12 November 2023
This place doesn't need much of an introduction. Istana Woodneuk is easily one of the most famous or infamous abandoned building in Singapore, and definitely a must-go for any urbex hiker. However, being such a popular location would likely also mean stricter regulations, hence I had been putting off visiting it until more recently. While I was there, I was surprised by how quiet and empty it felt, hidden in the forest behind Botanic Gardens. It's heavily vandalised walls was the only testimony of its frequent visitation.
History
Easily one of Singapore’s largest private residences in the late 19th century and early 20th century, Istana Woodneuk was one of the two royal palaces owned by Johor Sultan Abu Bakar ibni Daing Ibrahim (1833-1895), 21st Sultan of Johor and was well-known as “The Father of Modern Johor”. Friendly to both British Empire and Qing Empire, Sultan Abu Bakar was credited for the development of Johor towards the end of the 19th century.
Istana Woodneuk was built for the Sultan’s fourth wife Sultana Khadijah. The blue-roof palace was magnificent, consisting of the main building with two smaller houses by its side, possibly for the accommodation of servants or horses. Another small white building was located 100m away down the main path, and might be used as a guard house. Istana Woodneuk’s owner Sultana Khadjah died in this grand house in 1904. Before she died, the Sultana sold the property to Sultan Abu Bakar’s son Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar (1873-1959), who rebuilt the house in 1930 for his third wife Scotland-born Sultana Helen Ibrahim (1889-1978). The dilapidated house as well as the land still belong to the royal family of Johor.
Today, the house is deemed structurally unsafe. Its iconic blue-roof had collapsed, its railings brown with rust, and plants had found their ways and thrived in the cracks and gaps on the walls. It is a real sad sight of a century-old palace with a glorious past. Adapted from: https://remembersingapore.org/istana-woodneuk/
Exploring Istana Woodneuk
1130 | Through the forest |
1145 | Enter the grand entrance |
1200 | Explore the 2nd level |
1215 | Back down and out |
1130 | Through the forest
We started our hike from Botanic Gardens with its bustling weekend family crowds. After crossing the gardens into Tyersall Road, we found a side trail into the forest opposite. The quiet wilderness of the forest was a stark contrast to the crowds and manicured gardens of Botanic Gardens. For a place this popular, I was expecting well-trodden and clear forest paths. Though the paths were relatively clear, I was surprised it looked a bit overgrown as we went deeper in. As we navigated through the palm forest, we saw the first sign of the Istana, a metal gate.
1145 | Enter the grand entrance
Past the metal gate, we soon saw what we came here for, a building peeking through the thick vegetation. We walked along the side of the building towards the main entrance. The main entrance was spacious with 2 long stairways that led to the 2nd floor, and a door straight through the centre. Although the building was in a depilated state with chipped tiles and heavily vandalised walls, it still had a sense of grandeur. It must have looked beautiful in its heyday with intricate decorations along the stairway railings and window tiles.
I walked towards the central staircase, most of the wooden planks seemed to have fallen off, and it didn't look safe to climb. There were cavities in the corners of the wall along the staircase, which looked like it was used to display sculptures. I walked around the first level and found the infamous room with the bathtub, the substance inside was black and nasty looking, eww. The back of the building consisted of many narrow corridors leading to various rooms and open air courtyards. I found a staircase at the back that still looked structurally sound to climb to the 2nd level.
1200 | Explore the 2nd level
Unlike the grand ornate stairways at the main entrance, this was a small narrow and utilitarian staircase (ironically it is the more lasting of the 2). The walls and ceiling around the staircase looked charred, I suspect this may have been burnt during the fire incident in 2016. The 2nd level similarly had a narrow corridor that led to open courtyards and various rooms. The roof of the building was completely gone, though there were still remnants of its iconic bright blue tiles scattered all over the ground. A number of exterior walls near the balcony seemed to have collapsed. The central area where the grand staircase was, had black cloth draped along the ceiling, which made the building look even more dark and eerie.
1215 | Back down and out
After our tour of the 2nd level, we went back down to the first level via the same staircase. There I crossed a long and dark alley that connected to the other end of the building. The alley was oddly dark given that the rest of the building was well lit by daylight, and felt a little uncomfortable. On the other side of the building were more rooms. While most of the rooms were vacant and filled with debris a few rooms stood out - a room with a lone chair, a room with a wheel barrow and satanic graphics (this was the most striking room of the entire house), and a room with 2 lone seats that looked like they were from a car. There was also an external room which was likely the kitchen with an exhaust hood that had stacks of rusted chairs. For a house with such a grand entrance, most of the rooms seemed oddly small and hidden away. Perhaps these rooms were used by the servants of the house. We then left the Istana and went back out through a back trail.
My Thoughts
I used to be scared of Istana Woodneuk given its notorious reputation for being haunted and a popular hotspot for ghost hunting. But having finally visited it in person, the place mostly felt serene and lonesome. This was a house built for Sultans with grand entrances to host esteemed guests, so it seemed especially sad to have been left decaying and desecrated by its new rogue guests.
Comments