House of Lady Hill Road

Entrance to Former Kinloss House

Up the hill off Orange Grove road road at 3 Lady Hill Road, was once a boarding school for the children of British soldiers from 1957 to 1970, has been turned into training centre for insurance agents and financial advisers in 2008. We used to buy personal insurance from AXA in the past.

We arrived at 3 Lady Hill Road before 3.30pm on 12th Aug 17. I saw an elder couple stood outside the gate. Saw a few SLA staff inside the building as it was still early and we managed to take some shots surrounding the area.

Former Kinloss House

Here is the little history which I heard years ago in 2000s.

Kinloss House was a British Army managed boarding house for children attending Bourne School at Alexandra and Gillman Barracks in the 1960s. There were dormitories lower down the hill on 2 levels with the girls living mainly in the house but with a few living in huts on the first lower level.Rising up the graceful staircase (which went from right to left) brought you into the large open communal space that was used for homework (dozens of desks), Saturday night cinema and Sunday night dances (of the old style ballroom). The girls' dormitories entrance doors led off from this common room.
Outside the main house, one level down (a short flight of 6 steps or so) was the first 'quadrangle' of 3 dormitory huts in a straight line: 2 boys' and behind a wire fence, one girls'. Each hut had 4 dormitories, with a toilet block at the end of each. One small part of a boys' hut next to the partition fence with the girls' accommodation was used as a disco.
The next level down was via flights of about 20 steps. It was a largely open space with more huts. On the left going down was a boys' dormitory line and to the right was the teachers' hut. There was a further level below this that was used only by boy scouts making fires; but there was also a large bungalow down there in which the service staff, such as cooks and service chef.

In recent years, some of these buildings have even been converted into educational or training institutions by commercial entities that seek to leverage on Singapore’s status as a business and financial hub in Asia.

Like one of the buildings at 3 Lady Hill Road, home of the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Singapore between May 1970 and 1976. It was formerly an officers' mess for the British Forces. Later, it became office of the SILO Home Appliances Centre (1981-1982), the Arms and Explosives Branch (1983-1993), Hup Chung Electronics Corporation (1986-1990) and Kinloss Co-operative Society Limited (1992-1995). The Faculty, formerly located at the Singapore Polytechnic in Prince Edward Road, was renamed "Faculty of Architecture and Building" in October 1972. In April 1976, it moved into the Kent Ridge campus.

The Main Entrance of the building

The former Kinloss House, building set on 1.9 hectares of land was the last tenant of the AXA University Asia Pacific Campus, a training centre for the AXA Group. It houses 10 training rooms, a large multi-purpose hall and numerous break out spaces before it moved out. AXA, which has leased the property from the Singapore Land Authority (SLA), renovated the building and outfitted it with equipment and technology enhancements while respecting its 'historical character'. AXA invested a total of $7.7 million to refurbish Kinloss House, with additional funding from the Singapore government, which was keen to ensure the building’s colonial and historic heritage was well preserved.

White Washed wooden stairway

I remember in 1980s. there was a Kinloss Retail Shop (first opening Police Co-operative Store) that was named in its location in the Kinloss House (next to former Ladyhill Hotel) located near No. 3 Lady Hill Road. A year later, The Police Co-operative moved to No. 3 Lady Hill Road, the site of the Kinloss House, which would lend its name to the Co-operative’s Kinloss Retail Shop.

Graceful Main Staircase

The main stairs leading up to the old library of the former boarding school.
Little did I heard that AXA had received 'requests' from people who wanted to hold their weddings in this former Kinloss House however they (AXA) turned down their requests.

Spacious Conference room

This spacious room could be a conference meeting room for AXA. However this common room could have filled with chairs and tables for British students of boarding school in 1950s.

Built-in side desk seen on the left

Looking at the corridor of multi-purpose hall, there is a simple classic desk facing huge glass window wooden shutters on the left, the side wall on displays could be the book shelves side by side, on the right a built-in cabinets against the wall if I could think of.

Multi-Purpose Hall

The main staircase to multi-Purpose Hall that used to be the old library for boarding school.

Long Corridor room (then)

Credit by JadeW

Long corridor to rooms (now)

Yet another long corridor passageway to the dorm doors of boarding school and training rooms for AXA. Looking at the chandelier hung on the ceiling reminds me of my oldest uncle's 3-storey bungalow has similar century elegant style chandelier in the living hall.

A TV or Monitor Screen placed on the shelf

Could be a TV or Monitor screen placed on the shelf in the multi-purpose hall.

Elegant Chandelier@Kinloss House

Elegant chandelier at former Kinloss House with 16 candle tubes adorned with brass lead crystals.

Spectacular Chandelier@Bukit Teresa Bungalow

The most spectacular antique vintage Black Chandelier at my oldest uncle's bungalow at Bukit Teresa with 32 brass candles tubes is adorned with high lead pear shaped crystals as well as high lead octagonal shaped crystal droplets. It suits in every colour of the wall that is present in the living room.

 The Indoor Planter box room

This room holds gatherings or high tea meeting clients and students of AXA. There used to be some plants decorated in the centre of the indoor concrete planter box.

Vintage Fire Alarm Bell

Typical old school fire alarm bell can be found in old buildings, old schools and industrial buildings.

Spiral Staircase@Kinloss House

 Spiral Staircase@BukitTeresabungalow

The spiral staircase at 3 Lady Hill of former Kinloss House is wide compared to one of my oldest uncles' 3-storey bungalow at Bukit Teresa road which is too narrow and made of teak-wood steps. Walking up the narrow spiral staircase  

Steps down to Basketball court

Outside the former Kinloss House, down the hill facing the white-washed arch, there is the staircase down to basketball court and tennis court field.

Balcony on Upper floor

View from Balcony

The main building of former Kinloss House with carved out balcony on the upper floor, to view outside the scenery of opposite colonial buildings.

View of former Kinloss House

1st group outside former Kinloss House

Former Kinloss House has lots of history that was built by Scotsman in early 1900s and this beautiful colonial house has been thru historical eras. Once a colonial house then it occupied by Japanese during Occupation, and then it became a Boarding School for Bourne students from Gilman Barracks followed by Police Co-operative mess and the last recent AXA University (Asia Pacific Campus) till 2017. Currently, the building is vacant.

Thanks to SLA and Mr Jerome for the wonderful piece of history of the colonial building.