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Fort Canning Park
Fort Canning Park is an iconic
hilltop landmark that has witnessed many of
Singapore's
historical milestones. Formerly referred to as Bukit Larangan,
i.e. 'Forbidden Hill', the area was once home to several key
personalities, such as the Malay kings in the 14th century and
Sir Stamford Raffles
(fig.) in the 1820s. Over the course of history,
the hill received several name changes: it was renamed
Government Hill in 1822, and Fort Canning Hill in the 1860s,
when the construction of Fort Canning, a British fortification,
was completed. Fort Canning was named after then
Governor-General and later first Viceroy of India, Viscount
Charles John Canning (1856-1862). It was built to protect
Singapore from a sea attack, oversee the security of the town,
and served as a place of refuge for Europeans in Singapore in
the event of social disturbances, such as the Indian Mutiny in
1857. The fort had extensive defences, including a moat that ran
around the thick fort walls, which were able to withstand
artillery bombardment. In addition, the main fort housed
amenities such as officers’ quarters. The firing of a 68-pound
carronade at 5am daily indicated the start of the day for those
within a two-mile radius. Up until 1896, the cannons were also
used to signal the outbreak of fire. Having served as the
Headquarters of the Far East Command Centre and British Army
Barracks, the fort itself was decommissioned in 1907 and by
1926, most of the fort was torn down. Nonetheless, it remained a
significant historical site, briefly being the headquarters of
British Lieutenant-General Arthur Percival during the Battle for
Singapore and the decision to surrender Singapore to the
Japanese on 15 February 1942 was also made on the hill, in the
Underground Far East Command Centre, commonly known as the
Battle Box. Today, Fort Canning Park features nine different
historical gardens, i.e. Raffles Garden, Pancur Larangan,
Artisan’s Garden, Sang Nila Utama Garden, Jubilee Park, First
Botanic Garden, Farquhar Garden, Spice Garden, and Armenian
Street Park. A well-known venue for celebrations and parties,
gatherings are a regular sight in the park's venue spaces. Some of the attractions in the park include a
bas-relief wall with historical scenes and depictions of
animals; the Raffles House; Maritime Corner with the Fort
Canning Lighthouse; Bond Terrace with two 9-Pound Cannons; the
Five Kings Walk and Keramat Sultan Iskandar Shah, i.e. the
burial place of the last of the five Malayan kings of Singapore;
Cemetery Wall; Singapore History Consultants, a military and
historical museum inside a World War II bunker that served as
the British underground command center; the Old Gunpowder
Magazine, a building used to store explosive gunpowder in wooden
barrels; a large evergreen tree known as Merbatu and with the
botanical designation Maranthes corymbosa which is native to
Singapore and that can grow to a height of 40 metres.
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