Gillman Village, located at Lock road, is a quaint hub of restaurants, pubs and furniture shops frequented by office workers and expatriate families. Formely known as the Gillman Barracks, it used to house the British army and later, some units of the Singapore Armed Forces. For those who crave the old world charm of Singapore's colonial history without any makeover in the mould of Rochester Park or Dempsey, Gillman is definitely the place to go after work in the evening or at night.
The iconic bridge which leads to Gillman Village
Located at the outskirts of Queenstown, visitors can hop onto SBS Transit Bus service number 51 from Queenstown MRT, service number 100 from Commonwealth MRT or 61 from Tanglin Halt. There are no parking woes or chichi crowds at the village, just a relaxed ambience.
One of the many defunct barracks converted to pubs and restaurants
The decision this aged old army barracks was a recent one. In 2002, it was included in an Identity Plan unveiled by the URA to preserve and enhance the distinctive character of Gillman Village. Under the proposed plans, new commercial uses of the village was introduced and new buildings and car parks are built to draw more visitors.
Gillman Village was a quiet and serene place when MyQueenstown Team visited yesterday. The area was relatively unknown among Queenstown residents but we came to know that there was a steady increase in number of visitors to the pubs because it was located near the HortPark and Alexandra Arch, which was part of the Southern Ridges walking trail.
A stroll into Gillman Village soothed the mind and the soul of the tired body. The richness in heritage was comparable to any other districts in Queenstown and the old army barracks was fascinating to watch, considering we did not know about the living conditions of the soldiers in the yesteryears. While the army barracks resemble the Victorian bungalows in Portsdown, it differs in its mellowness and obscurity in nature.
Blk 7 Lock Road-One of the army barracks in Gillman Village
Verve Bar & Bistro in one of the barracks
MyQueenstown Team decided to enter into one of the barracks. Fortunately or unfortunately, it was entirely reconfigured into a bar and restaurant. They was no single trace of a former military camp. It was a Spanish themed restaurant and there were lifelike posters and portraits of different areas in Spain.
However, food was pretty good in this bar and probably in the other restaurants too. The pizza we ordered was quite filling and affordable. Queenstown residents may consider popping into the bar!
This pizza tastes heavenly!
This portrait is beautiful! Isn't it?
What was distasteful at Gillman Village may be the "over-quietness" at the village. To a crowd lover, this village lacks the vibe and energy portrayed at other chillout spots. To young couples, this place may be suitable for soft chatting bar some irritating mosquitoes.
Venturing into other lanes and streets within the village was another good suggestion. There were many themed restaurants worth a second peek considering its array of fanciful conceptual dining. If you feel Thai, you can go to a Thai restaurant. If you feel Baliness, do pop into the alfresco dining area of the restaurant.
Thai themed restaurants
Bali themed restaurant
Queenstown has many different chillout spots within or at the outskirts of its boundaries. What Gillman Village offers differ greatly from other spots such as Holland Village or Dempsey. Fine diners will prefer Dempsey; expatriates and whackos may like Chip Bee Gardens; young executives may like Gillman Village a lot. It's relatively untouched and its old town charm will continue to light up the night of Queenstown.
Kerosene flames at Gillman Village
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2 comments:
Queenstown is not like Clementi or Jurong. The number of foreigners in Queenstown may be much lesser than other places because the houses there are more expensive. So, that's why residents there don't have this impact
I have been google for sometime but still cannot find whats the plan for gillman village. The little bali has to move because they said govt is taking back the lease or land. so now, hmm wondering whats happening.
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