Bencoolen: The Forgotten British Outpost

IN THE HEART of Singapore’s bustling Central Business District, Bencoolen Street hums with activity. Locals and tourists alike traverse this busy thoroughfare, many descending 43m below to board trains at Bencoolen MRT station. Yet, for all its familiarity, the street’s namesake remains a mystery to most. Few Singaporeans or Malaysians can pinpoint the location of the original Bencoolen.

Its Hokkien name, Mang-ku-lu toa lo (Mangkulu main street), is much closer to the actual pronunciation of its namesake, Bengkulu—a contraction of Bangkahulu^[1] in Minangkabau. Unsurprisingly, it was mangled into Bencoolen after passing through the English tongue; much like how Pinang became Penang. Singapore in its early days was under the jurisdiction of Fort Marlborough at Bencoolen, whose Lieutenant-Governor was none other than Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, the founder of British Singapore. The street was named after the Malays from Bengkulu who settled nearby after following Raffles to the new settlement.^[2]