There’s not much action in Clarke Quay in the late afternoon after the lunchtime crowd have dispersed. A nice time to take a stroll around the restored warehouses or have a slow, cool drink by the river. Of course the establishments are only taking a breather and preparing for the exciting nightlife to come as evening breaks.
Clarke Quay used to be at the heart of the island nation’s entrepot trade from the time of its founding by Englishman Stamford Raffles in 1819. Located on the banks of the upper reaches of the Singapore River, it was the destination for goods from all over the world after they were unloaded from the ships that called at the harbour.
The cargo were transferred from the ships onto bumboats which carried them to the river banks where they were landed and transported to the warehouses. With the arrival of containerisation, these warehouses became redundant and fell into disuse, and would have faced the wrecking ball had the conservation movement not come to the rescue.
Today the stately old buildings have been repurposed as swanky shops, restaurants and night clubs for the jetsetters, local and foreign. The decrepit bumboats that ferried goods to shore have been converted into cruise boats, and now take tourists sightseeing up and down the river.
Check out the video below.
Clarke Quay used to be at the heart of the island nation’s entrepot trade from the time of its founding by Englishman Stamford Raffles in 1819. Located on the banks of the upper reaches of the Singapore River, it was the destination for goods from all over the world after they were unloaded from the ships that called at the harbour.
The cargo were transferred from the ships onto bumboats which carried them to the river banks where they were landed and transported to the warehouses. With the arrival of containerisation, these warehouses became redundant and fell into disuse, and would have faced the wrecking ball had the conservation movement not come to the rescue.
Today the stately old buildings have been repurposed as swanky shops, restaurants and night clubs for the jetsetters, local and foreign. The decrepit bumboats that ferried goods to shore have been converted into cruise boats, and now take tourists sightseeing up and down the river.
Check out the video below.
