Inverturret, also known as 7 Gallop Road, is a historic bungalow in the Gallop Extension of the Singapore Botanical Gardens. Previously the residence of the Air Officer Commanding the Far East Air Force and the residence of the French consul-general, the bungalow currently houses the Botanical Art Gallery.
Description
editThe building's exterior features wrap-around verandahs. The interior features a grand staircase and a floor made of Carrara marble. It also contains hand-blown Rondel-glass panels and bay windows.[1][2]
History
editThe building was completed on Gallop Road in 1906. It was designed by prominent architect Regent Alfred John Bidwell, who also designed the nearby Atbara House.[2] It was built by Charles MacArthur, then the chairman of the Straits Trading Company, who had purchased the Atbara House in 1903.[1] On 5 June 1937, Arthur Tedder, 1st Baron Tedder, then the Air Officer Commanding the Far East Air Force moved into the bungalow from his former residence at the Seletar Camp.[3] By October 1938, John Tremayne Babington, then the Air Officer Commanding the Far East Air Force, and his wife had moved into the building.[4] Beginning in 1939, the building served as the residence of the French ambassador in Singapore, with Atbara House housing the French embassy,[5] with French consul-general Jacques Pingaud and his wife moving into the building by April of that year.[6] In July 1999, the embassy moved to 101-103 Cluny Park Road.[7]
In 2015, it was announced that the house would be a part of the Gallop Extension of the Singapore Botanic Gardens.[8][9] Both Inverturret and Atbara were gazetted for conservation by the Urban Redevelopment Authority in September of that year.[10] In 2016, the National Parks Board awarded the tender of the Gallop Extension to Kay Ngee Tan Architects.[11] The house, along with the rest of the extension, opened to the public on 13 March 2021. It now houses the Forest Botanical Art Gallery the "first permanent display of botanical art" in Singapore.[12] The gallery displays over 2,000 pieces of watercolours and drawings from the archives of the gardens on rotation, with a different set of 100 artworks being placed on display at the gallery every six months.[13] The restoration of both the Atbara House and Inverturret received the Urban Redevelopment Authority Architectural Heritage Awards in 2022.[14]
References
edit- ^ a b "#Heritage Atbara and Inverturret". SG101. Nexus. 21 March 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ a b "5 & 7 Gallop Road" (PDF). ura.gov.sg. Urban Redevelopment Authority. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ "R.A.F. CHIEF'S NEW HOME". The Straits Times. Singapore. 5 June 1937. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ "Air Chief's At Home". The Morning Tribune. Singapore. 29 October 1938. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ Shee, Zhi Qiang. "A Journey Through Time – The Gallop Extension of the Singapore Botanic Gardens' Learning Forest". Nparks Buzz. National Parks Board. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ "French Consul's Home In Singapore Has Distinction". The Straits Times. Singapore. 6 April 1939. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ "French establishment in Singapore". The Straits Times. Singapore. 14 July 1999.
- ^ Sajan, Chantal (14 March 2021). "Houses of History". The Straits Times. Singapore. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
- ^ Zaccheus, Melody (7 December 2015). "Back to their black and white splendour / Letting the light in: Panestaking work". The Straits Times. Singapore.
- ^ "7 GALLOP ROAD". ura.gov.sg. Urban Redevelopment Authority. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ Sajan, Chantal (10 April 2021). "Making architectural gems shine". The Straits Times. Singapore.
- ^ Amin, Hanidah (13 March 2021). "First look: New features open at Singapore Botanic Gardens' Gallop Extension". Channel NewsAsia. Singapore. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
- ^ Ng, Wei Kai (19 March 2021). "New extension to Botanic Gardens opens, with artwork dating back to colonial period on display". The Straits Times. Singapore. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ Sajan, Chantal (18 November 2022). "URA Architectural Heritage Awards: Restored colonial-era houses in Gallop Road bag top conservation prize". The Straits Times. Singapore. Retrieved 3 June 2024.