Neighbourhood Guide

What are Shophouses?

Conducive to living as well as commerce, shophouses are long, typically two- to four- story structures, attached to each other and often connected to the street by a continuous covered five foot way which protects customers and passerbys from the scorching tropical sunlight. The idea behind their construction was to faciliate retail trade on the ground floor with ancillary offices and residences on the upper floors. Shophouses are commonly found in Singapore, Malaysia, southern Thailand, and elsewhere throughout Southeast Asia, but their architectural style is not indigenous. Their presence is a multicultural mélange of Eastern and Western elements spread to the region by the mercantile activity of centuries past.

Where in Singapore are they?

Shophouses in Singapore can be found in old town centres, around mosques or near clan temples. As trade prospered in the 19th century up and down the coastal cities of the Strait of Malacca and South China Sea, what were once small fishing villages or tin mining towns grew into bustling port cities. In Singapore, land near the urban epicentre became scarce and expensive which contributed to a unique urban architectural style where business and home weren’t afraid to meet. Shophouses became a standard home form for immigrants, colonialists and traders and continues to be part of the city-state’s rich urban heritage.