British Colonial Architecture in Singapore photo by Matt Granfield

British Colonial Architecture in Singapore

I'm sure there is a fascinating history behind this abandoned British Colonial home; it's on the edge of Fort Siloso which famously managed to do bugger-all in repelling the Japanese invasion during World War II. The British were certain the domineeringJapanese Navy would attack from the sea before mounting a land invasion but the Japanese Army used bicycles to travel swiftly down the Malay Peninsula virtually undetected, established positions north of the Malaysian border and then quickly over-ran a complacent an over-confident army of inexperienced British, Australian and Indian recruits. After the war Sentosa Island was known in Malay as 'Pulau Belakang Mati' — which translates to 'The Island of Death from Behind'. You get the idea.

This house was hidden on an off-beat path behind the fort and was sign-posted as a no-go zone. Looking at it, it must have been built before the war, so you can only guess what events transpired there. God knows how long it had been lying in disrepair, but you could tell it had once been a pretty impressive residence.

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