Historical Fort Canning Park

Walking through Singapore’s history

Fort Canning Background Information:

“Once known as Bukit Larangan, or “The Forbidden Hill”, Fort Canning Park was once the seat of power for the ancient Malay kingdom of Singapura in the 1300s. The park was later the site where Sir Stamford Raffles, the founder of modern Singapore, built his official residence in 1819. The area was subsequently known as Government Hill. In 1822 Singapore’s first botanic garden was also established on this hill.” (Source: Fort Canning Park pamphlet)

“In 1860, a fort was built on the hill, and named after Lord Charle John Canning, the first Viceroy of India. From that time until the 1970s, Fort Canning was used as a military base — first by the British, then by the Japanese during WWII, and later by the Republic’s armed forces.” (Source: Fort Canning Park pamphlet)

One of the entrances to Fort Canning Park is a short walk from the YMCA where we were staying.

After walking up the steps of the stairway, the first thing we saw was the Sally Port door in the side of the hill. It is a small entrance leading through the hill to the upper fort area. We walked through it to get to the upper Fort level.

At the top of the hill, there are buildings and structures from different time periods. There were also well-maintained paths through lush green areas.

Here are a few of the sites we saw.

The Battlebox Escape Shaft once served as an escape shaft from the Headquarters Malaya Command Operations Bunker. “The bunker was used by the British for strategic planning during World War II. Behind the door is a ladder leading downwards into the bunker. During the war, the structure itself would have been camouflaged to hide it from the enemy.” (Source: Fort Canning Park)

A short walk away from the Battlebox was the Old Married Solders’ Quarters. It was built around 1926 to serve as lodging for married British army officers. Today it is used as a venue for concerts and weddings.

I wanted to see Sir Stamford Raffles’s bungalow and garden, so we followed the sign leading through the greenery. Scenes like this calm my soul. I love the green.

We finally arrived at the bungalow site. Raffles built a bungalow in 1822 and established botanical and experimental gardens on the hill. The building later became the governor’s residence. The original building was demolished in 1858. The one on the site now, included in the photo below, was built in 2003. It commands a wonderful view of modern Singapore in the distance. (Source: Raffles House)

The flagpoles in front of the bungalow were used to hang signal flags for ships coming into the harbor area during Raffles's time here.

We next walked back to the Information and Heritage Center. The museum in the Heritage Center was beautiful and provided more information about Singapore’s culture and history.

Some of the informative signs that captured our attention:

We had toured the National Museum a few days ago and heard Lee Kuan Yew’s speech about Singapore separating from Malaysia, so Gerad stopped in this museum to read more about Singapore’s Nationhood.

I love Singapore’s Botanic Garden and always try to visit nature trails when we are in Singapore, so I was fascinated with this information about Sir Stamford Raffles. I hadn’t realized that he founded the Zoological Society of London in 1825.

Singapore’s Botanic Garden and nature parks have a long history.

On a final note, here is another photo of the beautiful trees at the top of Fort Canning Hill. You can walk the paths, view the buildings, go through the museum, or just sit in the shade to enjoy the open green area at the top of the hill. Then, you can go on to view one of the other interesting museums and parks in Singapore.

Visiting the Botanic Garden with friends: Singapore Botanic Garden — A Key Component of the Garden City