6 August 2022
After seeing some photos of an abandoned military outpost with an iconic '1936 BK.4' plastered on one of its walls, I did some digging and found that it was somewhere all too familiar to me - my old school. All these years I never knew there was a place like this right under my nose. And so, a visit to the British outpost also became a visit to my alma mater which I haven't been since graduating.
History
Perched at the edge of Pasir Panjang Ridge facing south is a remnant of a time and place there is little memory of lying hidden and forgotten. The cluster of flat roofed buildings, designed such that they could quite easily be hidden, are what remains of an military outpost that was part of a defence line that had been established well before the war along the southern ridges – preserved only because they have long remained hidden from view. The ridge made a natural position from which the military installations in the Wessex Estate area could be defended from a ground assault from the south and it was on it that one of the last battles in the lead-up to the fall of Singapore in February 1942, was fought. Adapted from: https://thelongnwindingroad.wordpress.com/2013/05/23/lost-on-the-ridge/
Exploring British Outpost
1130 | Back to school |
1200 | Explore the outpost |
1230 | Lunch at university town |
1130 | Back to school
I definitely did not expect that the first time returning back to my school after graduation, was for an urbex expedition. It felt incredibly odd to be decked out in my hiking wear as we entered the school. And it felt just as odd to be amongst the school students who were much younger (I felt so old...). Has it already been that long since I graduated? As I looked around my old faculty reminiscing, I noticed there were places that were familiar yet a lot had changed with the recent renovation and it no longer looked like the rundown (and lup sup) faculty it used to be. It felt like it was just yesterday when I was rushing my project work at these benches, camping out with my friend gossiping, and playing badminton at midnight to destress. It was an odd mix of trauma and nostalgia.
We walked through my old faculty, passing a few other blocks and onto an old deserted road that looked like it rarely had visitors. I have never been to this part of the school before. We walked along the long and empty road until we found the described entry point. We ventured further into the forest following a faint trail and circled around the area but found nothing. Intuition led me to go back to the start to try a different route, I followed the fence further in and just as I was staring intently around the forest, I finally noticed a concrete roof peeking out from right under my feet. I shouted for my friend to come. The outpost was indeed very well camouflaged, you wouldn't know it was there unless you came looking.
1200 | Explore the outpost
I looked around for a way down and found a flight of steps overgrown with veins. As I descended down the steps, the sprawling complex came into view. There were 2 main terraces built into the hills. I walked along the upper terrace consisting of a row of individual rooms with light blue doors. They were mostly empty, but I could make out the function of a few rooms including a lavatory with a squat toilet on an elevated concrete platform. We walked down another flight of stairs to the lower terrace. Plastered across a wall were the words '1936 BK 3' - the buildings were actually in very good condition considering that they were built in 1936. The lower terrace had a similar layout as the upper one, a few more distinguishable rooms included - one with a bathtub, one that looked like a kitchen with a hood and stove top as well as a similar lavatory at the far corner. I suppose these were the living quarters for soldiers in the past. There were a few other ruins scattered around the area, including a concrete tank with pipes sticking out, which was likely used as a water tank.
1230 | Lunch at university town
After investigating the area for awhile, we made our way out along a side trail. This was likely a mistake as the trail became increasingly steep and we had to get down on all fours to climb up the slope and back to the main road. Along the road, we walked through a connecting bridge to another faculty in the area. We then headed to the University town to enjoy lunch. It was an odd transition coming straight from a forest with old abandoned military outposts to a bustling university town filled with students.
My Thoughts
This day of exploration was definitely an odd one, as what was initially a search for the old British outpost also became a visit to my alma mater. It made me realised that there are hidden treasures everywhere, even in the most unlikely of places, if you are willing to look for them. Maybe I should visit my old school more often from now on?
Wow! You found the way in on easy mode sia! 😂 Is it still accessible?