Hendon Road: Abandoned Colonial Buildings

Located along Hendon Road next to the Hendon Commando Camp, is a row of nine colonial styled former military administrative buildings constructed between 1930 – 1936.

These three-storey buildings with large overhanging clay tile roofs for protection against the tropical weather are in fact similar in design to the other military buildings in Singapore such as those found on Sentosa and Wessex Estate.

The red clay tiles were suitable for our tropical climate

The blocks of 35, 36 and 42, in particular, played important roles in the colonial history of Changi.

Blocks 35 & 36 were the Headquarters for the Far East Air Force after World War II, who played pivotal roles during the Malayan Emergency Years, while block 42 served as the post-war headquarters of the Royal Engineers, who contributed to the development of Changi through tasks like clearing the land and identifying artillery gun positions.

Block 35 & 36 Hendon Road

Block 42 served as the post-war HQ for Royal Air Force Engineers, now being converted into a hotel.

It was however the overgrown and unnamed Block 49 that I managed to explore a little bit more on my trip there, a building that even in the day, makes you think twice about stepping into a dark and worn down room all by yourself.

What looks like the shower facilities

Some of the construction workers have bravely called the abandoned rooms their own

Old school ceiling fans

Remains of refuse from loiterers or the construction workers refurbishing the building

The walls have been stripped and slowly painted over for a swanky new hotel

Much work has been done to strip clean the buildings

All nine buildings have been vacated since the 1990s, and only recently were given approval by the SLA to be refurbished into swanky new hotels such as the case of the Old Command HQ being converted into the newly opened Changi Cove.