Reflections at Bukit Chandu
Reflections at Bukit Chandu
4.5
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Reflections at Bukit Chandu (RBC) is an interpretative centre that commemorates the battle of Pasir Panjang and the men of the Malay Regiment who fought it, as well as the history of Bukit Chandu itself. Housed in a bungalow that is closely connected to the site's history, Reflections at Bukit Chandu uses immersive experiences and contextual artefacts to present a multi-faceted look at Bukit Chandu and Pasir Panjang, while inviting visitors to reflect on our nation’s wartime experience and the brave sacrifice of the soldiers.
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4.5
89 reviews
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ngmk
Singapore54 contributions
May 2022 • Friends
Visited this place today
Highly recommended
Located in a small hill, can walk from Kent ridge park through canopy walk or from hort park.
Lucky to join guided tour by MR Simon. He is super good and knowledgeable. He talk about this museum history and war time with clear explanation.
Thanks a lot.
Highly recommended
Located in a small hill, can walk from Kent ridge park through canopy walk or from hort park.
Lucky to join guided tour by MR Simon. He is super good and knowledgeable. He talk about this museum history and war time with clear explanation.
Thanks a lot.
Written May 21, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
karhonleong
Singapore755 contributions
Dec 2013 • Solo
This is a simple setup, there is a small 2 storey bungalow at the hilltop at Pepys Road, off Pasir Panjang Road. On the inside is the museum, the first level shows the map of Malaya and Singapore and showed how the Japanese planned the invasion during WW2. There are many short videos you can choose from the list from "Battle of Singapore" Menu. Then you walk to another small room besides, you can watch another short video. Go up the stairs to level 2, there are 2 rooms, the first to the left shows the weapons used by the Singapore Defenders and the Japanese, go right is the arts display of W. R. Harxworth, next is a mini theater, that seats about 20 person. The show is about how Malay Regiment fought the Japanese during WW2 at Bukit Chandu, only a few soldiers survived the battle. This show is not suitable for young children and pregnant women or those prone to epileptic seizures.
This attraction is only free for locals, bring your ID to prove at the entrance. Visitors have to walk up Pepys Road, about 15 -20 mins from Pasir Panjang MRT. If you drive, there are 2 carparks beside, where you can park for free. This museum is not wheelchair accessible, there are no lifts and visitors have to climb stairs to reach the bungalow.
This attraction is only free for locals, bring your ID to prove at the entrance. Visitors have to walk up Pepys Road, about 15 -20 mins from Pasir Panjang MRT. If you drive, there are 2 carparks beside, where you can park for free. This museum is not wheelchair accessible, there are no lifts and visitors have to climb stairs to reach the bungalow.
Written December 22, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
sahaScotland
Scotland28 contributions
Jan 2013 • Friends
Reflections at Bukit Chandu is both very sad and very uplifting at the same time. Such a moving story and so well told at the centre. It’s a beautifully restored villa looked after lovingly by a small team of staff who are clearly passionate about keeping the memories of what happened real and alive. And since hope for the future rests on not repeating the mistakes of the past I hope they are successful.
Nearby is the site of the Pasir Panjang Ridge battlefield which I can't believe they've renamed 'Kent Ridge' after some second rate royal who happened to visit it for a couple of hours in the 1950's. It should be called 'Adnan Ridge' or 'Malay Regiment Ridge' in memory of the brave men who fought to defend Singapore.
Nearby is the site of the Pasir Panjang Ridge battlefield which I can't believe they've renamed 'Kent Ridge' after some second rate royal who happened to visit it for a couple of hours in the 1950's. It should be called 'Adnan Ridge' or 'Malay Regiment Ridge' in memory of the brave men who fought to defend Singapore.
Written January 23, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JohnSunderlandUk
Sunderland, UK473 contributions
Sep 2012 • Family
I thought this museum was fascinating, my wife who is not interested in anything military was also moved by the harrowing personal stories portrayed here ( one of which is being made into a film). The museum uses modern video in novel ways to tell the story of the defence of Singapore and the actual house and area where the museum now stands. It also tells some sad personal stories eg the massacre of British hospital staff and patients when the Japanese army ransacked the hospital bayoneting everyone from staff,nurses, surgeons even people on the operating table then stole their watches etc. it tells other personal stories of Malay regiment soldiers who knew they were going to die yet stood their ground and fought the Japanese in hand to hand fighting and when wounded they were strung up by the japanese. This is the true story of the conflict it was brutal hand to hand fighting and the museum depicts this. The stories may bring you to tears.
We were shown around the museum by a guide who was very helpful and knowledgeable. The museum is air conditioned, which is a relief as it is up a gentle incline and some steps to get here. But well worth the walk, these men and women remembered here fought so we could all be free I think we owe it to them to make the journey and learn a little more about what they did.
In summary a fantastic modern museum that uses novel ways to entertain and inform definitely 100% worth a visit and it's on two dollars to get in.....bargain....we paid our two dollars each but gave a donation we valued this museum so much.
We were shown around the museum by a guide who was very helpful and knowledgeable. The museum is air conditioned, which is a relief as it is up a gentle incline and some steps to get here. But well worth the walk, these men and women remembered here fought so we could all be free I think we owe it to them to make the journey and learn a little more about what they did.
In summary a fantastic modern museum that uses novel ways to entertain and inform definitely 100% worth a visit and it's on two dollars to get in.....bargain....we paid our two dollars each but gave a donation we valued this museum so much.
Written September 4, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tom M
London, UK299 contributions
Nov 2014
If I was told I had one last day to spend in Singapore, and I could only visit one tourist attraction, this would be it. Sure, it's a close call with the Botanic Gardens, but this one shades it. Why? Because it makes me cry.
Situated at the end of Kent Ridge Park, well outside the city centre, it is approached off the Pasir Panjang Road up the hill and into a small and usually almost deserted car park. Walk up out of this and you see a traditional black-and-white, one of the former British officers' residences. At the gate a friendly old gentleman welcomes you in and sells you a ticket - one gets the impression that so few visitors make it up here that each one is made so welcome for expressing an interest in this unique little piece of history.
For what is documented inside is the history of the Malay Regiment. Formed to defend Singapore in WW2, the Malay regiment was caught in the maelstrom of the Japanese invasion in 1942, when the illusion of the invincible fortress Singapore was shown to be just that. As the Japanese swept across the island, this regiment fought hard against the odds of superior numbers and superior weapons, and although ultimately defeated left behind a piece of history in which the Singapore Malay community can take pride.
The museum has several rooms documenting the story, and a video montage, but most poignant are the histories and letters of some of the soldiers who fought that day and the awful things that followed for those who survived.
There's no skirting around the fact that the the Japanese atrocities here, although relatively small in scale, mirrored aspects of the holocaust (think soldiers bayoneting the injured in their beds as they stormed a hospital), and have shaped Singapore's attitude to defence ever since. If you want to understand some of the drivers of the development of Singapore, away from the shopping malls, glitzy hotels and bars, come here.
Situated at the end of Kent Ridge Park, well outside the city centre, it is approached off the Pasir Panjang Road up the hill and into a small and usually almost deserted car park. Walk up out of this and you see a traditional black-and-white, one of the former British officers' residences. At the gate a friendly old gentleman welcomes you in and sells you a ticket - one gets the impression that so few visitors make it up here that each one is made so welcome for expressing an interest in this unique little piece of history.
For what is documented inside is the history of the Malay Regiment. Formed to defend Singapore in WW2, the Malay regiment was caught in the maelstrom of the Japanese invasion in 1942, when the illusion of the invincible fortress Singapore was shown to be just that. As the Japanese swept across the island, this regiment fought hard against the odds of superior numbers and superior weapons, and although ultimately defeated left behind a piece of history in which the Singapore Malay community can take pride.
The museum has several rooms documenting the story, and a video montage, but most poignant are the histories and letters of some of the soldiers who fought that day and the awful things that followed for those who survived.
There's no skirting around the fact that the the Japanese atrocities here, although relatively small in scale, mirrored aspects of the holocaust (think soldiers bayoneting the injured in their beds as they stormed a hospital), and have shaped Singapore's attitude to defence ever since. If you want to understand some of the drivers of the development of Singapore, away from the shopping malls, glitzy hotels and bars, come here.
Written August 14, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
R M
Chambersburg, PA276 contributions
Feb 2015 • Couples
This is one of the many WWII museums on the fall of Singapore to Japan. It is a small museum but is very interesting, it has some great film footage of things that happened. The one attendant was a child when this all took place and has memories of things that took place. As with many of these museums, this is not for the younger children, they will be bored. However the Park is a great park for kids to cut loose and enjoy the day, take the Canopy Walk just across from the Museum. It is an elevated walk way with beautiful views and the occasional sightings of monkeys and snakes in the trees. The park has many paths for walking and viewing.
Written February 22, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
wingate
London, UK2,729 contributions
May 2014 • Solo
It was worth the walk up a steep hill on a boiling hot day to visit this museum..the museum is small but we'll laid out with a number of informative videos.I was made to feel most welcome and handed a free booklet on singapore in the war.certainly one of the best museums that I have been to in singapore
Written May 29, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Karen R
Baltimore, MD419 contributions
May 2014 • Solo
Yes, it is a long walk up a hill to get to Bukit Chandu, but if you don't mind a bit of exercise (or splurge for a taxi) it's a worthwhile visit for people interested in WW2 history.
I was most impressed with the docents - they really wanted to ensure that you get the most out of out of your visit. When the gentleman at reception gave me a senior citizen discount, didn't know whether to laugh, be insulted or be grateful; but he offered it with such apparent good intentions that gratitude was the most appropriate response. He ensured that visitors were aware of the presentations on the upper floor - he escorted everyone to the theater ! But what I found most touching was as I was leaving, he gave me a booklet on all the WW2 sights in Singapore. I don't know if it was a free publication available to everyone, but it thought that was a nice thing to do. You could tell he really loved his job.
I was most impressed with the docents - they really wanted to ensure that you get the most out of out of your visit. When the gentleman at reception gave me a senior citizen discount, didn't know whether to laugh, be insulted or be grateful; but he offered it with such apparent good intentions that gratitude was the most appropriate response. He ensured that visitors were aware of the presentations on the upper floor - he escorted everyone to the theater ! But what I found most touching was as I was leaving, he gave me a booklet on all the WW2 sights in Singapore. I don't know if it was a free publication available to everyone, but it thought that was a nice thing to do. You could tell he really loved his job.
Written May 26, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Halkidis
Southwest Finland, Finland4,680 contributions
Jan 2014 • Couples
Little hard to get, because nearest MRT station is at least 20-30min walk away(and you have to walk up to a hill), so bus or taxi are best options. Small Place, but offers some interesting things to see. Behind the place is Canopy trail. If you are in good shape, you can take (loooong) walk here to Southern Ridges and all the way to Cable Car. Very interesting route and lots to see, but I think it's at least 6-7km(about 4 miles) in hot weather. So don't forget water and hat/sun screen
Written January 28, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The_Coach55
Ruislip, UK1,310 contributions
Jul 2017 • Solo
The closest MRT station to Reflections is Pasir Panjang although it is a fifteen minute walk from there uphill which is quite testing in the hot and humid weather.
I actually visited twice as my first trip was marred by a party of noisy and unruly schoolboys.
Reflections deals with the last days and the final battle with the Japanese, exemplifying the bravery of those who fought so hard to prevent them taking Singapore, especially those from the Malay regiments.
There are some good audio-visual displays and admission is free.
I actually visited twice as my first trip was marred by a party of noisy and unruly schoolboys.
Reflections deals with the last days and the final battle with the Japanese, exemplifying the bravery of those who fought so hard to prevent them taking Singapore, especially those from the Malay regiments.
There are some good audio-visual displays and admission is free.
Written July 29, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The easiest and best way is to take a taxi. However, you can also get there by bus or train but it will be a long walk uphill just to get to the attraction.
Written September 27, 2016
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