Bukit Timah

The last identification of the area was on the 1828 map by Frankin and Jackson and was noted as Bukit Timah.^[5] As the interior of Singapore was not fully explored, it is likely the name came from the Malays.^[5]

In Malay, Bukit Timah meant Tin bearing hill.^[5] The original Malay name was Bukit Temak, meaning "hill of the temak trees" as the temak trees were abundant in the area.^[5][6] It was possible that the British in Singapore had mispronounced or misheard and became Bukit Timah.^[5]

Bukit Timah Road, was completed in 1843 to provide a link to the highest point of Singapore, the Bukit Timah Hill. The road was then extended northwards to Kranji in 1845, making it one of the earliest roads connecting the north to the south.^[7]

The Bukit Timah railway station (BRTS) was one of the five Singapore-Kranji railway stations opened in 1905, the first railway of Singapore. BRTS was decommissioned in July 2011 together with Tanjong Pagar railway station. Sections of the former railway station have been repurposed as a community space, and is now part of the Rail Corridor.^[8]

Bukit Timah was a major battleground during the final stages of the Japanese Invasion in 1942, where the Battle of Bukit Timah was fought. The battle resulted in the fall of Bukit Timah to the Japanese as British had failed to repel the invaders from the area.

Beauty World was formerly named Tai Tong Ah Sai Kai which was founded as an amusement park during the Japanese Occupation. Following the end of occupation, Tai Tong Ah Sai Kai was renamed Beauty World in 1947 and reopened as a market. After being badly damaged by series of fires in the 1970s, Beauty World was acquired by the government and was redeveloped as a shopping centre, which opened in 1984.^[9]

The Bukit Timah area is a particularly prominent location with high land value.

The Bukit Timah Race Course, a thoroughbred horse racing facility, was opened in 1933 and operated until 1999. The land has since been renovated, and is currently home to The Grandstand, which hosts several food outlets, childcare services and a Giant supermarket.^[10]

The nearby area hosts many bungalows, typically expensive in land-scarce Singapore, as well as high rise condominiums. Many expatriates and well-heeled Singaporeans live in this region. Its main attractions include popular eateries at Sixth Avenue, as well as Turf City.

This region was later extended and Upper Bukit Timah (District 21) was formed.

Bukit Timah was consolidated into four constituencies, all being Group Representation Constituencies and managed by the People's Action Party, as of the 2025 election. The namesake division of Bukit Timah was one of the oldest-surviving constituencies that appeared in the map which was created in 1951; as of today, the namesake division now falls under the Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, which also include Ulu Pandan and Coronation Road. Three other GRCs also covered Bukit Timah, with the western portions and Anak Bukit belonging to Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC, the northern portions and some of Hillcrest and Swiss Club subdivisions belonging to Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, and eastern portions including the subdivisions of Holland Village and Leedon Park belonging to Tanjong Pagar GRC.

Bukit Timah is known to having many international schools in the region, due to the high number of expatriates and immigrants living in this region.

• Lana Cake Shop, cake shop

• Bukit Timah Monkey Man – cryptid said to be living in the Bukit Timah forest