Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
122
a Scottish merchant, but he never moved in. In 1822, Raffles returned to Singapore and
was furious to find a residence being built on ground he'd allocated for government use.
So the go vernment took o ver Maxwell's house for its cour t and other offices. I n 1939,
when the new Supreme Court was completed, the judiciary moved into Maxwell's House
(as it became officially kno wn); then, in 1953, follo wing a major r enovation, the small
structure was renamed Parliament House and was turned over to the legislature.
The original house was designed b y architect George D. Coleman, who had helped
Raffles with his Town Plan of 1822. Coleman's design was in the E nglish neo-Palladian
style. Simple and well suited to the Tropics, this style was popular at the time with Cal-
cutta mer chants. M ajor alterations hav e left v ery little behind of Coleman 's design,
replacing it with an eclectic French classical style, but some of his wor k survives.
Today the building has been transformed once again—The Ar ts House at the O ld
Parliament has been lo vingly restored, with spaces for visual and per formance arts, plus
special cultural events. A small gallery retells the story of the building. A couple of high-
brow eateries offer a variety of Thai, Vietnamese, and Western cuisine. Singapore's parlia-
ment now operates out of the ne w Parliament Building just next door.
The bronze elephant in front of the Old Parliament House was a gift to Singapore in
1872 fr om H is M ajesty S omdeth P hra P araminda M aha Chulalongkorn (Rama V),
supreme king of Siam, as a token of gratitude follo wing his stay the previous year.
1 Old Parliament Lane, at the south end of the P adang, next to the Supreme Court.
&
65/6332-6900.
www.theartshouse.com.sg. M on-Fri 10am-8pm; Sat 11am-8pm. F
ree admission, guided t
our
S$8 (US$5.35/£3.60); extra charge for tickets to events. 15-min. walk from City Hall MRT.
The Padang
This large field has witnessed its shar e of historical events. Bordered on
one end b y the S ingapore R ecreation Club and on the other end b y the S ingapore
Cricket Club, and flanked by City Hall, the area was once known as Raffles Plain. Upon
Raffles's return to the island in 1822, he was angr y that r esident Farquhar had allo wed
merchants to move private residences into the prime area he had originally intended for
government buildings. All building permits w ere rescinded, and the Padang became the
official center point for the government quarters, around which the Esplanade and City
Hall were built.
Today the Padang is mainly used for public and sporting events—pleasant activities—
but in the 1940s, it felt mor e forlorn footsteps when the inv ading Japanese forced the
entire E uropean community onto the field. There they waited while the occupation
officers dickered over a suitable location for the “ conquered.” They ordered all B ritish,
Australian, and Allied tr oops, as w ell as E uropean prisoners, on the 22km (14-mile)
march to Changi.
An interesting side note:
Frank Ward, designer of the S upreme Court, had big plans
for the Padang and surrounding buildings. He would have demolished the Cricket Club,
Parliament House, and Victoria Hall & Theatre to erect an enormous government block
if World War II hadn't arrived, ruining his chances.
St. Andrew's Rd. and Connaught Dr. Free admission. 5-min. walk from City Hall MRT.
Peranakan Museum
This small branch of the Asian Civilisations M useum (see
above) illuminates the fascinating cultur e of the P eranakans, people born of intermar-
riages betw een Chinese immigrants and locally born M alays. The r esult is a rich and
fascinating blend of traditions, cuisine, and decorativ e influences. Look out for the
incredibly beautiful car ved teak w edding furniture and the distinctiv e porcelain deco-
rated in typical Peranakan colors of pink, blue, gr een, and yellow. The clothing is vivid
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