Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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added several years later to accord the edifice more stature. By 1852, because of massive
damage sustained fr om lightning strikes, the cathedral was deemed unsafe and torn
down. The cathedral that no w stands on the site was completed in 1860. O f English
Gothic Revival design, the cathedral is one of the fe w standing churches of this style in
the region. The spire resembles the steeple of Salisbury Cathedral—another tribute from
the colonials to M other E ngland. Not only E nglish r esidents, but Christian Chinese,
Indians, Continental E uropeans, and M alays consider this to be their center of wor-
ship.
The plasterwork of S t. Andrew's inside walls used a material called M adras
chunam,
which, though peculiar, was a common building material here in the 1880s. A combina-
tion of shell lime (without the sand) was mix ed with egg whites and coarse sugar or
jaggery until it took on the consistency of a stiff paste. The mixture was thinned to a
workable consistency with water in which coconut husks had steeped and was then
applied to the surface, allowed to dry, and polished with rock crystal or smooth stones to
a most lustrous patina. Who would've thought?
The original church bell was presented to the cathedral by Maria Revere Balestier, the
daughter of famed American patriot P aul R evere. The bell is no w on display in the
National Museum of Singapore.
11 St. Andrew's Rd., across from the Padang.
&
65/6337-6104.
Free admission. Open during da ylight
hours. City Hall MRT.
Singapore Art Museum
The Singapore Art Museum (SAM) opened in 1996 to
house an impr essive collection of o ver 6,500 pieces of ar t and sculptur e, most of it b y
Singaporean and Malay artists. Limited space requires the curators to display only a small
number at a time, but these ar e incorporated in interesting exhibits to illustrate particu-
lar ar tistic styles, social themes, or historical concepts. A large collection of S outheast
Asian pieces rotates regularly, as well as visiting international exhibits. B esides the main
halls, the museum offers up a gift shop with fine souv enir ideas, a cafe, a conser vation
laboratory, an auditorium, and the E-mage G allery, wher e multimedia pr esentations
include not only the museum's own acquisitions, but other works from public and private
collections in the region as well. A new wing, 8Q, in neighboring Queen Street, opened
in 2008 to highlight the wor k of living Asian ar tists and experimental ar t forms. It also
contains a Childr en's Gallery with a hands-on appr oach. Once a Catholic bo ys' school
established in 1852, SAM has r etained some visible r eminders of its former occupants:
Above the front door of the main building, you can still see inscribed “St. Joseph's Insti-
tution,” and a br onze-toned, cast-ir on statue of S t. John B aptist de la S alle with two
children stands in its original place.
71 Bras Basah Rd.
&
65/6332-3222.
www.singart.com. Adults S$5 (US$3.35/£2.25), children and seniors
S$2.50 (US$1.65/£1.10); fr ee admission F ri 6-9pm. Sat- Thurs 10am-7pm; F ri 10am-9pm. F ree guided
tours in English M on 2pm, Tues-Thurs 11am and 2pm, with additional t ours Fri at 7pm and Sat-Sun at
3:30pm. 10-min. walk from City Hall and Dhoby Ghaut MRT.
7
Singapore Flyer
The new must-have accessory for the world 's most ambi-
tious cities is a giant observation wheel, and Singapore's just built itself the world's largest,
standing pr oudly at M arina B ay. B ut in a typically S ingaporean cultural twist, just 6
months after the multimillion-dollar wheel started to revolve in 2008, it was stopped and
yet mor e millions spent on r eversing the turning dir ection. Why? B ecause feng shui
masters observed that the F lyer was turning away fr om the financial center and taking
Singapore's riches with it. The U-turn was a good mo ve; the geomancers are happy and
passengers now get to appr eciate views that str etch up to 45km (28 miles) to M alaysia
