Former Pondok Java and Sultan Gate

This location is where the former Pondok Java was located. Pondoks were communal lodging houses that were once a common feature of Kampong Glam and its vicinity. They were set up to house newly arrived migrants. At Sultan Gate, there was Pondok Java, a lodging house for Javanese arrivals. Many were bachelors, thus the house was also known by its other name, Rumah Bujangan (House of Bachelors).

Pondok Java was also a centre for Javanese culture, where people came from all parts of Singapore to watch the regular traditional performances held there. Pondok Java was demolished in 2003 due to structural safety issues.

As its name suggests, Sultan Gate was a road that led to an entrance of the former istana. It also has names with similar meaning in other languages, such as 'ong hu khau' (palace entrance) in Hokkien, and 'raja kottai' (King’s palace) in Tamil.

Many blacksmiths and foundries were located at Sultan Gate; by the 1900s, the Chinese, in particular the Hakkas, operated most of these foundries. Household items and tools were some of the items made. There were at least seven foundries during its peak in the 1950s but by the late 1990s, only two were left. The last foundry closed down in the mid-2000s after a fire.