- Read Bridge
Read Bridge (Chinese: 李德桥) is a beam-structured
bridge located atClarke Quay within theSingapore River Planning Area inSingapore . The bridge crosses theSingapore River linking Clarke Quay toSwissôtel Merchant Court . The bridge was built in1881 and completed in1889 . The bridge is opened topedestrian s andbicycle s, and has been modified several times.History
Read Bridge was name after
William Henry Macleod Read , who was a prominent resident in Singapore between1841 and1887 and Consul forHolland between1857 and1885 . The bridge's construction took place in 1881 and was completed in 1889. The bridge was opened by thengovernor Clementi Smith in 1889, Read laid the first cylinder in 1887, before he left the colony. The locals called the bridge Malacca Bridge, given its proximity toKampong Malacca atMerchant Road . The Hokkiens refer the bridge as "kam kong ma lah kah kio" (Kampong Malacca Bridge). It was also known as Green Bridge because of the colour of the bridge during the period of time. In the past,labourer s and "tongkang " rowers gathered there to listen toTeochew storytellers. The southern side of the bridge was called colloquially "cha chun tau", a reference to the boats that carriedfirewood fromIndonesia to the shops that sold them there. Piles of firewood lined the streets in the area. Near the "cha chun tau" area were two Teochewopera theatre s, "Ee Hng" and "Diat Hng". Part of the area around the bridge was locally known as "cha chun tau", ajetty forboat s carrying firewood. "Tongkangs" carried firewood will unload theircargo at the bridge.On 3 November 2008, the bridge was selected for conversation as part of the
Urban Redevelopment Authority 's expanded conservation programme [http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_285801.html] .References
*Victor R Savage, Brenda S A Yeoh (2004), "Toponymics - A Study of Singapore Street Names", Eastern University Press, ISBN 981-210-364-3
External links
* [http://infopedia.nlb.gov.sg/details/SIP_28_2004-12-24.html National Library Board on Read Bridge]
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