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Anglo-Chinese School

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Anglo-Chinese School ( ACS ) is a family of Methodist schools in Singapore and Indonesia . It was founded in 1886 by Bishop William Fitzjames Oldham as an extension of the Methodist Episcopal Church . Its students and alumni are referred to as "ACSians" ( /ˈɑksiɑn/ ). ACS was the first school in Singapore to have a flower named after it, the "Ascocenda Anglo-Chinese School orchid", a hybrid created by the school to mark its 116th Founder's Day on 1 March 2002.

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52-547: Founded on 1 March 1886 by Bishop William Fitzjames Oldham as an extension of the Methodist Church , the school was a shophouse at 70 Amoy Street, Singapore with 13 pupils. The name of the school came from its conducting lessons in Chinese in the morning and English in the afternoon. By the following year, enrollment was 104 and the school moved to Coleman Street. Between 1914 and 1920, under Reverend J. S. Nagle,

104-480: A competitive prize for this subject. Oldham's keen abilities in apologetics came to the fore in Madras Christian College where non-Christians frequently presented strong counter-arguments against Christianity, although he claimed that during this time he did not yet have a true Christian faith. Interestingly, Oldham had a pet white tiger at the age of 6. This was a gift from his friendly neighbours,

156-566: A following, and on Oldham's 32nd birthday in 1886, the first local Methodist Church held its dedication service. In due time, it became known as the Wesley Methodist Church. At its stone-laying ceremony in 1907, Oldham remembered, with pride, how the church had been self-sufficient from the day it was established, funded mainly by a small band of believers united by the English language and their faith. The first Chinese to join

208-524: A neighbourhood that was formerly developed as British military housing in the 1950s, but is now owned by the Singapore government and rented to private individuals and, on Jalan Merah Saga, businesses. Chip Bee Gardens has a reputation for being an enclave of Western expatriates , although many Singaporeans and other Asians reside there too. Holland Close is a large HDB estate located at the southern part of Chip Bee Gardens. Shuang Long Shan, also known as

260-489: A new building at 16 Winstedt Road. Anglo-Chinese School obtained its independence status from MOE in 1988. In 1988, Anglo-Chinese Secondary School was renamed Anglo-Chinese School (Independent). After receiving its independent status, the school had outgrown the Barker Road campus and plans were made to construct a new building. It relocated to 121 Dover Road in 1992. Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road) opened in 1994 and

312-545: A noteworthy Malay scholar, for training in printing. This eventually led to the establishment of the Methodist Publishing House (MPH). Oldham was also involved in the early beginnings of medical missions which was spearheaded by Dr B. F. West, with Oldham bringing medical supplies from India. Unfortunately, with a full day teaching at school and preaching on weekends, the work soon took its toll on Oldham who, after four years of labour, had to take leave for

364-471: A shophouse and strong funding from these Chinese merchants, Oldham began the Anglo-Chinese School at 70 Amoy Street on 1 March 1886; Within a year he had an enrolment of more than 100 boys. The first boys included Tan Keong Saik's sons and Tan Jiak Kim 's brothers. Within a year he had an enrolment of more than 100 boys. Oldham was greatly encouraged when half of the $ 12,000 required to build

416-721: A structure that continues to exist in the Methodist churches of Singapore today. Continuing his work in educational missions, Oldham pushed for a higher level of education and mooted for an Anglo-Chinese College but this did not materialise until the founding of the Raffles College decades later. He also saw to the founding of the Jean Hamilton Memorial School, the first local institution to train Asian ministers. On 4 February 1909, Oldham officially opened

468-768: A time under the auspices of the Ohio Conference. He was the founder of a mission ministry in Singapore. The Oldhams were then appointed to accompany Bishop Thoburn to begin pioneering Methodist work in Singapore. They arrived on 7 February 1885 on the SS Khandalla, and were welcomed by Charles Phillips. The Oldhams' work included English services at the Town Hall, talks in homes, evangelistic meetings at The Christian Institute at Waterloo Street and regular street preaching. Sometimes pelted by rotten eggs during his outdoor preaching, this gifted orator nevertheless attracted

520-715: A vibrant ministry while serving as a pastor in Butler Street Church in Pittsburgh, and was also the Chair of Missions at the Ohio Wesleyan University. At Pittsburgh, a revival drew more than 60 young men. Among them was Titus Lowe who later succeeded Oldham as Bishop to Malaysia. In 1895, at Ohio Wesleyan University, Oldham founded the Chair of Missions and Comparative Religions, and taught about Southeast Asia from his years of experience. When he

572-559: A year after the Japanese surrender, once the buildings at Cairnhill and Coleman Street had been made safe following damage sustained during the war. The pre-war principal, T. W. Hinch, who had been interned by the Japanese during the occupation and had been sent back to England to recover, returned to the school in June 1946. He set up "X" and "Y" classes, each with different levels of difficulty, for students who had missed their education due to

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624-523: Is a neighbourhood located along the boundary between the planning areas of Bukit Timah and Queenstown in the Central Region of Singapore . Holland Village is a popular shopping and dining destination for younger Singaporeans and expatriates . It is dominated by and often visited solely for its eateries and watering holes, along with some specialist shops. The area is served by its own MRT station , which opened in 2011. Holland Village

676-603: Is a non-existent landmark. Within Singapore's transport system , Holland Village is linked to Orchard Road via Holland Road . Holland Village MRT station is located on the Circle MRT line . Holland Village is within the Buona Vista division of Tanjong Pagar Group Representation Constituency (GRC) with its Member of Parliament being Minister of Trade & Industry Chan Chun Sing since 2011. The constituency

728-583: Is known as hue hng au in Hokkien , meaning "behind the flower garden". The "flower garden" refers to the Botanic Gardens . Several areas are considered to be in the Holland Village area. Holland Village is a crescent-shaped area of shophouses and small malls set around Lorong Liput and Lorong Mambong, surrounded by Holland Road and Holland Avenue. On the other side of Holland Avenue is

780-474: Is located at the Barker Road campus. It moved to the former Swiss Cottage Primary School while awaiting completion of the Barker Road rebuilding project. The school was divided into primary and secondary sections, the latter retaining the Barker Road suffix and the former later becoming ACS (Primary). Anglo-Chinese School (International) is a private school. The school opened in January 2005 with 150 students and

832-735: Is located in Holland Village on the former premises of the now defunct Buona Vista Secondary School at 61 Jalan Hitam Manis. From January 2026, a 10-storey elementary school building on the same site as its high school can accommodate 450 pupils from seven years of age to 12. The pupils will follow the Cambridge Primary curriculum offered by Cambridge International Education. Anglo-Chinese Junior College opened in 1977, located at 25 Dover Close East. ACS Jakarta began in July 1996 as Sekolah Tiara Bangsa (STB) before formally joining

884-631: The 1980s, Palm's Wine Bar along Lorong Mambong started the trend for wine bars. During that period, other cafes like Batter Batter (famous for its butterscotch and other pancakes) and Milano Pizza (which became a successful chain in the 80s) also sprang up in Holland V. In the 90s, the restaurant Original Sin started a wave of upscale vegetarian dining when its Australian-Italian owner introduced Singapore to her first Mediterranean vegetarian dining experience in Chip Bee Gardens. Original Sin's menu

936-545: The ACS Family as STB-ACS (International) Jakarta in July 2006 following. The name was changed to ACS Jakarta in 2015. William Fitzjames Oldham William Fitzjames Oldham (15 December 1854 – 27 March 1937) was a British-American bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church and missionary bishop for South Asia . He distinguished himself as a missionary , an author and a church official. He

988-602: The Americas and Australia, and had been brought to India through the invitation of Bishop James Thoburn . Bishop Thoburn also had a Chinese background, and he was to be an influence on Oldham's decision to serve in Southeast Asia and later to assume the mantle of the Bishopric. Oldham later compiled Thoburn's biography in a work entitled Thoburn Called of God (1918), testifying to the influence of his mentor. He thus

1040-586: The Barker Road campus and moved to Dover Road. After strong lobbying by alumni, the Barker Road site became the site of a second secondary school. At the same time, the Anglo-Chinese Primary School abandoned its Coleman Street premises (the old building now housing the National Archives of Singapore ) to share premises with the new secondary school at Barker Road, now named ACS (Barker Road). Anglo-Chinese School (Primary) (ACSP)

1092-617: The Bras Basah jail. Oldham went on to appoint Benjamin Pillai to serve the Tamil community. Work amongst the Tamils grew steadily under the leadership of C. W. Underwood who had come to Singapore via Jaffna, Ceylon in 1887. Oldham was also instrumental in helping to set up the publishing industry in the Methodist church, which he did by purchasing a printing press and by sending W. G. Shellabear,

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1144-753: The Gnani family, who owned a pet tiger. Oldham earned a B.A. degree from Boston University and an M.A. from Allegheny College , and became a government surveyor. He was handpicked for the Great Trigonometric Survey of India, a key 19th century survey of India and its adjoining lands. It was in 1873, in the midst of this secular work, that Oldham was invited to the preaching tents of visiting American Daniel O. Fox. The teachings of these Methodist missionaries, led by Bishop William Taylor , were strange yet attractive to Oldham. Bishop Taylor himself had served in far-flung mission fields including

1196-616: The Holland Close Cemetery, is a cemetery for the Hakka community since the 1960s. Many food chains in Singapore, such as Crystal Jade , The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf , Sushi Tei, Subway , and Häagen-Dazs , are in Holland Village. A 24-hour kopitiam , a market and a food court are also present with food stalls selling local and western dishes. Other eating places include Starbucks and several dessert, Western cuisine and Japanese cuisine outlets. The gentrification of

1248-443: The Holland V area is characterised by the more up-market dining options such as the ethnic restaurants as well as franchises such as Tapas Bar. Other prominent bars include Tango's, Baden, Harry's Bar and Wala Wala. Holland Village has a reputation as an expatriate neighbourhood but nevertheless attracts a majority of locals to its pubs and restaurants. The Village has been a cradle for a number of lifestyle trends in Singapore. In

1300-577: The Java missions was discontinued in 1928, and the Methodist Publishing House was relinquished to a secular company in 1927. The Oldhams ended their term of service in 1928 where Oldham retired to Broad Street Church in Columbus, Ohio, before returning to Bangalore in 1933. In November 1934, Oldham and his wife returned to Singapore from Bangalore to celebrate the Golden Jubilee (50th anniversary) of

1352-722: The Methodist Church in the Philippines, led an attempt to secede from the episcopacy which Oldham had been heading. The painful split in the Filipina Methodist Church was a difficult matter for the Bishop. He was elected a bishop of the M.E. Church in 1916, serving until his death. His office was at 150 Fifth Avenue, New York City and his residence was in Leonia, New Jersey . He was also a trustee of

1404-731: The Methodist Church led Oldham to participate in the Celestial Reasoning Association, a debating society which the Straits Chinese formed to help develop their skills in English and moral thinking. At a meeting held in the home of Tan Keong Saik, Oldham gave a talk on astronomy. The Association, presided by the Chinese Consul to Singapore, thus introduced Oldham to educated and well-to-do Chinese merchants who were keen to have their sons and themselves educated in English and Western culture. With 13 boys in

1456-737: The Union Missionary Institute in Brooklyn, New York . He also served as an Assistant (Corresponding) Secretary of Missions for his denomination, beginning in 1912. Despite his popularity and success, Oldham's term as bishop in Asia came to an abrupt in 1912 when he was appointed a coordinate secretary to the Methodist Board of Foreign Missions in New York. His abilities in fundraising and networking were needed to reduce

1508-651: The United States in 1889. Oldham was a member of M.E. General Conferences in 1880, 1900, 1904, 1908 and 1912. He was a delegate to the Second and Fourth Ecumenical Conferences in 1891 and 1911, as well as the Edinburgh Convention in 1910. Even in America, Oldham continued to serve actively, leading churches, lecturing and encouraging future church leaders to work in Southeast Asia. He established

1560-594: The Wesley Methodist Church, and raised funds for the construction of the Wesley Methodist Church in Penang which opened in 1912. During this time, Oldham published his reflections on Malaya in a book entitled Malaysia: Natures wonderland (1907). He also served as an Assistant (Corresponding) Secretary of Missions for his denomination, beginning in 1912. During his term, Oldham also faced difficult challenges. In 1909, Nicholas Zamora, an eloquent leader in

1612-652: The Wesley Methodist church also erected an apse in 1957 to commemorate its 50th anniversary. The stained-glass window at the apse shows the life of Oldham and the church's milestones. Oldham Lane near Dhoby Ghaut, is named after him. Oldham died on 27 March 1937 in Glendale , California , United States and was buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park . Holland Village, Singapore Holland Village , often abbreviated as Holland V ,

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1664-413: The completion of the Barker Road campus rebuilding project. The school moved back to Barker Road on 4 December 2002. Anglo-Chinese School (Junior) (ACSJ), formerly named Anglo-Chinese Junior School, is one of the two ACS primary schools in Singapore. Established in 1951 at the old Coleman Street campus, it moved to its former premises at 25 Peck Hay Road at the end of 1984. In December 2008, it relocated to

1716-743: The education of girls that Oldham was keen to leave his mark. With strong help from Sophia Blackmore , an Australian missionary who had arrived in Singapore via India in 1887, the Fairfield Methodist Girls' School as well as the Methodist Girls' School were subsequently established. Although these schools were built as American Methodist institutions, the Englishman had good support from the British government in Malaya. In

1768-515: The financial crisis the Board was facing. Oldham rose to the occasion and settled the crisis in four years. Whilst in this position, he also encouraged more indigenous leadership. Oldham went on to take charge of the Methodist work as Bishop to South America in Buenos Aires in 1916. Even there, he and his wife continued to establish schools. In Asia, Oldham saw two major losses to his missions:

1820-582: The first autonomous principal of ACPS with pupils from Primary 1 to 6, incorporating the Oldham Methodist Primary School with classes from Primary 1 to 6 in the afternoon. At the end of 1984, the junior school moved to 25 Peck Hay Road, while the primary school continued lessons at Canning Rise until 1994. It merged with the Barker Road school in that year, but in December 1998 relocated temporarily to 9 Ah Hood Road while waiting for

1872-583: The founding of the Methodist Church in Singapore which was to be held in January the following year. By this time the Oldhams had become American citizens. This was to be Oldham's last visit to Singapore. He died 27 March 1937 in Pasadena, California, at the age of 83. Today, Oldham is remembered annually on 1 March, designated as Founder's Day at the Anglo-Chinese Schools. In memory of him,

1924-536: The headmaster of the Madras Christian College. His father, though a Catholic, had turned anti-Romanist, and Oldham had absorbed the religious teachings of the Protestants when attending Anglican schools. He recollected that as a child of six, missionaries had taught him the childs prayer, "O Lord save me, O Lord Christ convert me" which remained with him to adulthood and helped transform his faith. The young Oldham studied Paley's Evidences of Christianity so well he won

1976-616: The new school building at Coleman Street was almost wholly raised by the Chinese largely through the influence of Tan Jiak Kim. In 1902, the student boarding house was renamed Oldham Hall. In addition to founding the Anglo-Chinese School, Oldham also established the Anglo-Tamil School in September 1885 with the help of the first foreign recruit, M Gnanamuthoo, a Tamil teacher who had been a resident in Rangoon. It was, however,

2028-463: The occupation. In September 1950, the secondary school relocated from Cairnhill Street to Barker Road. In 1988, when the Ministry of Education started its independent school program, the school reorganized. New regulations allowed schools access to private funding and subjected them to less government regulation in the content of their curricula. Renamed ACS (Independent), in 1993 the school vacated

2080-717: The rest with a customer base as wide as its range of imported beers and its nightly band performances. Today, the rows of shops along Lorong Mambong and Jalan Merah Saga house some of Singapore's most famous and characteristic pubs and restaurants, many of which are fully booked during weekends. Holland Village has a variety of commercial amenities. There are three shopping centres in Holland Village: Raffles Holland V, Holland Road Shopping Centre and Holland V Shopping Mall. Retail establishments are located along four streets and two shopping buildings. These streets are Jalan Merah Saga and Holland Avenue on

2132-489: The same side, and Lorong Liput and Lorong Mambong on the opposite side. The shopping buildings are Holland Road Shopping Centre and Raffles Holland V Mall which is along Holland Avenue, and Holland Piazza along Lorong Liput which that mall opened in January 2019 as the newest shopping mall there as well as One Holland Village Mall in December 2023. These buildings along Holland Avenue are often casually referred to by sales assistants as Holland Village Shopping Centre, which in name

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2184-439: The school introduced religious (or "chapel") services and physical education classes. Afternoon classes were started for academically weak pupils. In a bid to ensure continuity in school life and keep the school adequately staffed, Nagle encouraged ex-students, known as "old boys", to join the school as teachers. The Anglo-Chinese School Old Boys' Association is a link through which many "old boys" continue to maintain close ties with

2236-641: The school. The Anglo-Chinese Continuation School started in 1925 under a new principal, the Reverend P.L. Peach, who had to leave the school due to the newly imposed government age limits on school attendance by boys. ACS became Oldham Methodist School while a secondary school opened in Cairnhill Road. During the World War II Japanese occupation of Singapore between 1942 and 1945, lessons were suspended. The school opened again in 1946,

2288-598: The setting up of these institutions, Oldham had also received much help from fellow missionaries and educationists such as Dr Shellabear, Rev. W. T. Cherry, Rev. G. F. Pykett and Rev. W. E. Horley . These schools extended English education to the locals and thus laid the foundation of an English-speaking workforce. Some of Oldham's noteworthy pupils included Rev Goh Hood Keng, one of the earliest local preachers. Oldham also continued Ms Cooke's ministry for seamen, holding Sunday services on-board ships. With his fluency in Tamil, he held regular services for jailed Tamil prisoners at

2340-503: Was appointed in 1904 as Missionary Bishop of Southern Asia, Oldham used Singapore as his base for his travels to the Philippines, Indonesia and parts of Malaya. He was officially welcomed as bishop in Singapore on 23 February 1905. Under his episcopacy, he extended the missions to the Malay Peninsula and Java and Sumatra. Oldham also organised the missions into the four key language groups, namely English, Tamil, Malay and Chinese -

2392-534: Was converted and became a Methodist at Poona while attending evangelistic services held by Taylor. During this time he met Marie Augusta Mulligan (1857-1938); the two of them later married and started to work as educational missionaries. In 1879 Oldham traveled to Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania, for training; Marie later travelled to the US to study at Mt Holyoke College. After graduation in 1885 Oldham

2444-545: Was created by co-owner and culinary director, Marisa Bertocchi. From Adelaide in Australia, Marisa worked in many of that city's restaurants and hotels before heading to Singapore where she quickly earned praise for her vegetarian creations at Michelangelo's. Coffee Club, Singapore's first gourmet coffee shop, opened its first outlet in Holland Village in 1991. This was before the arrival of Starbucks , Coffee Bean and TCC years later, while Wala Wala asserted its presence among

2496-411: Was named after Holland Road , which in turn is said to have been named after Hugh Holland in 1907; Holland, an architect and amateur actor, was an early resident of the area. However, there is "hardly any official record of him or his association with the name Holland Road." The roads 'Holland Avenue', 'Holland Close' and 'Holland Drive' were officially named after the principal road in 1972. Holland Road

2548-464: Was previously a SMC until it has been absorbed into Tanjong Pagar GRC in 1997, and then carved out to Holland-Bukit Panjang GRC from 2001 to 2006 and Holland-Bukit Timah GRC from 2006 to 2011 before returning to Tanjong Pagar in the 2011 elections. In 2003, the neighbourhood of Holland Village was featured and filmed in a TV series by Mediacorp . The series titled Holland V was broadcast on Mediacorp Channel 8 and it broke records for garnering

2600-430: Was sent to Singapore to initiate a Methodist mission. There he found access to the Chinese merchant population through schools; he established what became the first of a large number of Methodist schools in what was then British Malaya and the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia), as well as the first Methodist Church in Singapore. Oldham entered the Michigan Annual Conference of the M.E. Church in 1883. He also served for

2652-446: Was separated from the secondary classes in 1928 and was located at Coleman Street while the secondary classes moved to the new building at Cairnhill. In 1951, a branch school was established at Barker Road. In 1957, ACPS in Coleman Street catered to pupils from Primary 1 to 3 while Primary 4 to 6 classes remained known as ACJS. In 1961, leaving the Barker Road campus to be used for secondary and pre-university classes, Mr Lau Hee Boon became

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2704-462: Was the founder of Anglo Chinese School in Singapore in 1886. William was born in Bangalore, India , the son of an Irish couple, James and Mary Elizabeth Oldham. James was a British officer commanding Sepoy troops in India . William's ancestry was primarily Anglo-Irish , with some Indian blood, it was said, on his mother's side. Although he was baptized a Roman Catholic, his earliest religious contacts came from Protestant military chaplains and

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