Dover is a relatively small neighbourhood of Singapore, located in Queenstown. It is south of Ghim Moh and north of Kent Ridge. It is often a noted location due to the sheer number of educational facilities it holds, while lying in a zone between Singapore's central business district in the Central Area and her industrial zone in the vicinity of Jurong. The general geographical area is classified under the Queenstown Planning Area by the Urban Redevelopment Authority, and is a few kilometres away from Queenstown itself.

Etymology and history

The Dover neighbourhood was formerly a British military and residential area. Hence, many road names in the area are derived from English (specifically Kentish) place names. For example, those in Medway Park off Dover Road include names associated with the southern coastal areas of England, including Folkestone and Maidstone, apart from Dover itself. The name "Dover" is from the Celtic word meaning "The Waters", alluding to the English Channel. Medway Park, for instance, is named after the River Medway, which marks the middle of Kent. Interestingly, Kent is the nearest English county to Singapore.

Roads in Dover

• Dover Road
• Dover Crescent
• Dover Close East
• Dover Avenue
• Dover Drive
• Dover Rise

Transport

There are two Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) stations which are in proximity to Dover. One is Dover MRT Station, which is EW22 on the East West MRT Line, as well as Buona Vista MRT Station which is EW21/CC22. However, both MRT stations are not situated near the heart of Dover. The former is located next to Singapore Polytechnic, whilst the latter at the intersection of North Buona Vista Road and Commonwealth Avenue. A portion of most residents drop at Dover MRT Station and transfer to a bus (14, 74 or 166), while another portion drop at Buona Vista MRT and take a kilometre walk to Dover.

In addition, the following bus services pass through Dover:

• SBS Transit
  • 14 - from Clementi to Bedok, via Dover, Bukit Merah, Orchard Road, East Coast
  • 33 - from Bedok to Kent Ridge, via Katong, Kallang, Chinatown, Tiong Bahru, Dover
  • 74 - from Hougang Central to Buona Vista, via Ang Mo Kio, Bukit Timah
  • 166 - from Clementi to Ang Mo Kio, via Dover, HarbourFront (Telok Blangah), Thomson Road
  • 196 - from Clementi to Bedok, via Dover, Queensway, Bukit Merah, Marine Parade

Education

Dover is known for having many schools and education institutions in its neighbourhood and vicinity.

• Primary schools
  • Fairfield Methodist Primary School
• Secondary schools
  • Anglo-Chinese School
  • Fairfield Methodist Secondary School
  • Nan Hua High School
  • New Town Secondary School
  • NUS High School of Mathematics and Science
  • UWCSEA
• Higher institutions of learning
  • National University of Singapore (NUS) (Kent Ridge)
  • Singapore Polytechnic
  • Anglo-Chinese Junior College
  • ITE College West (Clementi Campus)
  • ITE College West (Dover Campus)
  • INSEAD
• International schools
  • Dover Court Preparatory School
  • Japanese Secondary School (Clementi)
  • Norwegian Supplementary School
  • United World College of South East Asia
• Other education institutions
  • Ministry of Education
  • ITE Headquarters

References

• Victor R Savage, Brenda S A Yeoh (2003), Toponymics - A Study of Singapore Street Names, Eastern Universities Press, ISBN 981-210-205-1