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The Alkaff Mansion

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🗺️ D04 — Harbourfront, Telok Blangah, Sentosa
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About The Alkaff Mansion

The Alkaff Mansion is a conserved colonial bungalow at 10 Telok Blangah Green, Singapore 109178, in District 4 (Telok Blangah / Mount Faber). It stands on a ridge inside Telok Blangah Hill Park, an area once called Mount Washington. The house was built in 1918 for the Alkaffs, a prominent Arab trading family that had bought the land in 1916. It was a weekend retreat and a venue for large social gatherings, and is recognised by its pair of turrets.

Today the mansion is a dining and events venue run by 1-Group, which took it over in 2019. Its official website lists three concepts: Wildseed Cafe in the garden, the 1918 Heritage Bar, and UNA, a Spanish restaurant. The house and lawns are also hired for weddings and corporate functions. This is a commercial heritage building, not a residential development.

Interesting facts

  • The Urban Redevelopment Authority gave the mansion conservation status in 2005, which protects its facade and architecture.

  • From around 1972 to 1984 the building was used by the World Buddhist Society, which ran a temple and classes there.

  • After a renovation in the late 1980s, Hotel Properties Ltd opened it in 1990 as a restaurant known for Dutch-Indonesian rijsttafel. That closed in 2003.

  • An Italian restaurant traded in the house from 2011 until July 2016, before the present operator reopened it in 2019.

  • The 1918 Heritage Bar takes its name from the year the house was built, and its drinks list draws on the family's spice-trade background.

Nearby

The mansion is surrounded by the 34-hectare Telok Blangah Hill Park, part of the Southern Ridges. Henderson Waves, a 274-metre pedestrian bridge that NParks describes as the tallest in Singapore, is a short walk away. So are the Terrace Garden and the 1.3-kilometre elevated Forest Walk. NParks lists free car parks within the park. The nearest rail station is Telok Blangah (Circle Line) at the foot of the hill; the walk up is steep, so allow extra time. Mount Faber Park lies to the east across Henderson Waves.

Key facts

  • Address: 10 Telok Blangah Green, Singapore 109178

  • District: District 4 (Telok Blangah / Mount Faber)

  • Property type: Conserved bungalow used for restaurants and events

  • Completed: 1918

  • Conservation status: URA, 2005

  • Operator: 1-Group (since 2019)

  • Nearest MRT: Telok Blangah (Circle Line)