Duchess Estate, more popularly known as Margaret Drive district, was the second neighbourhood in Queenstown conceived by the Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT). The SIT has planned for 5 neighbourhoods in Queenstown. When SIT was dissolved in 1959, only Princess Estate was completed.

Construction at Duchess Estate began in 1954 and ended in 1970. This neighbourhood was home to Queenstown’s main shopping, entertainment, health and library facilities. Three roads served the Duchess estate – Commonwealth Avenue, Margaret Drive (also known as Xin Lu or New Road) and Stirling Road.

When HDB took over, it built a variety of commercial spaces and entertainment amenities in the town centre. Some of the prominent amenities included three cinemas (Golden City, Venus and Queenstown cinemas), a three-storey Queenstown Shopping Complex housing an emporium (Tah Chung) and a restaurant (Golden Crown), hawker centres, wet markets and shops. It was also home to Queenstown Child and Maternity Clinic, Queenstown Branch Library, a Japanese Garden and the Remand Prison.