Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1 St. Andrew's Rd., across from the Padang.
&
65/6336-0644.
Free admission. Mon-Fri 8:30am-5pm; Sat
8:30am-1pm. 10-min. walk from City Hall MRT.
126
Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall
Designed by colonial engineer J ohn Bennett
in a Victorian Revival style that was fashionable in Britain at the time, the theater portion
was built in 1862 as the Town H all. Victoria M emorial H all was built in 1905 as a
memorial to Q ueen Victoria, r etaining the same style of the old building. The clock
tower was added a year later. In 1909, with its name changed toVictoria Theatre, the hall
opened with an amateur pr oduction of the
Pirates of Penzance.
Another notable perfor-
mance occurred when Noël Coward passed through Singapore and stepped in at the last
moment to help out a traveling English theatrical company that had lost a leading man.
The building looks much the same as it did then, though of course the interiors hav
e
been moderniz ed. I t was completely r enovated in 1979, conser ving all the original
details, and was r enamed Victoria Concer t H all. I t housed the S ingapore S ymphony
Orchestra until the opening of the Esplanade-Theatres on the Bay, when they shifted to
the larger digs.
9 Empress Place, at the southern end of the Padang.
&
65/6339-6120.
www.vch.org.sg. Free admission
to lobby areas. Concert tickets priced depending on per formance and seat location. 15-min. walk fr om
City Hall MRT.
ALONG THE RIVER
The Singapore River had always been the hear t of life in S ingapore even before Raffles
landed, but for many y ears during the 20th centur y, life here was dead—quite literally.
Rapid urban dev elopment that began in the 1950s turned the riv er into a giant se wer,
killing all plant and animal life in it. In the mid-1980s, though, the government began a
large and very successful cleanup pr oject; shortly thereafter, the buildings at Boat Q uay
and Clarke Quay, and later Robertson Quay, were restored. A display on the second floor
of the Asian Civilisation Museum relates the story of the river and its cleanup. Now the
areas on both banks of the riv er offer entertainment, food, and pubs day and night, and
the river bank is dotted with life-siz e bronze sculptures of the “people of the river.”
Boat Quay
Known as “the belly of the carp ” by the local Chinese because of its
shape, this area was once notorious for its opium dens and coolie shops. Nowadays, thriv-
ing restaurants boast every cuisine imaginable and the rocking nightlife offers up a variety
of sounds—jazz, r ock, blues, I ndian, and Caribe—that ar e liv ely enough to get any
couch potato tapping his feet. See chapters 6 and 9 for dining and nightlife suggestions.
Note:
Pronounce
quay
like
key.
Located on the south bank of the Singapor e R iver between Cavenagh Bridge and Elg in Bridge. Free
admission. 5-min. walk from Clarke Quay MRT.
7
Clarke Quay
The largest of the water front developments, Clarke Quay was named
for the second governor of Singapore, Sir Andrew Clarke. In the 1880s, a pineapple can-
nery, ir on foundr y, and numer ous war ehouses made this ar ea bustle. Today, with 60
restored warehouses hosting restaurants, bars, and nightclubs, the Quay still hops.
River
House,
formerly the home of a
towkay
(company president), occupies the oldest build-
ing, a beautiful building that's become a popular bar and restaurant run by the Indochine
group. During the day, children love to play in the water jets that shoot up from the floor
in Clarke Quay's central hub, but when the fountains ar e switched off, the area is used
for special events and occasional markets.
