Tipping the Scales

May 1952

You've heard of Japan's tuna auction in Tsukiji, but back in the 1950s, the fish auction at Ellenborough market was something to behold. Named after Edward Law, the first Earl of Ellenborough, the market - located near the present-day Clarke Quay MRT - was well-known for its stock of fresh fish and dried seafood. The fish was in such demand that people would bid for individual specimens, and the highest bidder would take it home. Christie's, eat your heart out. It was also the reason Lau Pa Sat got its name. When Ellenborough market was built in 1845, it became the second market established in colonial Singapore. Telok Ayer market was the first. Ellenborough was known as Sin Pa Sat (new market in Hokkien), while the former was left with Lau Pa Sat (old market). But the older market has the last laugh - it stands as an iconic reminder of Singapore's hawker past, while the only reminder of Ellenborough's existence today is a hotel café with the same name.