Bukit Brown Cemetery
| Bukit Brown Cemetery | |
|---|---|
Main gate to Bukit Brown Cemetery in 2013 | |
Interactive map of Bukit Brown Cemetery | |
| Details | |
| Established | 1 January 1922 |
| Closed | 1973 |
| Location | 36C Lor Halwa, Singapore 298637 |
| Country | Singapore |
| Coordinates | 1°20′10″N 103°49′23″E / 1.3361°N 103.8230°E |
| Type | Chinese |
| Size | 173 to 213 acres (70 to 86 ha) |
| No. of graves | 100,000 |
Bukit Brown Cemetery, also known as the Bukit Brown Municipal Cemetery or the Bukit Brown Chinese Cemetery, is located in Novena in the Central Region of Singapore. The site of the cemetery was originally owned by George Henry Brown, a British merchant. It became known as Brown's Hill, which was translated into Malay as Bukit Brown. The site was eventually given to the Seh Ong Kongsi, who opened a private clan cemetery there in the 1870s.
Beginning in the 1880s, cemeteries in Singapore grew rapidly. In 1887, the Legislative Council passed a bill that limited their creation, particularly limiting Chinese cemeteries. The Chinese community called for the creation of a municipal cemetery, having few options for burying their dead, with notable supporters of the concept including Tan Kheam Hock and Lim Boon Keng. The Municipal Commission began looking for suitable sites and settled on the Seh Ong Kongsi's land, acquiring the site in 1919 through compulsory acquisition.
Three years later, the Commission opened Bukit Brown Cemetery. Although initially unpopular with the Chinese community, after some modifications, use increased. By 1929, forty percent of Chinese buried in Singapore were interred at Bukit Brown Cemetery. The cemetery ran out of unreserved plots in 1944, and when the last burials were held, the cemetery was closed in 1973, containing about 100,000 graves. In 2011, the government designated the area for residential development, leading to protests from activists who believed the cemetery should be preserved. The following year, around 3,700 graves were exhumed to build an eight-lane highway. The cemetery was since designated as "at risk" on the 2014 World Monuments Watch, and there have been proposals to designate it a national monument.
Bukit Brown Cemetery is believed to be the largest Chinese cemetery outside of China, and is the burial location of many of Singapore's earliest pioneers. Preservation advocates support maintaining Bukit Brown and other nearby cemeteries for their vegetation, wildlife, and heritage. Traditional Chinese festivals are regularly held at these cemeteries.