Hwa Chong Institution Clock Tower Building, Singapore, Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

The Hwa Chong Institution Clock Tower Building is a landmark on Bukit Timah Road in Singapore, set on a raised platform within the grounds of one of the country's best-known schools. It is a gazetted national monument, valued as a piece of Singapore's educational heritage and for the part its hilltop position played in the Second World War.

The story behind it

Hwa Chong's roots go back to the Chinese High School, founded in 1919 by the community leader Tan Kah Kee. The Clock Tower Building stands at the heart of the campus on Bukit Timah Road and has long been the image people associate with the school.

Its position on higher ground made it valuable in wartime. During the Battle of Singapore in 1942, the building served as a base for military operations and gave troops stationed there a wide view over the surrounding land. It is recorded as having changed hands between Allied and Japanese forces during the fighting. Today it is protected as a national monument, so the building that watched over the road in 1942 is still there to see.

What to look for

• The clock tower itself, which rises above the rest of the campus and gives the building its name.
• The raised platform the building sits on, which shows why it looks out over Bukit Timah Road.
• The sightlines from the height of the site, which make it easy to see why the position mattered to soldiers watching the surrounding area.
• The contrast between the historic building and the modern school life around it, a reminder that this is a working campus and not a museum.

Tips for your visit

• Allow 15 to 30 minutes for a look at the building and its surroundings.
• The tower is part of an active school, so access to the grounds can be restricted. Check current access arrangements before you go and respect any signs.
• Daylight is best for photographs, and mornings and late afternoons are usually more comfortable for walking in Singapore's heat.
• Bukit Timah Road is a busy main road, so take care crossing and use the nearby pavements and crossings.

See it on a quest

The Singapore City Centre: Time Travel Quest passes this landmark as one stop on a longer route on foot through the area. The app tells you about each place as you reach it, and you solve a puzzle based on what is in front of you, which makes you look closely at the Clock Tower instead of just walking past. The quest is paid, and one ticket covers the whole group. You can start at any time, with no guide and no group to join.