Istana Woodneuk is known for being an abandoned two-storey building located at the former Tyersall Park which is near Botanic Gardens. It was once owned by the Sultans of Johor in the 19th century.
Here’s how it looked like in the good ol’ days.
Being abandoned in an ulu place might make it an ideal place for people to walk in to, tell ghost stories or make your friends play ‘truth or dare’ (before COVID-19 times of course).
But in actual fact? It’s considered private property and trespassers will be arrested for unauthorised access.
Trespassed Unknowingly
British YouTuber Richard Hazeldine in Singapore uploaded a video of him exploring the abandoned place on 26 Sep 2020.
In the video, he gives a tour of the ruins of the former palace.
However, Hazeldine realised that he might have trespassed on private property unknowingly and updated the video description of the now-private video.
Hazeldine subsequently posted an update on his YouTube video’s description saying he did not mean to trespass:
**UPDATE**: Since posting this video it has been brought to my attention that I was possibly trespassing. If this is the case then I apologise unreservedly. It wasn’t my intention. So please bear this in mind if you decide to visit this site, and that you do so at your own risk!
A Brief History Of Istana Woodneuk
According to Remember Singapore, Istana Woodneuk was built for the Sultan’s fourth wife, Sultana Khadijah.
Before she died in 1904, the Sultana sold the property to Sultan Abu Bakar’s son Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar (1873-1959), who rebuilt the house in 1930 for his third wife Scotland-born Sultana Helen Ibrahim (1889-1978).
Today the Crown Prince of Johor, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, is the registered owner of the Istana Woodneuk.
It is estimated to be worth about $4.7 billion.
According to Bloomberg, the Crown Prince can’t cash in on this piece of land anytime soon, even if he wanted to.
That’s because the undeveloped area is zoned for “special use of green space,’’ meaning development for other purposes, such as residential or commercial, is restricted.
On 10 July 2006, the grand two-storey building was engulfed in fire.
The entire iconic blue-tiled roof, which was previously visible from satellite images, was destroyed, together with most of the second storey. The damages were said to be beyond repair.
Since it is structurally unsafe, it has been cordoned off since April 2015.
Fun facts
The ancestral home where the fictitious Young family reside in Crazy Rich Asians is based on Singapore’s Tyersall Park.
If you search on YouTube, you’ll find a plethora of people doing tours of the “haunted” building.
YouTuber Sheryl Biangco also uploaded her video of exploring Istana Woodneuk but wrote in the video’s description that people have messaged her on Facebook saying that it’s a restricted area.
So once again, please don’t geh kiang and try your luck at catching ghosts. The police will be the one to catch you instead.
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