Dempsey Hill

Breif history of Dempsey Hill in my earlier post at this link: https://tiastudio.blogspot.com/2023/04/final-result.html

Part of Dempsey Hill, or Tanglin Village as it was formerly known, was a nutmeg planatation and military headquarters to the quaint lifestyle, art and culinary enclave it is today in less than two centuries.

Who is Dempsey? The road from Holland Road leading to where Dempsey Hill is today was named after General Sir Miles Christopher Dempsey (1896-1969). He was the commanding British 2nd Army involved in the 1944 D-Day landings. During 1945, Dempsey was the Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Land Forces South East Asia (ALFSEA) and the General Officer Commanding the Malaya Command, which were both headquartered in Singapore. Several other roads around the Tanglin area were also named after British commanding officers too.

Baohong Organ Sketchbook
Size: 1020 x 170mm

Final Result

Moleskine Japanese Album Large
Size: 780 x 210mm

My most memorable experience of this place is "BELIEF" - the theme for the very first Singapore Biennale 2006 from 4 Sep to 12 Nov 2006 at Tanglin Camp (the old name) before it became a commercial establishment. Tanglin Camp as it was called was a former military camp, built in the 1860s. Until 2006, it housed various offices and facilities of the Singapore Armed Forces. In 2007, Country City Investment launched Dempsey Hill to this day.

Here on the left is the book cover for "BELIEF" in my collection and on the right is the panoramic photo of the central yard, 2006
© Photo: Haupt & Binder

 

Special Sketchwalk at Dempsey Hill

What a super hot but very fun day at Dempsey Hill. I added the calling cards to first page of my sketchbook you can view...

Posted by Tia Boon Sim on Saturday, 15 April 2023

St. Georges Church

St. George’s Church at 44, Minden Road was built in 1911. It’s built for the British army and in Romanesque Basilica style.
The following is an except from the book to commemorate 100th anniversary of the construction of the church building.
"St. George's Church is part of the Anglican Diorces of Singapore. Tucked away in the lush Tanglin green lung just minutes from the city's bustling shopping belt, the church is today spiritual home to a diverse congregation of various nationalities, apart from Singaporeans. The picturesque brick Basilica barn-styled building was erected originally for the pastoral care of British soldiers at Tanglin Barracks at the turn of the 20th century. After WWII, in November 1946, the church was reconsecrated in an Armistice Sunday thanksgiving service. Withe the withdrawal of the British military troops from Singapore in 1971, St. George's ceased to be a garrison church and became a member parish of the Anglican Diocese of Singapore. In November 1978, the church was designated as a national monument of Singapore, to be protected and preserved because of its historical and architectural significance."

Breakfast at Dempsey Hill

Warming up sketch at Dempsey Hill.

Results of Last Sketchwalk of the Year

Result of Dempsey Hill sketchwalk. It was the last sketchwalk of the year 2013. Again, it was a great turn out and wishing more sketching fun in the new year 2014!
Dempsey Hill used to be the former Birtish army barracks and to most Singaporeans, the Central Manpower Base of Singapore (CMPB) where the young men reported for National Service to begin their compulsory military training for two and a half year after they completed their A level at 18-years-old. Males of my generation are still able to identify the parade square, and the old CMPB office premise. For me, I fondly remember this place as one of the locations for Singapore Biennale in 2009.

You can read about the history of Dempsey Hill here.

Last Sketchwalk of the Year

You have voted and the winning location this month is Dempsey Hill. Let's do it slightly earlier this month so it will be cooler. We will meet 9AM at Block 9 on Dempsey Hill, outside Jones The Grocer. There we will have a short briefing and you can spread out in any direction to draw. The area has lots to explore so don't just stick to the main area. At 12PM we will meet back again at Jones The Grocer where we will do our show and tell.

There isn't an MRT to gets to Dempsey Hill but there are some shuttle buses listed on their website (http://www.dempseyhill.com/location.htm) There are also quite a few public buses that pass by. Most of them can be boarded from Orchard Road. And then it is a short ride and walk to Dempsey.

Please see the map on their website for the location of Block 9 (http://www.dempseyhill.com/location.htm)

If you are really lost, you may call Andrew at 91070735. But only if you are really lost. If you are late, no worries, just look for sketchers scattered around the area and approach any of them. I don't think you can miss us.

See you there! Remember the new timing. 9AM-12PM. Merry Christmas!

Giveaway contest

There's a giveaway contest also, sponsored by ParkaBlogs.

Participate at goo.gl/sO1i7w

These are the prizes.