Robertson Quay is a

wharf A wharf, quay (, also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more Berth (moorings), berths ...

near the source of the

Singapore River The Singapore River is a river that flows parallel to Alexandra Road and feeds into the Marina Reservoir in the southern part of Singapore. The immediate upper watershed of the Singapore River is known as the Singapore River Planning Area, altho ...

. It is the largest and most upstream of the three wharfs (the other two being

Boat Quay Boat Quay is a historical quay in Singapore which is situated upstream from the mouth of the Singapore River on its southern bank. It spans from the shophouses near UOB Plaza, stretching along one bank of the Singapore River, all the way till El ...

and

Clarke Quay Clarke Quay is a historical riverside quay in Singapore, located within the Singapore River Planning Area. The quay is situated upstream from the mouth of the Singapore River and Boat Quay. Etymology ''Clarke Quay'' was named after Sir Andr ...

) on the river and is named after a municipal counsellor Dr J Murray Robertson.Koh, T. Singapore: The Encyclopedia (2006), p. 498, ''Didier Millet'', . It now has al fresco dining as well as arts and culture.

History

The upper reaches of the Singapore River were originally mud flats and swamps. As the population and commerce of Singapore increased, the area was reclaimed in the mid nineteenth century. In the 19th Century the swamps were reclaimed and warehouses and boatyards were constructed in the 1880s in both European and Chinese styles. Children would jump into the waters to cool down in the afternoons. The Quay is named after the municipal counsellor Dr J Murray Robertson. In 1977, then Prime Minister

Lee Kuan Yew Lee Kuan Yew (16 September 1923 – 23 March 2015), born Harry Lee Kuan Yew, often referred to by his initials LKY, was a Singaporean lawyer and statesman who served as Prime Minister of Singapore between 1959 and 1990, and Secretary-General o ...

calls for a large $170 million initiative, lasting a decade, to clean up the Singapore River. This involved clearing away the rubbish as well as

dredging Dredging is the excavation of material from a water environment. Possible reasons for dredging include improving existing water features; reshaping land and water features to alter drainage, navigability, and commercial use; constructing d ...

the river. The lighterage industry eventually relocated to

Pasir Panjang Pasir Panjang is an area located at the southern part of Queenstown in Singapore. Kent Ridge Park is a topographical feature which runs adjacent to Pasir Panjang. History Pasir Panjang Road, which once hugged the coastline, was laid down ...

. In the 1990s, the

Urban Redevelopment Authority The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) is the national urban planning authority of Singapore, and a statutory board under the Ministry of National Development of the Government of Singapore. Mission The authority was established on 1 Apri ...

rezoned the area for new development of residential, hotel, and commercial use. It is now popular among joggers as well as families. It now has al fresco dining as well as arts and culture. On 16 May 2020, during the

COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore The COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The first case in :Singapore was confirmed on 23 January 2020. Early cases ...

, Robertson Quay was the site of a significant breach of rules designed to curb the spread of COVID-19 by numerous parties. On 2 June 2020, seven people were charged for breaching rules. They were ultimately fined between S$8,000 and S$9,000 each, and six of them had their work passes revoked, permanently debarring them from working in Singapore in the future. On 16 June, two British citizens who were also permanent residents of Singapore were charged in relation to the same gathering. The result of their case was not published, but one was still posting photos on Instagram from Singapore after the case was completed, suggesting he had not been ejected from Singapore.

Geography

Robertson Quay occupies 51 hectares of the

planning area. It starts roughly midway, or about 1.5 km from the river mouth, and terminates at the river source near the Kim Seng Bridge.

Gallery

File:Map of quays along the Singapore River.jpg, The three quays of the Singapore River. The source of the Singapore River is begins about 3 km from the river mouth File:Robertson Quay, Singapore - 20110731.jpg, Source of the Singapore River and Robertson Quay File:Singapore-RobertsonQuay-MidSection.jpg, Midsection of Robertson Quay File:InterContinental Singapore Robertson Quay Facade Day.jpg, InterContinental Singapore Robertson Quay

Notes

{{Places in Singapore Singapore River Wharves Geography of Singapore