Former Admiralty House

The Old Admiralty House (Chinese: 旧海军部屋) is a historic building, located at Old Nelson Road within the Sembawang Planning Area in the North Region of Singapore. The building housed the Karimun Admiralty Country Club until January 2007.

History

The Old Admiralty House was constructed in 1939, and was used by the British armed forces for strategic planning during World War II. It was then named Canberra House, and was also the residence of the Flag Officer of the Malayan Area.

After the Japanese surrendered in 1945, the building was renamed Nelson House and became the residence of the Commodore Superintendent of the Royal Navy Dockyard who, with the help of 200 Japanese prisoners of war, built the estate's first swimming pool.

In 1958, the building was renamed Admiralty House, and became the residence of the British Royal Navy Commander-in-Chief, Far East Station. The building was renamed again to Anzuk House in 1971.

After the British forces left Singapore in 1975, Sembawang Shipyard inherited the building and used it as a recreation club. In 1991, the building was renovated to become Yishun Country Club. The Karimun Admiralty Country Club then took over the building with a change in tenant in 2001.

In 2002, the building became known as Old Admiralty House, and was gazetted as a national monument on 2 December.

Architecture

The Old Admiralty House was built by the British architect Sir Edwin Lutyens, who is known for designing the Cenotaph in London and the planning of the Indian capital New Delhi when it was chosen to replace Calcutta as the seat of the then-British Indian government in 1912.

The two-storey colonial residence was designed in a unique Arts and Crafts architectural style popular in the nineteenth century.