Palmer and Turner Civil engineering and architecture firm. Palmer and Turner was one of the leading architectural practices in British colonial Asia. Its Singapore office opened in 1937. The firm’s roots can be traced back to London- born architect William Salway, who practised in Hong Kong for 11 years (1865– 76). Salway persuaded Hong Kong Surveyor- General Wilberforce Wilson to join the firm, and they made a mark on the island with commissions such as the German Club (1872), the St Peter’s Seamen’s Church (1872) and the Chartered Bank (1878). After Salway left for Australia, Godfrey Bird, another architect from the Surveyor- General’s office, joined the firm.

In 1883, Clement Palmer joined the firm and became the dominant force in the partnership over the next 20 years. Prestigious commissions during this time were the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank (HSBC) (1886), Hong Kong Club (1897) and P&O Building (1887).

Arthur Turner, a structural engineer, joined the firm in 1884 and was made a partner in 1891. Under the new name Palmer and Turner, it expanded to Shanghai, where it was responsible for most of the buildings on the Bund (including the spectacular former Hongkong and Shanghai Bank building). It made its mark too in Malaya and Singapore. Notable commissions in Singapore include the Rediffusion building (1948– 49), MacDonald House (1949) (originally HSBC’s Orchard Road branch), and the Bank of China building (1952– 54). Among the prominent architects in Palmer and Turner’s Singapore office were P.O.G. Wakeman and James Ferrie.

Photo credit: National Museum of Singapore