DOCSLIB.ORG

At Last. a Truly Magnificent Biography of the Most

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
At Last. a Truly Magnificent Biography of the Most ‘At last. A truly magnificent biography of the most incorrigible of empire-builders and a judicious and utterly compelling account of the man who would change the map of South-East Asia.’ John Keay, author of The Honourable Company and India: A History ‘Victoria Glendinning is in danger of giving imperialism a good name.’ Economist ‘Raffles … as Glendinning’s fine biography makes clear, was an attractive and charismatic figure.’Financial Times ‘Portrays him as neither hero nor villain, instead setting him beautifully within the context of nineteenth-century England.’ Mail on Sunday ‘Engaging … shows Glendinning’s sympathetic engagement with the human drama at the heart of this imperial adventure.’ Sunday Telegraph ‘Easy-paced, absorbing’ Independent ‘A story that moves with the alacrity of an absorbing novel’ Scotsman ‘A fascinating picture of the working life of this world-changing company’ Observer ‘Glendinning has rescued Raffles from decades of neglect … this is a wonderful biography.’ Literary Review ‘A masterclass in pithy prose … takes the back off the workings of empire so we can see its ticking mechanisms.’ Sunday Express ‘Lively … a tribute to the kind of man who gave empire a good name’ Catholic Herald ‘This splendid biography is an enthusiastic tribute from the writer to one of her heroes.’ Canberra Times ‘An engaging account … lively without being superficial. The characters come to life in their strangeness.’ Newtown Review of Books ‘Glendinning is a distinguished writer and a careful scholar.’ Weekend Raffles.indd 1 20/06/2018 12:49 RAFFLES AND THE GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY 1781–1826 &&&&& Victoria Glendinning PROFILE BOOKS Raffles.indd 3 20/06/2018 12:49 F or Kevin O’Sullivan who had the idea This revised paperback edition published in 2018 First published in Great Britain in 2012 by PROFILE BOOKS LTD 3 Holford Yard Bevin Way London WC1X 9HD www.profilebooks.com Copyright © Victoria Glendinning, 2012, 2013, 2018 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 Typeset in Bell by MacGuru Ltd Printed and bound in Great Britain by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon CR0 4YY The moral right of the author has been asserted. All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher of this book. A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN 978 1 78816 090 2 eISBN 978 1 84765 824 1 Cert no. TT-COC-002227 Raffles.indd 4 20/06/2018 12:49 Contents Maps vi Introduction ix 1 The Boy from Walworth and the Circassian Bride 1 2 Great Expectations 25 3 Rising on the Thermals 46 4 ‘All Roads are Long that Lead to One’s Heart’s Desire’ 67 5 The Lieutenant-Governor of Java 87 6 ‘Too Sensational’ 109 7 Theatre of Shadows 130 8 ‘She is Devotedly Attached to Me’ 153 9 Sir Stamford Raffles 174 10 The Golden Opportunity 196 11 Founding Father 217 12 ‘My Almost Only Child’ 238 13 Fame in Flames 259 14 Endgame 280 15 What Happened to the Others? 301 Note on Sources 313 Endnotes 315 Bibliography 322 List of Illustrations 330 Acknowledgements 332 Index 334 Raffles.indd 5 20/06/2018 16:52 The East Indies Andam an Sea Balambangan South China Sea KEDAH Jesselton Penang Is. Pedir H Banda P. Wellesley R T Aceh M O A TRENGGANU N N E O ACHIN L R Aboukir A O Castle Y A B Strait of Malacca PAHANG Naissos K SELANGOR A Conquerant W Rembau A R A Malacca Barus S Tapanuli Bay JOHORE Carimon Is. TAPANULI Sarawak Nias Singapore Sambas Siak Durian Rhio Natal Strait Archipelago Mt Ophir Pontianak O Lingga E S Indragiri Archipelago N U B O R Padang M Penebangan A B BARISAN MOUNTAINS A Karimata T Jambi N Archipelago Mentawai Islands G Pasir R K Karimata Strait Indrapura Muntok r A a s A s a c a M f o t Palembang i G a r N t S I Lais U Banjermasin N IT EL D Bencoolen B I S A E N EB Manna EL O C C Kauer LAMPONGS Java Sea E A N Krui Batavia MADURA Cheribon Rembang Pekalongan Samarang Sumenep J A V A Surakarta Surabaya Bal Jokyakarta Pasuruan i Sea BALI Banu Wan Mt Tomboro Taliwang K A O AW B SUMB M 0 50 100 150 200 250 miles LO Raffles.indd 6 20/06/2018 12:49 The East Indies Andam an Sea Balambangan South China Sea KEDAH Jesselton Penang Is. Pedir H Banda P. Wellesley R T Aceh M O A TRENGGANU N N E O ACHIN L R Aboukir A O Castle Y A B Strait of Malacca PAHANG Naissos K SELANGOR A Conquerant W Rembau A R A Malacca Barus S Tapanuli Bay JOHORE Carimon Is. TAPANULI Sarawak Nias Singapore Sambas Siak Durian Rhio Natal Strait Archipelago Mt Ophir Pontianak O Lingga E S Indragiri Archipelago N U B O R Padang M Penebangan A B BARISAN MOUNTAINS A Karimata T Jambi N Archipelago Mentawai Islands G Pasir R K Karimata Strait Indrapura Muntok r A a s A s a c a M f o t Palembang i G a r N t S I Lais U Banjermasin N IT EL D Bencoolen B I S A E N EB Manna EL O C C Kauer LAMPONGS Java Sea E A N Krui Batavia MADURA Cheribon Rembang Pekalongan Samarang Sumenep J A V A Surakarta Surabaya Bal Jokyakarta Pasuruan i Sea BALI Banu Wan Mt Tomboro Taliwang K A O AW B SUMB M 0 50 100 150 200 250 miles LO Raffles.indd 7 20/06/2018 12:49 Singapore R E O H O J SINGAPORE ISLAND Singapore Town China Sea M a l a c c a S t r i t a r a i t t S r e o A G O a p E L g I P i n H S R C A I O H R 0 2 4 6 8 10 miles Raffles.indd 8 20/06/2018 12:49 Introduction &&&&& Even his name has its own seductive, edgy quality. The name ‘Raffles’ is synonymous with the Singapore brand, immortalised in countless Singaporean institutions and enterprises as well as in public statues and, of course, the famous hotel. All lives, yours and mine included, are ruled by chance and choice. Raffles made some controversial choices in his time, but his unusual, memo- rable surname was an entirely happy chance. I felt when I was writing this book that he was almost the only significant Englishman in my story. So many of the East India Com- pany’s personnel, from clerks to soldiers to medical officers, from Board members in London to administrators and governors in the field, were Scottish – and when not Scottish, then Irish. Then, too late in the day to include more than a cursory refer- ence, I found that Raffles too probably had Scottish origins. The first known record of the name – John de Raffles, spelled rather differently – dates from a thirteenth-century document relating to land-tenure in the place called Raffles in the parish of Mousewold in Dumfries-shire, Scotland. And a friend of mine, Alastair Hazell, who comes from Dumfries-shire and was revisiting old haunts, sent me after this book was published his photographs of a place near Raffles.indd 9 20/06/2018 12:49 x Raffles and the Golden Opportunity Mousewold called East Raffles. It is not a village, but a tranche of land with a working farm, overlooking the estuary marshes of the Solway Firth. The farmer showed to Alastair the ‘Raffles burn’ – a stream – from which the farms thereabouts took their name. Most of the land around there was known simply as ‘Raffles’, said the farmer, ‘and has been for many a day’, though West Raffles is now nothing but a few disused old buildings. It is not too fanciful to imagine a farmer’s reckless son, named like his forbears for his birthplace, walking out one day in the early eighteenth century to seek his fortune over the border with England just ten miles to the south – the ancestor of our man. Who knows? There is no last word on Sir Stamford Raffles because there is no such thing as a definitive biography of anybody. Every generation has its own perspectives and priorities, and its own socio-political orthodoxies. New scholarship casts fresh light on what is already known, and new facts are uncovered. But there is more to biography than a state-of-the-art catalogue of the facts. A dedicated researcher could put together every known fact about a person, correct in every detail. Such work is invaluable to historians and biographers, but it is not in itself biography. A biographer aims to convey the smells and flavours of the geographical and histori- cal context, and to empathise with emotions and ways of thinking which may be very different from today’s norms. Raffles, for example, sincerely wanted to ‘do good’ in the countries and territories to which he was posted. The East India Company was a trading company, which in his time was losing money while morphing into the idea and reality of Empire. Raffles did not make the quantum leap towards questioning the very concept of one nation ruling over another and enriching itself at the subject nation’s expense.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • EAST INDIA COMPANY Straits Settlements Factory Records, 1769-1830 Reels M470-535
    AUSTRALIAN JOINT COPYING PROJECT EAST INDIA COMPANY Straits Settlements factory records, 1769-1830 Reels M470-535 India Office Library 197 Blackfriars Road London SE1 8NG National Library of Australia State Library of New South Wales Filmed: 1960 HISTORICAL NOTE Under its charter, granted by Queen Elizabeth I on 31 December 1600, the East India Company had a monopoly of all English trade in Asia and the Pacific. Its trading activities were initially focussed on the port and sultanate of Bantam on the western end of Java, where the Company established a ‘factory’ in 1603. Bantam was a major trading centre, particularly for pepper, and also for exotic spices from Ambon and other eastern islands, silks and porcelain from China, scented woods and Indian textiles. The Dutch East India Company also founded a trading factory at Bantam in 1603 and, after years of conflict and competition, it forced the English company out of Java in 1682. In 1685, however, the East India Company succeeded in setting up a factory at Bencoolen on the south-west coast of Sumatra and it was to be a major source of pepper for the next century. It was transferred to Dutch rule in 1825. In the late seventeenth century the interest of the Company shifted to India. Trading posts were established at Surat (1619), Madras (1639), Bombay (1668), and Calcutta (1690). The factories developed into forts: Fort William (Calcutta), Fort St George (Madras) and Bombay Castle. Surat was the Company’s first presidency in India, but by the early eighteenth century the presidencies, each with their own army, were Bombay, Madras and Calcutta.
    [Show full text]
  • Biblioasia Jan-Mar 2021.Pdf
    Vol. 16 Issue 04 2021 JAN–MAR 10 / The Mystery of Madras Chunam 24 / Remembering Robinsons 30 / Stories From the Stacks 36 / Let There Be Light 42 / A Convict Made Good 48 / The Young Ones A Labour OF Love The Origins of Kueh Lapis p. 4 I think we can all agree that 2020 was a challenging year. Like many people, I’m looking Director’s forward to a much better year ahead. And for those of us with a sweet tooth, what better way to start 2021 than to tuck into PRESERVING THE SOUNDS OF SINGAPORE buttery rich kueh lapis? Christopher Tan’s essay on the origins of this mouth-watering layered Note cake from Indonesia – made of eggs, butter, flour and spices – is a feast for the senses, and very timely too, given the upcoming Lunar New Year. The clacking of a typewriter, the beeping of a pager and the Still on the subject of eggs, you should read Yeo Kang Shua’s examination of Madraschunam , the plaster made from, among other things, egg white and sugar. It is widely believed to have shrill ringing of an analogue telephone – have you heard these been used on the interior walls of St Andrew’s Cathedral. Kang Shua sets the record straight. sounds before? Sounds can paint images in the mind and evoke Given the current predilection for toppling statues of contentious historical figures, poet and playwright Ng Yi-Sheng argues that Raffles has already been knocked off his pedestal – shared memories. figuratively speaking that is. From a familiar historical figure, we turn to a relatively unknown personality – Kunnuck Mistree, a former Indian convict who remade himself into a successful and respectable member of society.
    [Show full text]
  • British Strategic Interests in the Straits of Malacca, 1786-1819
    BRITISH STRATEGIC INTERESTS IN THE STRAITS OF MALACCA 1786-1819 Samuel Wee Tien Wang B.A., Simon Fraser University, 1991 THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in the Department of History O Samuel Wee Tien Wang 1992 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY December 1992 All rights reserved. This work may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without permission of the author. APPROVAL NAME: Samuel Wee DEGREE: TITLE OF THESIS: British Strategic Interests in the Straits of Malacca, 1786-1819 EXAMINING COMMITTEE: CHAIR: J. I. Little ~dhardIngram, Professor Ian Dyck, Associate ~hfessor Chdrles Fedorak - (Examiner) DATE: 15 December 1992 PARTIAL COPYRIGHT LICENSE 1 hereby grant to Simon Fraser University the right to lend my thesis, project or extended essay (the title of which is shown below) to users of the Simon Fraser University Library, and to make partial or single copies only for such users or in response to a request from the library of any other university, or other educational institution, on its own behalf or for one of its users. I further agree that permission for multiple copying of this work for scholarly purposes may be granted by me or the Dean of Graduate Studies. It is understood that copying or publication of this work for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. Title of Thesis/Project/Extended Essay British Strategic Interests in the Straits of Malacca Author: (signature) Samuel Wee (name) (date) ABSTRACT It has almost become a common-place assumption that the 1819 founding of Singapore at the southern tip of the strategically located Straits of Malacca represented for the English East India Company a desire to strengthen trade with China; that it was part of an optimistic and confident swing to the east which had as its goal, the lucrative tea trade.
    [Show full text]
  • WHAT KILLED Sumatra), Where He Was Lieutenant- Governor
    BICENTENNIAL OF SINGAPORE INSIGHT Introduction Sir Stamford Raffles (6 July 1781– 5 July 1826) landed in Singapore on 28 January 1819 when he was 37 years old.1 On 30 January that year, Raffles and the Temenggong (governor) for the Sultan of Johore signed a preliminary agreement to the establishment of a British trading post on the island. A week later, on 6 February, Raffles signed a treaty with Tunku Long declaring him to be the lawful sovereign of Johore and Singapore. This established him as Sultan Hussein Mohamed Shah. The treaty transferred the control of Singapore to the East India Company.2 While Raffles was setting up Singapore as a free port, his wife Sophia was pregnant and living in Penang. Raffles visited her on 13 February but the baby did not arrive and Raffles had to rush off to Acheen, Sumatra, to establish trading rights for this port. Sophia gave birth to a boy, Leopold Stamford, in the absence of the father.3 In the meantime, not only did Raffles establish Singapore as a trading port, but he also instituted the rule of law and laid the foundations of a city plan which was later executed by Philip Jackson.4 1 From 1820 to 1822, Raffles returned to British Bencoolen (Bengkulu City, WHAT KILLED Sumatra), where he was Lieutenant- Governor. During that time, his four children, all less than four years old, died of dysentery.3 Raffles returned to Singapore in 1823 where he established a school that was to become Raffles Institution.5 He also prohibited gambling, taxed alcohol and opium so as to discourage drunkenness and opium addiction, and banned slavery.6 During that year (1823), his wife gave birth to their fifth and only surviving Text by Dr Kenneth Lyen child.
    [Show full text]
  • V14-Issue4 Farquhar.Pdf
    BIBLIOASIA JAN - MAR 2019 VOL. 14 ISSUE 04 FEATURE In 1830, William Farquhar (1774–1839) wrote to The Asiatic Journal explaining Farquhar why he was due “at least a large share” iof the credit in forming Singapore.1 Yet, & it is Stamford Raffles (1781–1826) alone who is hailed as the founder of Singapore. This notion, propounded by his biographers, has been reinforced by constant repetition, official acceptance and the omnipresence of Raffles’ name in Singapore. In contrast, Farquhar’s pivotal role in the events leading up to the founding of the British settlement in Singapore in (Above) Colonel William Farquhar, c. 1830. Image source: Wikimedia Commons. February 1819 and during its nascent Raffles years has been vastly underrated. To (Above right) A portrait of Sir Stamford Raffles presented by his nephew, W.C. Raffles Flint, to London’s National Gallery Portrait Gallery in 1859. Image source: Wikimedia Commons. add insult to injury, Farquhar has been mocked, and his character and accom- The Untold Story plishments belittled over the years. ing School and paved the way for his recently included in the history curriculum To understand the origins of this employment at India House, while his of Singapore schools, the Raffles myth The founding of Singapore in 1819 and aberration in Singapore’s history, we later career and status were propelled has prevailed. A group of students who its early development have traditionally must turn to the biographies of Raffles. by his patron, Lord Minto, the Governor- re-assessed the roles of Raffles and Far- The first, The Life of Sir Stamford Raffles, General of Bengal.
    [Show full text]
  • Piracy and Political Economy in Malaya, 1824- 1874
    ABSTRACT A COVERT WAR AT SEA: PIRACY AND POLITICAL ECONOMY IN MALAYA, 1824- 1874 Scott C. Abel, PhD Department of History Northern Illinois University, 2016 Eric A. Jones, Director Piracy around the Malay Peninsula during the 19th century was extraordinarily prevalent and resulted in the death and loss of liberty for an untold number of people. This dissertation examines the connections between the piracy of this era and the political economies of the Straits Settlements and the Malay states in the region. Malays pirates often had the support of local rulers who required the goods and slaves brought back by pirates to reinforce their own political and socio-economic positions. The piratical system supported by the rulers was a component of the overall Malay economic system known as kerajaan economics, which helped maintain the status quo for Malay states. This system came under threat once Great Britain and the Netherlands worked to suppress piracy in the region and helped persuade the Malay elite to phase out state-sanctioned piracy. Some people living in Malaya took advantage of the characteristics of British and Malay political economies to engage in acts of piracy regardless of the policies of the British and Malay governments. This study of piracy enables us to understand better the experiences of people of various backgrounds living in 19th-century Malaya, along with how piracy influenced their worldviews. NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY DE KALB, ILLINOIS DECEMBER 2016 A COVERT WAR AT SEA: PIRACY AND POLITICAL ECONOMY IN MALAYA, 1824-1874 BY SCOTT C. ABEL © 2016 Scott Abel A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY Doctoral Director: Eric A.
    [Show full text]
  • Singapore.Pdf
    Singapore A History ofthe Lion City by Bjorn Schelander with illustrations by AnnHsu Published by the Center for Southeast Asian Studies School of Hawaiian, Asian and Pacific Studies University of Hawai'i 1998 Partially funded by the -U.S. Department of Education Table of Contents PREFACE Chapter One: Early History of Singapore 1 From Temasek to Singapore 2 Early Archeological Evidence 3 The Rise of Malacca 5 The Raffles Years 9 Thomas Stamford Raffles 9 British, Dutch, and Malay Relations 12 Raffles and the Founding of Singapore 14 Farquhar's Administration of Singapore 17 The Return of Raffles 20 The Straits Settlements 22 Consolidation of British Interests in the Malay Peninsula 24 Profits, Piracy, and Pepper 25 Timeline of Important Events 28 Exercises 29 Chapter Two: The Colonial Era 35 Singapore Becomes a Crown Colony 36 Development ofTrade, Transportation, and Communication 36 A Multi-Ethnic Society 40 Syonan: Singapore and World War II 50 Prelude to War 50 Japanese In vasion of the Malay Peninsula 52 Singapore under Japanese Administration 54 Timeline of Important Events 57 Exercises 58 Chapter Three: Independence 63 The Post WarYears 64 The Road to Independence 65 Lee Kuan Yew and the People's Action Party 66 Merger of Malaya and Singapore 68 An Independent Singapore 69 Economy 74 Government 77 International Relations 79 Security 81 Urban Development 82 Education 83 People 84 Looking to the Future 88 Timeline of Important Events 89 Exercises 90 KEY TO EXERCISES: 95 BIBLIOGRAPHY 101 Preface What has allowed Singapore to become one of the most prosperous nations of Asia? In the years leading up to AD 2000, Singapore achieved a standard of living second only to Japan among the countries of Asia.
    [Show full text]
  • Two Churches a Tale
    BIBLIOASIA OCT – DEC 2017 Vol. 13 / Issue 03 / Feature Dr Nadia Wright is a retired teacher and now In February 1821, an Armenian seeing that it would encourage these Galastaun and his peers must have active historian who lives in Melbourne. She delegation met the British Governor hardworking and peace-loving people envisaged a much larger Armenian specialises in Singapore’s colonial history of Penang, William Phillips, who asked to settle in Penang. community settling in Penang when and the Armenian community in Southeast for a plan and an estimate of costs. The Armenian merchant Catcha- they pressed for a church. But this, Asia and Australia. She has written books The sum needed was $7,000. Arme- toor Galastaun not only made good the unfortunately, did not materialise: and scholarly articles on Armenians, nian philanthropist Carapiet Arrackell shortfall, but additionally purchased Armenian numbers in Penang never Singapore’s national flower, the Vanda Miss Joaquim, and the roles of Stamford Raffles bequeathed $2,000 of this amount, and a plot of land in September 1821 surpassed more than 30. The success A TALE and William Farquhar in Singapore’s history. the community raised another $2,000. at Bishop Street between Penang of rival Singapore spelled the end of the As they were short of $3,000, the Arme- Street and King Street. Construction Penang church. After Singapore became nians petitioned Governor Phillips for of the church commenced under the the capital of the Straits Settlements in of a donation in 1822. supervision of British merchant and 1832 and surged ahead as its commer- Phillips was of the view that hard- shipwright, Richard Snadden, and, in cial centre, there was little incentive for TWO working Christian people would be an 1822, Bishop Abraham of Jerusalem Armenian entrepreneurs to sink their In Penang, the Armenian Apostolic asset to the colony and to encourage officiated the laying of the foundation roots in Penang.
    [Show full text]
  • 20Th Anniversary Issue
    Issue Number 49 Autumn 2020 20th Anniversary Issue CONTENTS Page Chairman’s Notes 2 News from the Archive 3 Greetings from the Honorary Presidents 4 Archery in Perth from the 15th to 16th Centuries: Part two (Dr Thomas Brochard) 5 The Development of Singapore: Major-General William Farquhar (Ian McGregor) 9 FPKA 20th Anniversary 12 Archive Timeline (2000—2020) 18 The Advantages of Staying Local: The Parish of Collace (Jackie Hay) 21 Covid-19 Collecting Project 24 1 Notes from our Chairman As many of you will recall, in the concluding paragraph of my Notes in the Spring Newsletter I mentioned how the coronavirus was adversely affecting many organisations’ work, including our own. Nobody had any knowledge at that time of how bad things might become but now we know. This is, I believe, the most atypical year in living memory. We had to cancel our March committee meeting and our talk scheduled for 19th March. Since then things have deteriorated to the extent that our entire talks’ programme for 2020 has had to be cancelled as have all our committee meetings. We have no idea when things may return to normal and just have to wait and see what happens. Hopefully the three cancelled talks can be re-scheduled but that will depend very much on the speakers’ availability. Time will tell, as with so much else. Happily we are able to issue the Autumn Newsletter and I wish to thank Prue Dowie, our editor, for all her hard work at home to get this document published and issued, where possible.
    [Show full text]
  • Experience the Farquhar Collection Through a Rainforest in the National Museum of Singapore
    Experience The Farquhar Collection through a rainforest in the National Museum of Singapore. Challenge The National Museum of Singapore is Singapore’s oldest museum with a history dating back to 1887. Unfortunately, just like its age, it is often associated with ancient artefacts and dusty showcases. That couldn’t be further from the truth! The museum strives for fresh ways to present history and culture, and an unconventional museum experience to our visitors. Our challenge was to change public perception and see the museum as a grand dame with a young soul, constantly evolving to stay relevant to the times. This was made more challenging with several new entrants in Singapore’s arts and culture scene in the recent years. How do we stand out amid a saturated market filled with players leveraging their fresher and younger appeal? We needed to elevate the National Museum brand and communicate to our audiences that we are more than able to keep up with the times, despite being often associated as a history (and hence old and dusty) museum! As reported by the Singapore Cultural Statistics Report by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, 2015 (Singapore’s SG50 jubilee celebrations) was a good year for the arts and cultural sector with a record number of 3.8 million people visiting the national museums and heritage institutions. But it was unfortunately not so for the National Museum of Singapore – visitorship dropped by approximately 22% from 2014 to 2015. We want to have people stepping through our doors and spending time with us in the galleries, or participating in the museum’s many programmes.
    [Show full text]
  • A Trip to Fort Canning Park
    A Trip to Fort Canning Park Pre-Learning Journey Worksheet Annex 1 What is the organisation that manages parks in Singapore? ...................................................................................................... Let us explore the features in Fort Canning Park! Based on the given map of Fort Canning Park, make a list of the some features that you can see. Two of the park features that my group will be visiting are ...................................... and ...................................... Let‟s research on... Feature 1 Feature 2 After watching the video on the „History of Singapore‟, write down your thoughts and reflections below. Let’s Visit Fort Canning Park Annex 2 Fort Canning Park The photograph on the right shows the stairways that lead to Fort Canning Park. This is the entrance from High Street, which is just across the Singapore River. Why do you think the British decided to build a fort here? ....................................................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................................................... Why was this place known as Fort Canning? ...................................................................................................................................................... .....................................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Singapore River Walk
    The Singapore River Walk takes you on a journey from Collyer Quay to » DISCOVER OUR SHARED HERITAGE Robertson Quay, focusing on the contributions of the river towards Singapore’s mercantile development through the various communities who lived and worked by the river, as well as the spectacular architecture SINGAPORE RIVER and social history of the bridges that criss-cross the river, facilitating the movement of people and goods across the river at various junctures. The Singapore River Walk is adopted by American Express. WALK For more information, visit Roots.sg Supported by Roadside hawkers along the Singapore River, 1970 Collyer Quay waterfront, 1960s STAMFORD ROAD Bus River HILL STREET CONTENTS LO MRT KE YEW STREE BUS Stop Taxi BUS 04143 STAMFORD ROAD T THE SINGAPORE RIVER WALK: AN INTRODUCTION p. 1 Roads Prominent Sites BUS A HARBOUR OF HISTORY: THE SINGAPORE RIVER THROUGH TIME p. 3 Parks Heritage Sites 04111 A 14th century port and kingdom Marked Sites BUS An artery of commerce: The rise of a global port of trade River 04142 A harbour and home: Communities by the river Walkways Of landings and landmarks: The river’s quays, piers and bridges BUS A river transformed: Creating a clean and fresh waterway 04149 BUS 04167 RIV FORT AD POINTS OF ARRIVAL: THE QUAYS OF THE SINGAPORE RIVER p. 7 ER VALLEY R EET O Boat Quay CANNING Clarke Quay PARK E R BUS River House 04168 North Boat Quay and Hong Lim Quay LIANG COURT OA HILL STR Read Street and Tan Tye Place D Robertson Quay H B R I DG Ord Bridge RT Alkaff Quay and Earle Quay US Robertson B BUS NO , 04219 Y Quay 04223 R Whampoa’s OLD HILL COMMERCE ON THE WATERFRONT p.
    [Show full text]