Singaporean British
Encyclopedia
Singaporeans in the United Kingdom include people of Singapore
an origin or descent, born or settled in the United Kingdom
.
community, as most Singaporeans are actually of Chinese descent (see Chinese Singaporean). There is a Singaporean diaspora in the UK, due to Singapore once being a British colony and now being part of the Commonwealth of Nations
.
. The Singaporean-born population of Great Britain has increased by 19 per cent since the 1991 Census, when 33,751 Singaporean-born people were recorded.
The Office for National Statistics
estimates that, in 2009, 41,000 Singaporean-born people were resident in the UK.
The distribution of Singaporean-born residents according to the 2001 census is shown on the map. Nine of the ten census tract
s with the most Singaporean-born residents in 2001 are in London. The most popular tracts were Hyde Park
, Kensington
, Holborn
, Chelsea
, Southall West
, Regents Park, Cambridge West
, Highgate
, East Ham South
, Richmond North.
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
an origin or descent, born or settled in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Background
The story of the Singaporean community in the UK roughly follows that of the British ChineseBritish Chinese
British Chinese , including British-born Chinese are people of Chinese ancestry who were born in, or have migrated to, the United Kingdom. They are part of the Chinese diaspora, or overseas Chinese...
community, as most Singaporeans are actually of Chinese descent (see Chinese Singaporean). There is a Singaporean diaspora in the UK, due to Singapore once being a British colony and now being part of the Commonwealth of Nations
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
.
Population
40,474 Singaporean-born people were recorded by the 2001 UK Census, with 40,180 of those living in Great BritainGreat Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. The Singaporean-born population of Great Britain has increased by 19 per cent since the 1991 Census, when 33,751 Singaporean-born people were recorded.
The Office for National Statistics
Office for National Statistics
The Office for National Statistics is the executive office of the UK Statistics Authority, a non-ministerial department which reports directly to the Parliament of the United Kingdom.- Overview :...
estimates that, in 2009, 41,000 Singaporean-born people were resident in the UK.
The distribution of Singaporean-born residents according to the 2001 census is shown on the map. Nine of the ten census tract
Census tract
A census tract, census area, or census district is a geographic region defined for the purpose of taking a census. Usually these coincide with the limits of cities, towns or other administrative areas and several tracts commonly exist within a county...
s with the most Singaporean-born residents in 2001 are in London. The most popular tracts were Hyde Park
Hyde Park, London
Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in central London, United Kingdom, and one of the Royal Parks of London, famous for its Speakers' Corner.The park is divided in two by the Serpentine...
, Kensington
Kensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
, Holborn
Holborn
Holborn is an area of Central London. Holborn is also the name of the area's principal east-west street, running as High Holborn from St Giles's High Street to Gray's Inn Road and then on to Holborn Viaduct...
, Chelsea
Chelsea, London
Chelsea is an area of West London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe above...
, Southall West
Southall
Southall is a large suburban district of west London, England, and part of the London Borough of Ealing. It is situated west of Charing Cross. Neighbouring places include Yeading, Hayes, Hanwell, Heston, Hounslow, Greenford and Northolt...
, Regents Park, Cambridge West
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, Highgate
Highgate
Highgate is an area of North London on the north-eastern corner of Hampstead Heath.Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has an active conservation body, the Highgate Society, to protect its character....
, East Ham South
East Ham
East Ham is a suburban district of London, England, and part of the London Borough of Newham. It is a built-up district located 8 miles east-northeast of Charing Cross...
, Richmond North.
Notable individuals
The list below includes British born people of Singaporean descent and Singaporean immigrants to the UK, regardless of ethnicity.- Fiona BruceFiona BruceFiona Elizabeth Bruce is a British journalist, newsreader and television presenter. Since joining the BBC in 1989, she has gone on to present many flagship programmes for the corporation including the BBC News at Six, BBC News at Ten, Crimewatch, Call My Bluff and, most recently, Antiques Roadshow...
, journalist and news reader - Nigel CallaghanNigel CallaghanNigel Ian Callaghan is a former professional footballer.-Playing career:Callaghan played on the right-wing for a number of clubs including Watford, Derby County and Aston Villa...
, footballer - Michael Chan, Baron ChanMichael Chan, Baron ChanMichael Chew Koon Chan, Baron Chan, MBE was a Singaporean-British physician and politician, of Chinese descent....
, physician and politician - Leela FloydLeela FloydLeela Floyd is the author of Indian Music , published by Oxford University Press in 1980.-Early life:Born in Singapore as Leela Charles, she went to school in India and the UK. In 1958, her parents took her on a journey across the world by car from Southern India to England...
, musician - Jessica HenwickJessica HenwickJessica Yu Li Henwick is a British-born Eurasian actress. Her debut role was in the 2010 CBBC television programme Spirit Warriors, as the lead character Bo.She is the first East Asian actress to play the lead role in a BBC series....
, actress - Ava Lyn Koh, actress
- Jasmine LowsonJasmine LowsonJasmine Lowson is a British newsreader. She is also a trained actress.-Journalism career:Lowson has presented on Channel 4's The Big Breakfast, BBC's Liquid News, the ITV News Channel and is currently interviewing and occasionally presenting on ITV London's London Tonight in addition to presenting...
, news presenter - Vanessa-MaeVanessa-MaeVanessa-Mae Vanakorn Nicholson , known professionally as Vanessa-Mae , is an internationally known British violinist. Her music style is self-described as "violin techno-acoustic fusion", as several of her albums prominently feature the techno style...
, pop and classical musician - Louis TherouxLouis TherouxLouis Sebastian Theroux is an English broadcaster best known for his Gonzo style journalism on the television series Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends and When Louis Met.... His career started off in journalism and bears influences of notable writers in his family such as his father, Paul Theroux and...
, broadcaster - Paul Thompson, head coach of the Coventry BlazeCoventry BlazeCoventry Blaze are an ice hockey team based in Coventry, England. They currently compete in the British Elite Ice Hockey League .-Club history:...
and the Great Britain national men's ice hockey team - Colin ThurstonColin ThurstonColin Thurston was a British recording engineer and producer.Born in Singapore, Thurston played in bands in London before he "bluffed his way" into audio engineering...
, recording engineer and producer - Nancy YuenNancy YuenNancy Yuen is a Chinese operatic soprano.-Life and career:Nancy Yuen Miu Fun was born in Hong Kong, reportedly in 1967. She is a top graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, London, and has based her career in the United Kingdom and Singapore. She has made Cio-cio-san her signature role, winning...
, singer - Richard FortinRichard FortinRichard Chalmers Gordon Fortin is a former English cricketer. Fotin was a right-handed batsman who played primarily as a wicketkeeper. He was born in Singapore....
, cricketer - Mrs. Jen Theng Craven (or Jin-Theng Craven), used to be known as Goh Jin Theng, daughter of Goh Chok TongGoh Chok TongGoh Chok Tong is the Senior Minister of Singapore and the chairman of the central bank of Singapore, the Monetary Authority of Singapore. He also served as the second Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore from 28 November 1990 to 12 August 2004, succeeding Lee Kuan Yew, the former Prime...
, ex-PMPrime Minister of SingaporeThe Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore is the head of the government of the Republic of Singapore. The President of Singapore appoints as Prime Minister a Member of Parliament who, in his opinion, is most likely to command the confidence of a majority of MPs.The office of Prime Minister...
and ex-SMSenior MinisterSenior Minister is a political office in the political system of Singapore taken by a prime minister or senior cabinet minister when he or she retires from that office, but still has something to offer the government based on his or her long experience...
of Singapore, is in London with her English husband, Lee Craven.
See also
- Malays in SingaporeMalays in SingaporeMalays in Singapore are defined by the Singaporean government using the broader and antiquated "Malay race" concept, rather than modern-day Malay ethnic group. Although Malays have inhabited the area that is now Singapore since the 17th century, most of the Malays in Singapore today are immigrants...
- Indians in Singapore
- East Asians in the United Kingdom
- Asian peopleAsian peopleAsian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...