Jerome Lim has made a hobby out of chronicling what he calls “his Singapore” on his blog The Long and Winding Road – less a reference to the popular Beatles song of the same name, and more a collection of “people, places, events, words and images that have left an impression” on the silver across the decades.
Though a naval architect by training and trade, the 60-year-old has shown his skill in uncovering stories and retelling them in intimate, loving detail.
His recollections of Singapore heritage have clearly struck a chord with Singaporeans, as he’s managed to grow an ardent following on his blog (and almost 70,000 Facebook followers on a similarly named Facebook page) in the decade and a half since he started.
Along the way, he’s put his findings to paper in books like Uncommon Ground: The Places You Know, The Stories You Don’t and Secret Singapore (which he co-wrote with travel writer Heidi Sarna).
His contributions to the body of research about Singapore’s history have been significant enough to warrant attention from the likes of the National Heritage Board (NHB), Singapore Land Authority (SLA) and Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), who charged the licensed tour guide with the task of curating tours and exhibitions delving into forgotten titbits of the country’s history.
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These range from deep dives into well-known spots like the historic Rail Corridor, to unearthing hidden nuggets from a bygone era – such as the tale of Singapore’s oldest surviving lift on 5 Kadayanallur Street.
Read on to find out how a proud “child of the 60s and 70s” was inspired to turn memories from his childhood into Singapore heritage stories that are captivating multiple generations of people here.
Jerome Lim's journey to blogging
Jerome’s first step down the path to becoming an “accidental blogger” came in 2007, during a sojourn to Penang for a naval job abroad.
"It got me thinking about the country in the 60s and 70s during my childhood."
Image Courtesy of Jerome Lim
"It was more a repository of memories – it wasn’t meant to be a very public or serious thing, though as it started to grow, I just went along with it."
Jerome Lim: Stories of places come first
According to Jerome, his knack for tying stories to historical locations was cultivated during weekend travels with his late father.
He returned to Singapore in 2008, where he began to write in earnest. An early story that particularly resonated with his readers was one of his childhood in Toa Payoh, recalling the buzz when the late Queen Elizabeth II famously visited a viewing gallery on the rooftop of Block 53, Toa Payoh Lorong 5.
Image Courtesy of Jerome Lim
Then came the news that the Tanjong Pagar Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) Railway Station and the tracks and land connecting it to Malaysia – now known as the Rail Corridor – would be returned to Singapore in a land swop, with the railway ceasing operations for good in the area and moving to Woodlands.
Image Courtesy of Jerome Lim
But more than that, the Rail Corridor also holds a special place in Jerome’s heart due to the part it played in his love life.
Armed with this personal connection, Jerome documented the events leading up to the railway station’s final closure, peppering his stories with heartfelt anecdotes of railway staff and other findings.
Meaningful conservation
For Jerome, stories are the gulf between “meaningful conservation” and conservation for its own sake – a hot topic in Singapore, where renovations and renewal are a daily reality.
"But as we develop and demolish these old spaces, we lose places that have meaning to us, we lose places that are familiar to us – and these are what makes home, home."
Even so, with conflicting demands from all sides, not every building that’s conserved retains its essence, Jerome says. An example he gives is the former Kapal Di Raja (Malay for royal ship) Malaya naval base located off Admiralty Road West, where the Art Deco-inspired administrative block, a stone rubble wall and twin stairways were preserved – but little else.
"But by preserving the building in isolation, all of that history is lost."
Image Courtesy of Jerome Lim
On the other hand, he points to Chinatown as an example where he feels conservation and gentrification are in balance.
Past, present and future
As someone contributing to Singapore’s collective history, Jerome feels that the past – warts and all – should be worthy to chronicle, whether in written form on a blog such as his, or as a work of art.
Image Courtesy of Jerome Lim
On his part, he also wishes to capture more of this history – nuanced, compelling and unsanitary as it may sometimes be – in Singapore and especially, in our neighbouring countries of Malaysia and Indonesia as he enters his golden years.
After all, writing on his blog, for him, is as much a way to remember the past as it is to look to the future.
