Heritage enthusiasts speculate about origin and purpose of four underground shafts
Some long-time dwellers of Normanton Park, most of whose residents have vacated their homes after a successful collective sale last year, have flagged the existence of four little-known brick shafts lying along the estate’s perimeter.
All four shafts plunge into the dark, to depths of about 6m to 8m, or about two storeys deep.
Three of the shafts stand about 10m apart from each other near Block 2 of the now almost deserted estate. Large trees have grown over them, and roots envelope their walls.
The fourth, and largest of the lot, sits on the other side of the estate’s perimeter, on the edge of Kent Ridge Park.
Heritage enthusiasts are hoping that more research will be conducted to establish when and why the shafts were built, although some, such as Mr Charles Goh, a senior safety manager of a construction firm who has been exploring Singapore for the past 17 years, believe they could date back to as early as the 1920s.
Former navy employee E.Y. Kuet, 59, a resident of the estate, said he hopes to raise awareness of the shafts’ existence.
He added: “There could be others in the area. The point is to share that Singapore has so much history and stories to tell even in our own backyards.”
Normanton Park was sold to Kingsford Huray Development for $830.1 million last year .
The estate was designed and built by the HDB in 1977, then privatised in 1993. It was developed by the Ministry of Defence to provide affordable housing for Singapore Armed Forces commissioned officers, and to build camaraderie among them.
A notice at Normanton Park states that residents have to vacate by 5pm on Oct 4.
Access to the property will be shut off by the next day.
The origins and purpose of the four shafts remain a mystery, although a number of theories have been put forward.
Naval architect and heritage blogger Jerome Lim believes all four shafts could have served as valve pits for the British army’s Normanton oil depot, which was located next to Alexandra Fire Station in Queensway nearby.
Mr Lim said: “To me, that’s one logical explanation. The valves could have been used to direct the flow of oil flowing through underground pipes. I think more such shafts could be buried by overgrowth. There could also be tunnels underground.”
The depot, built in the 1920s and home to 35 oil tanks, served Britain’s Royal Navy. It was established on the grounds of Normanton Barracks and a rifle range. Troops set fire to the depot in February 1942 to prevent it from falling into the hands of the Japanese.
According to military history specialist John Kwok, who grew up in the estate, the shaft in Kent Ridge Park appeared in a 1950 aerial photograph taken by the Royal Air Force.
Dr Kwok, a research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said he was one of many young children from the estate who used to play around the three shafts.
He added: “The fact that water does not collect in any of the shafts suggests they have some internal drainage system.”
The heritage experts and enthusiasts suggest that more research be done to determine the historical value of the structures.
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