange, passing Yakult factory. I used to whine whenever we have to walk to Standard Chartered bank every time we need to go somewhere. Years later, fences were built and the gate is still visible whenever I look up, as I pass by Hillview. My second home and first HDB flat after Sixth Avenue.
ReplyDeleteI just sent a comment asking about Hillview Estate in another post and here I am looking at all the memories from old neighbours of Hillview Estate!
ReplyDeleteI grew up in Blk 8 and I remember going over to my Grandma's at Blk 6 since I was a baby and until I was in primary school. I remember the huge carpark behind Blk 6 and the hill next to it, where a small drain will bring water from the top of the hill down, and my father will wash his car with the water, saying it brings good luck.
Hillview Estate was also where I met friends who I still keep in contact until today. I remember the wet market, the stairs at the roundabout, the shops underneath my block where I go for haircuts and grocery shopping. I also remember the old shophouses along Hillview Avenue (I think) and in particular the small coffeeshop at the corner where my family and I would always go to for breakfast of roti pratas on weekends. My father would order Milo for me and my brother that we would pour into the saucer to drink.
I wonder if the white, one storey houses beside these shophouses and the canal are the artisan houses that belong to the Princess Elizabeth Estate as mentioned in other posts here? I remember buying flavoured ice sticks ("sng bao") from a Malay makcik after school. I'm in my forties now and really miss the old estate and I have always felt that it was a shame to demolish both PEE and HE towards the 80s. I do not have many old photographs as my parents and grandparents didn't take or keep many, so to me I've lost a part of my childhood growing up in that area. I'm living in Bukit Panjang now, and I frequent The Rail Mall and parts of Gombak very often, so I guess at least I'm still around the area and that part of me from childhood has never left.
Thank you for this blog. I have learned a lot here and I've re-lived some memories.
Hai 👋 there.I used to live at Blk 8 also during 1990-1997 ,grew up there was very great memories for me during that 7 year s tay.There is many shops at blk 8 if u remember and there is a game shop where u can play and rent there also if I'm not wrong. Very good memories there angry also they start to demolish the blks there for future of nothing. Left there ard 1997,shd have just leave the blks there with routine cleaning of the blks.y should u demolished and make a new condo doesn't make sense to me
DeleteHi iewaij, thanks you for visiting my blog.
ReplyDeleteSince you are still in contact with your old Hillview friends, do let them know of my blog and get them to send in their photos and memories of this place.
I grew up in Hillview too. Blk 14 shifted to Blk 4 then to Blk 2. The shop under Blk 5, i saw that old man who owned that shop. Last i saw him was in 2005 Blk 26 Teck Whye and he had a shop there.
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