Change Alley

Change Alley is a lane located in the downtown core of the central region. Stretching from Raffles Place to Collyer Quay, Change Alley was the site of a bazaar that became famed for the diversity of goods available at bargain prices and its numerous money changers. It closed in 1989 and has since reopened at its former site as a multistorey shopping arcade.

History
Change Alley acquired its current name on 11 November 1890 – a decision made by the municipal commissioners, who deliberated between “Change Lane” and “Change Alley”.¹ The lane was likely named after the trading hub known as Exchange Alley (also referred to as Change Alley) in London, England,² as Singapore’s Change Alley was historically a place where locals conducted barter trade with regional sea merchants and Europeans. Some also believe that its name was derived from the large number of Indian money changers there.³

Although Change Alley had yet to become a famous destination in the 1920s, it was already a recognised meeting place for European buyers and Asian brokers. Since there were only a few stalls located in the alley at the time, it served as a convenient thoroughfare for pedestrians to get from Collyer Quay to Raffles Place.⁴

Description and activities
From the early 1930s, the bazaar in the approximately 100-metre-long Change Alley gained a reputation for its hustle and bustle. Besides the presence of money changers,⁵ there was also a thriving market where Chinese dealers traded in gambier, pepper, copra, tin and other types of produce, alongside compradors serving the European merchants. Change Alley had become an attraction for tourists who came to Singapore by ship, as well as sailors.⁶ They arrived at Clifford Pier along Collyer Quay⁷ and made their way from the seafront to Raffles Place through this narrow alley.⁸

By the mid-20th century, the goods and services sold in Change Alley had diversified dramatically. These ranged from clothes, briefcases, watches, toys, fishing accessories to handicrafts, souvenirs, tailoring, and shoe polish and cobbler services. Besides small shops and makeshift tables, roving salesmen also made their rounds with a wooden box containing their wares such as pens and watches.⁹ An improvised awning for the alley was created using zinc, plastic or canvas sheets that sometimes could not prevent leaks on rainy days.¹⁰

Bargaining for goods and touting by stallholders were key features of shopping at Change Alley. Although the alley was narrow, congested and stuffy, it is fondly remembered by locals as an atmospheric and unique place in modern Singapore.¹¹

Due to the diverse customer base, some shopkeepers picked up phrases in various languages including French, German, Italian and Russian so as to conduct business with the foreigners.¹² The money changers, most of whom were Indians, ran their business within their own shops.¹³ There were also illegal money changers stationed at both entrances of the alley, touting their currencies at flexible exchange rates.¹⁴

In 1973, following a revamp of Clifford Pier, the Change Alley Aerial Plaza, an air-conditioned shopping arcade, opened on the bridge linking the pier to Change Alley.¹⁵

Closure and reopening
Business at Change Alley, which sat on prime land, saw a dwindling number of customers in the 1980s. This was attributed to a number of reasons such as the decline in sea travel, competition with modern air-conditioned shopping centres, and the withdrawal of foreign troops from Singapore.¹⁶ On 30 April 1989, the shops in Change Alley opened for the last time after a period of bargain sales to clear stocks. Affected stallholders were offered the option of renting sundry and cooked-food stalls at markets and food centres.¹⁷

At the Collyer Quay side, the entrance to Change Alley was at the four-storey Winchester House, which had existed since 1905.¹⁸ On the other end of the alley at Raffles Place was Shell House, a 14-storey office block completed in 1960¹⁹ and renamed Singapore Rubber House after it was sold in 1976.²⁰ These two buildings were demolished after Change Alley was cleared out.²¹ Change Alley returned following the completion of Caltex House (now known as Chevron House) and Hitachi Tower (now 16 Collyer Quay) in 1993 on the sites of Singapore Rubber House and Winchester House respectively²² – albeit as an air-conditioned shopping arcade flanked by the two skyscrapers.²³



Authors
Fiona Lim & Vernon Cornelius



References
1. “The Municipal Commission,” Daily Advertiser, 12 November 1890, 3. (From NewspaperSG)
2. Victor R. Savage and Brenda S. A. Yeoh, Singapore Street Names: A Study of Toponymics (Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Editions, 2013), 69. (Call no. RSING 915.9570014 SAV-[TRA])
3. “T. F. Hwang Takes You Down Memory Lane,” Straits Times, 16 September 1989, 22. (From NewspaperSG)
4. George L. Peet, Rickshaw Reporter (Singapore: Eastern Universities Press, 1985), 54 (Call no. RSING 070.924 PEE); “The Heart of the Lion City,” Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (1884–1942), 25 February 1931, 10. (From NewspaperSG)
5. “Page 4 Advertisements Column 3,” Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (1884–1942), 10 May 1922, 4; “Money Changer in a New Role,” Straits Times, 18 September 1924, 8; Deborah Heng, “Change Alley: Gone Are the Honey-Tongued Moneychangers,” Straits Times, 8 February 1994, 5. (From NewspaperSG)
6. “The Heart of the Lion City.”
7. “French ‘Invade’ Singapore,” Straits Times, 19 January 1953, 7; “The New Pier,” Straits Times, 10 October 1924, 9. (From NewspaperSG)
8. Savage and Yeoh, Singapore Street Names: A Study of Toponymics, 69; “The Heart of the Lion City.”
9. Ray K. Tyers and Jin Hua Siow, Ray Tyers’ Singapore: Then and Now  (Singapore: Landmark Books, 1993), 133. (Call no. RSING 959.57 TYE-[HIS]); Tan Pin How, oral history interview with Jesley Chua Chee Chuan, 15 October 1997, transcript and MP3 audio 29:51, Reel/Disc 2 of 3, National Archives of Singapore (accession no. 001864)
10. Tan Pin Ho, interview, Reel/Disc 2 of 3, 23–25; Heng, “Change Alley: Gone Are the Honey-Tongued Moneychangers.”
11. Y. T. Khoo, “Three Words Spell Success,” Singapore Free Press, 30 September 1959, 4 (From NewspaperSG); Heng, “Change Alley: Gone Are the Honey-Tongued Moneychangers”; James Koh Cher Siang, oral history interview with Jason Lim, 16 May 2008, transcript and MP3 audio 58:36, Reel/Disc 1 of 6, National Archives of Singapore (accession no. 002847), 2.
12. Ng Joo Kee, oral history interview with Yap Wee Cheng, 3 November 1997, transcript and MP3 audio 30:14, Reel/Disc 1 of 4, National Archives of Singapore (accession no. 001970), 5; Leong Weng Kam, “Learning Languages To Stay in Business,” Straits Times, 13 September 1979, 9. (From NewspaperSG)
13. Norman Edwards and Peter Keys, Singapore: A Guide to Buildings, Streets, Places (Singapore: Times Book International, 1988), 454 (Call no. RSING 915.957 EDW-[TRA]); Tan Pin Ho, oral history interview with Jesley Chua Chee Chuan, 15 October 1997, transcript and MP3 audio 12:10, Reel/Disc 3 of 3, National Archives of Singapore (accession no. 001864), 31.
14. Heng, “Change Alley: Gone Are the Honey-Tongued Moneychangers.”
15. Mok Sin Pin, “An Aerial Plaza May Replace Change Alley,” Straits Times, 18 April 1973, 17. (From NewspaperSG)
16. “Lately, Soviet Tourists Are Main Buyers,” New Paper, 7 March 1879, 21; Susan Lean, “Change Alley To Pass Into History on March 31,” Straits Times, 23 February 1989, 19. (From NewspaperSG)
17. “Change Alley To Close for Good on April 30,” Straits Times, 18 April 1989, 19 (From NewspaperSG); Lean, “Change Alley To Pass Into History on March 31.” 
18. Singapore Press Holdings, Change Alley at Raffles Place, Singapore, 19 November 1970, photograph (From National Archives of Singapore media image no. PCD0371 – 0082); “Page 1 Advertisements Column 2,” Eastern Daily Mail and Straits Morning Advertiser, 2 December 1905, 1. (From NewspaperSG)
19. “Shell Flag Raised Atop the New $7 Mil. Building,” Straits Times, 30 March 1960, 4. (From NewspaperSG)
20. “Shell House Sold for $7 Mil to Rubber Assn,” Straits Times, 15 September 1976, 7. (From NewspaperSG)
21. “Change Alley To Close for Good on April 30”; Annabelle Lim, “Time for a Change,” Straits Times, 19 June 2002, 8. (From NewspaperSG)
22. “Caltex To Spend $8b in Region Over Next 5 Years: Chairman,” Straits Times, 3 May 1993, 36. (From NewspaperSG)
23. “Untitled,” Business Times, 3 February 1994, 15; “Page 42 Advertisements Column 1,” New Paper, 22 April 1995, 42. (From NewspaperSG)



Further resources
“Change Alley,” Straits Times, 12 February 1939, 32. (From NewspaperSG)

Dhoraisingam Samuel, Malayan Street Names: What They Mean and Whom They Commemorate (Ipoh: Mercantile Press, 1939), 91. (Microfilm NL18265)

George Tricker, Change Alley, 1950s, photograph.  (From George Tricker Collection, National Archives of Singapore media-image no. 20100000306 - 0005)

Lim Kheng Chye, View of Change Alley Aerial Plaza (Second Building from Left) and Waterfront, Singapore, 1975, photograph. (From Lim Kheng Chye Collection, National Archives of Singapore media-image no. 19980005892 - 0089)

National Archives (Singapore), Change Alley, Singapore, 1960s, photograph. (From National Archives of Singapore media-image no. 20080000052 – 0062)

“One of the Busiest Spots of Singapore,” Malayan Saturday Post, 16 April 1932, 30. (From NewspaperSG)

Singapore Press Holdings, Change Alley in Raffles Place, 31 May 1973, photograph. (From National Archives of Singapore media-image no. PCD0479 – 0039)

“Untitled,” Straits Times, 16 March 1934, 15. (From NewspaperSG)



The information in this article is valid as at 1999 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.