Gillman Barracks

Gillman Barracks is a contemporary arts cluster in Singapore that is home to international art galleries, restaurants and the NTU Centre for Contemporary Art (CCA) Singapore, which are all housed in conserved colonial barracks. Gillman Barracks lies near to Alexandra Road, and the 6.4 hectare site covers Lock Road and Malan Road amid greenery. Gillman Barracks is jointly developed by the Singapore Economic Development Board, JTC Corporation and the National Arts Council.

Before Gillman Barracks was built in 1936, it was a land of mostly swamp and jungle. Named after the late General Sir Webb Gillman, an esteemed officer sent by the British army, Gillman Barracks was chosen to be the naval base and military barracks of the British due to its prime location near the sea. Gillman Barracks housed the 1st Battalion, Middlesex Regiment and the 2nd Battalion, Loyal Regiment of the British Army. The plan was to accommodate the expansion of the British infantry in Singapore. After its construction at that time, Gillman Barracks was known as the largest dry dock in the world.

Gillman Barracks was one of the last British outposts to fall to the Japanese during the Second World War, where the Regiment fought the Japanese three days before Singapore fell in February 1942. Upon Japanese surrender on 14 August 1945, command of the base transferred to the returning British forces.

In August 1971, the British handed over Gillman Barracks to the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) for a token sum of $1, as part of their withdrawal from Singapore. For the next 13 years, it served as the headquarters for the School of Combat Engineering and the 3rd Transport Battalion. In 1984, a similar handover was done between the School of Combat Engineering and the SAF Transport Base, with $1 being the handover fee. Gillman Barracks was later vacated in 1990 and used subsequently for commercial purposes.

After the SAF vacated the camp in the 1990s, the buildings were used for commercial purposes and the site was renamed Gillman Village in 1996. The main colonial building was repainted and renovated to include commercial spaces such as cafés, restaurants, bars and furniture shops. The idea was to draw people to this slightly hidden enclave with the promise of colonial charm and delicious food and beverage options. However, Gillman Village was not very successful due to its isolated location and it had little human traffic.

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