Singapore 23 - Orchard Road

The central shopping area in Singapore is concentrated on Orchard Road. It rivals all other Singapore areas in terms of sheer volume, quality, and choice. Orchard Road stretches 2.5 kilometres long and is said to have the largest concentration of shopping malls worldwide. Many of Orchard Road's shopping centers are filled with a variety of products from around the world. Most Orchard Road Malls carry the concept of "everything under one roof". Virtually everything that is desired can be found in these shopping centers. As well as being a literal heaven for shoppers, you will also find some great watering holes in the area. A haven from the frenzied shopping on the main street.

Orchard Road got its name from the many nutmeg and pepper plantations that lined the street during the 1840s. Thinly populated, its only residents were plantation owners like Scotts, Cairnhill, and Cuppage whose names are familiar as street names today. For decades, not much was thought of a plantation or orchard often plagued by natural disasters. In the 1900s, a mysterious disease swept through the nutmeg plantations, wiping them out within a year. Because of Orchard Road location in a valley, floods were also common. They were only controlled in 1965 when Stamford Canal was deepened and widened.

In 1917, the Singapore Cold Storage Company opened a store to distribute food supplies. The Orchard Road Market provided fresh produce for the residents. Motor workshops sprouted around the Kramat Road area to service the growing number of vehicles. In the 1950s, CK Tang opened a departmental store at Orchard Road. The coffee shops and hawker stalls at Koek Lane were favourite eating places. Through the 1960s and into 1970s, entertainment centres such as Lido Cinema, Orchard Theatre, Raffles Village and Jackie's Bowl were opened. Eating places such as Cairnhill Steak House, Pavilion Steak House, Mont'dor Cafe were popular with Singaporeans and expatriates alike. Hotels such as Forum Inter-Continental, Ming Court, Mandarin and Hilton were built to serve the booming tourist industry in Singapore. Orchard Road was transformed into a hotel, shopping and entertainment corridor.

In the 1970s through the 1980s, development intensified. More land was used for commercial and hotel development. The building of two Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) stations along Orchard Road in the 1980s further strengthened the growth of Orchard Road into the dynamic activity corridor that it is today.

Killiney Road Post Office

1 Killiney Road

Singapore 239518

Lucky Plaza Post Office

304 Orchard Road

#02-29

Lucky Plaza

Singapore 238872

Central Region