Fort Canning Park

Today, I'm going to take you on a trail to Fort Canning Park - a park located on a small hill in the southeast portion of the island of Singapore - which history wrote as a 'Forbidden Hill' but now Singapore's most historic landmark. It was here that Sir Stamford Raffles, a British statesman who was best known for his founding of Singapore, built his first bungalow and set up the first botanical garden in 1822.





But in late 1859, Sir Raffles residence was demolished due to increase in security concerns and was later converted into a fort named Fort Canning in honour of Viscount Charles John Canning, Governor-General and first Viceroy of India. It became an artillery fort and served as the headquarters for British Army until the spread of World War II into the Asia Pacific in 1941. The transformation saw the addition of barracks, 9-pound cannon, time ball, flag staff, lighthouse, telegraph office, office quarters and a hospital.

Battle Box

An underground bunker called the Battle Box located some 9-meters below the ground could also be found here. It became the latest military operation complex in Singapore and was part of the Malaya Command Headquarters during World War II. The most notable surrender of Lieutenant-General Percival to the Japanese was also made in this place.

Gothic Gate

I had fun!

This half a day tour to the Fort Canning was something I could easily undertake at my own pace and of course free of charge! I entered the park through a Gothic Gate (one of the landmarks of this park) that welcomed me to a beautiful lush greenery and sloping expansive lawns. An unexpected glance at this magnificent Music and Drama Society Building (Fort Canning Center) captivated my attention immediately as it looked absolutely stunning on top of the hill. The building presently houses a hub of cultural and artistic activities like NParks Visitor Center, function rooms, theatre facilities, modern performing arts company and a professional culinary academy. The lawn in front of the building is a popular venue for concerts and music festivals like the Singapore's largest music festival called WOMAD.

Marching up the brick path that led to the top of the hill, I gazed upon the walls surrounding the outdoor performance field that sloped from the Music and Drama Building and noticed tombstones set up into the walls. Apparently, Fort Canning was also a site for European cemetery but with the passage of time and the gravestones had become dilapidated, they were removed and set up into the walls instead.

Moving up, I stumbled upon two, white dome-shaped shelters called Cupolas, most probably meant as places for rest and contemplation on the hill during that time. These Cupolas were designed by Singapore's first architect and Raffles' consultant on the first Town Plan named, George Coleman. He also designed the Armenian Church and the Singapore's Parliament House.

On my way up, I made a small detour to visit the Spice Garden, a small replica of the original garden established by Raffles in 1822. After which, I stumbled upon this terrace house that had a coffin in the center! Seriously! I was hesitant to go near at first but after reading the information about it, I came to realize that it served a great significance to the Malay tradition. It was popularly regarded as a 'keramat', an auspicious place to visit where some people believed they could ask for specific favors. It was also claimed that this site was the burial place of Rajah Iskandar Syah who was the last of the five Kings who ruled Singapore during 14th century though he made an escape and founded another kingdom called Melaka (now Malacca) while Singapore was under attack by an enemy.

Upon reaching the summit of the hill, I found this 9-Pound Cannon that dated back to the 19th century and had become obsolete before the fortification at the Fort Canning was constructed.

The Fort Wall could be found at this old pathway beneath the shady and quiet environment, a perfect place for rest and contemplation, where stone benches were found at the side. The low, thick wall was meant to withstand artillery bombardment during that time. Being on a hill, the place was ideal for spotting invaders from the sea but defending Singapore? Disputable!

Take a few moments to observe the trees around the park. They were of ages but shady and photographic! 

Walk back to Singapore colonial days by visiting the Fort Canning Park. This is definitely a place in Singapore where her first colonial history abounds. The Singapore National Museum is just a stone's throw away so if you want to expand more your knowledge about this country, take a short trip to the National Museum nearby. That should give you double treat in one location.