A brief history of Mosque Street
Mosque Street is named after the Jamae Mosque located close to the street. This area is traditionally populated by Hakkas who traded in second – hand goods in particular paper and scrap metal. Nearby Cross Street was known as Kampung Susu (meaning Village of Milk in Malay). This is because of the booming goat milk business that was run by the Indians living there in the past. The Indians nicknamed the street, “Street of Milk Shops”. Today Mosque Street is popular for its Chinese restaurants.
As we continued with our trail, we reached the corner of Cross Street and New Bridge Road. We managed to spot the conspicuous row of the four – storey shophouses painted in pink and white. One can easily spot the distinctive feature of the building: the flat – headed windows.
In the 1930s, Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT) flats were constructed on Mosque Street and other parts of Singapore. They were Singapore’s first public housing. These blocks on Mosque Street were four storeys high, with six flats on each floor. Each floor shared one kitchen and two bathrooms. Residents who lived there were mainly Chinese and Malay civil servants. They held jobs either at the nearby Revenue Department or at Clifford Pier.
