Despite being close to the city, Mount Sophia offers residents some serenity, as Muneerah Bee gets on top of the issue.
Originally known as Bukit Seligi or Seligi Hill, Mount Sophia was apparently named in honour of Stamford Raffles’ second wife, Sophia Hull. In early colonial times, it was commonly referred to as Flint’s Hill after Captain William Flint, Master Attendant of Singapore who occupied the hill with his family in 1823. Flint was married to Raffles’ sister, Mary Ann Raffles and they had a daughter named Mary Sophia Anne. Both Sophias are believed to be the hill’s namesake.
Besides Flint, Mount Sophia was also home to prominent businessman Eu Tong Sen who lived in a mansion called Eu Villa.
In the early 1880s, the hill hosted grand houses and was touted as one of the earliest middle-class residential districts in Singapore, according to Singapore Infopedia.
Interestingly, two unrelated Sophias also made their mark on the hill. Australian missionary Sophia Blackmore established the Methodist Girl’s School (MGS), while English missionary Sophia Cooke ran St. Margaret’s School on Mount Sophia.
MGS was relocated in 1992, and St. Margaret’s Primary School is still there even though its Secondary School has moved to Farrer Road.
For some time, the former MGS building was a creative arts hub named Old School which was home to an experimental artwork gallery, an independent film theatre, and an F&B establishment with live music, among others.
New identity
In 2013, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) launched the site for sale with the condition that the three conserved buildings there, which includes the for MGS building, will be sensitively restored and adapted for complementary uses, and be effectively integrated with the residential development.
The land parcel was awarded to Hoi Hup Realty, Sunway Developments and S C Wong Holdings and is being redeveloped into a 493-unit condominium project, Sophia Hills offering one to four-bedroom units. The three conserved buildings will be restored to be used as a clubhouse, kindergarten cum childcare centre, and restaurant.
Artist’s impression of Sophia Hills, accessible via Adis Road and Sophia Road
Being in District 9, properties on Sophia Hill are well-located and inevitably popular. While there are plenty of existing private homes around the area such as Sophia Residence, Parc Sophia, and 8 @ Mount Sophia, a couple of new projects are expected to be ready in the coming years such as LIV on Sophia, and 1919.
Being perched up on a hill does not make homes on Mount Sophia any less accessible in any way. Not too far from the foot of Mount Sophia is Orchard Road, accessible via Dhoby Ghaut MRT station along with various bus services available.
Dhoby Ghaut MRT station currently serves the North South Line, North East Line and Circle Line, providing much convenience to residents. Additionally, the Bencoolen MRT station on the Downtown Line will soon be ready some distance away along Bencoolen Street.
Being in the heart of the city, a myriad of lifestyle, entertainment and dining options are available near Mount Sophia at Plaza Singapura, The Cathay, PoMo and Wilkie Edge.
Nightlife of a different kind
Mount Sophia is also not too far from the arts and heritage district in the heart of Singapore’s city centre. Known as the Bras Basah.Bugis Precinct, the area is littered with monuments and museums with the likes of the National Museum of Singapore, Peranakan Museum, Singapore Art Museum and National Design Centre.
A highly-anticipated annual event taking place in the precinct is the Singapore Night Festival which features local and international artists putting up music, dance and art performances, and showcasing installation artworks after dark. Visitors can expect nocturnal visual and aural treats from aerial performances and the museum buildings are often used as a canvas for multimedia installations.
Being near Bras Basah also means Mount Sophia is within easy reach to the Singapore Management University (SMU) campus. Other institutes of higher learning in the area include the Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS) Dhoby Ghaut near the MacDonald House, LASALLE College of the Arts at McNally Street, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) at Bencoolen Street, and Kaplan city campus at Wilkie Edge.
The primary and secondary schools around the vicinity include St. Margaret’s Primary School, Stamford Primary School, Anglo-Chinese School (Junior), School of the Arts, Singapore and Raffles Girls Secondary School.
Mount Sophia is also near Emily Hill where more housing options are found. Besides private residential buildings, Emily Hill is also home to a chic budget boutique hotel, Hangout @ Mt Emily, an arts cluster venue, Emily Hill, a preschool centre, Pat’s Schoolhouse Mount Emily, and restaurants such as Wild Rocket and Woods Emily Hill.
To get away from the city below, Mount Emily Park provides some tranquillity for relaxation and leisure amongst greenery and nature. Covering 3.1ha, the park is known to be a good place for bird-watching and there have even been sightings of hornbills in the area. Mount Emily Park offers the rare combination of wide open spaces at an altitude while being mere minutes away from the city.
If that isn’t enough, there’s always Fort Canning Park, which is also one of Singapore’s most historic landmarks, and the Istana Park nearby. Located opposite the main Istana Gate, the latter features a 26-metre high arch and a reflecting pool.
In fact, considering Sophia Road (which leads to Mount Sophia) actually borders the Istana grounds, Mount Sophia residents are practically neighbours with the country’s head of state, and that’s not something a lot of people get to say about their estate.
