Hillview Road in 1956

Found an old photograph showing the Hillview Road entry towards the "Princess Elizabeth Industrial Estate" taken in May 1956. Can you recognise this spot?

The S.I.T. blocks of flats at Princess Elizabeth Estate were built in 1953. At that time, this was the only road access to the housing estate and to the few factories that were set up at then, such as Kiwi Shoe Polish, Eveready Batteries (National Carbon), Malayan Guttas, Hong Kong Rope Manufacturing and Malayan Textiles.

The photo shows the junction of Hillview Road and Upper Bukit Timah Road at 9-1/2ms. The road on the right of the picture is Upper Bukit Timah heading towards Woodlands.

Besides the road signs "Princess Elizabeth Estate" and "Hillview Road", there are five other signboards visible. Due to the low resolution of the photo, I can only make out three of them - Raja Clinic, Kiwi Polish and Malayan Textile Mill Ltd. Can anyone decipher what the other signboards indicate?

The Chartered Bank branch would be built the following year at this junction. The Green Bus Company had started its No. 5 bus service along this road in February 1953 and there were bus stops on either side of Hillview Road just left of this junction (without shelter!)

Today, exactly on this junction sits the Hillview MRT Station of the Downtown Line.

Related posts:
The Hillview Railway Bridge

Green Bus No.5 at Princess Elizabeth Estate

A remarkable set of photographs taken by Mr FW York in 1955 showing the Green Bus service No. 5 within Princess Elizabeth Estate.

The bus terminus beside the primary school (right).  The terminus was not paved with bitumen but red laterite.
The trees were just saplings in those days, with the undeveloped hill at the rear.
The bus was the British Seddon model. 

The bus had just reversed backwards from its parked position and preparing to leave the terminus.
Blks 21, 20 and 23 (7-storey blk). See the hedges planted around all the grass fields.

A Green Bus No. 5 Vulcan bus passing the Hillview Circus.
On the right, the fence of the Hong Kong Rope factory and the Chinese kampong opposite.

Another Vulcan bus after passing under the girder bridge at Hillview Road.
The bus stop was at the top of this slope, just outside the gates of the Union Carbide factory.
There was another bus stop at the junction where the bus turns off Upper Bukit Timah Rd.

Related links:  The No 5 Bus Terminus at Princess Elizabeth

More photos on the Green Bus Co No. 5 service.

No 5 bus leaving Queens Street terminus.
How many of you boys can remember using Brylcreem?

No. 5 bus after refuelling at the King Albert Park depot.
Very common occurrence, giving passengers a free whiff of diesel!

No.5 bus waiting at the Queen's Street Terminus.
The route was Queen's Street, Rohor Canal Road, Bukit Timah Road,
Upper Bukit Timah Road, Hillview Road, Princess Elizabeth Estate.

No 5 bus at Rochor Canal Road.

No 5 bus boarding passengers along Bukit Timah Road.

No 5 buses bunching up along Bukit Timah Road. As usual !