A Journey through the past

by Tan Yong Hui

Raffle’s residency, tomb of last ancient Malay king and World War II era fort…

All these history sites reside at one place, Fort Canning Park.

Also known as Bukit Larangan or “The Forbidden Hill”, it is a must-see for history buffs with its rich heritage dating back to 14th century as well as lush greenery for the nature lovers.

A story’s beginning: Fort Canning spans across 18 hectares, and is one of Singapore’s historical landmarks. It is situated on the top of a hill overlooking Singapore River, serving to protect the country in the 19th century. (PHOTO: Tan Yong Hui)	Impregnable fortress: The Fort gate is a remnant of the 19th century fortress, where it played an important role to protect Singapore against the Japanese in World War II as well as to give the European population a refuge in the event of local disturbances. (PHOTO: Tan Yong Hui)
Gate of the hill: The Fort gate has rusted since the British abandoned the fortifications in the 1970, but it has been restored by National Parks Board since then. (PHOTO: Tan Yong Hui)	Battle box: The entrance leading into the underground bunker build in the late 1930s was approximately 9 metres deep, it served as the headquarters for the British Far East Command during World War II. It was here that the crucial decision was made to surrender Singapore to the Japanese on 15 February 1942. (PHOTO: Tan Yong Hui)
The beacon of hope in the darkness: Every sailor’s reassurance in the 1900’s, the fort canning lighthouse has a range of 30Km to guide ships safely into Singapore Harbour. The lighthouse is a replica of the original located near Raffles terrace, it was closed in 1950s when the lighthouse was overshadowed by taller buildings. (PHOTO: Tan Yong Hui)	A live history book: Each section of the Mural wall tells a story through carvings of the events that happened during pre-colonial Singapore. A spring formerly known as “Forbidden Springs” used by the Malay Royals for bathing used to run alongside the wall. (PHOTO: Tan Yong Hui)
King of Temasek: Keramat Iskandar Shah’s tomb, the last of the five Malay Kings to rule Singapore in the 14th century. The Pavilion has been popularly regarded as an auspicious place with people asking for specific favours here. Information boards at the side gives more details about the life and death of the last Temasek King. (PHOTO: Tan Yong Hui)	A way to tell time: 9-pounders cannons stationed at Fort canning in the 19th century was surprisingly used for a different purpose. It was fired three times a day to announce the hour, salutes and town fires back in the 1900’s. (PHOTO: Tan Yong Hui)
Iota, eta and sigma: The first letter of ‘Jesus’ in Greek, the Gothic gate was used to lead visitors into Singapore’s first Christian cemetery in 1800’s where a few influential figure was buried such as George Drumgold Coleman, an architect who oversaw the works at the cemetery as well as key developer of Singapore’s infrastructure. (PHOTO: Tan Yong Hui)	A place to remember: Visited by tourists & locals alike, Fort Canning Park serves as a history reminder for us to be ever vigilant to safeguard the nation and success we built. (PHOTO: Tan Yong Hui)

A photo essay on the rich heritage and history behind Fort Canning Park. It is an industry related article seen by National Parks Board.

A Journey through the past

A story’s beginning: Fort Canning spans across 18 hectares, and is one of Singapore’s historical landmarks. It is situated on the top of a hill overlooking Singapore River, serving to protect the country in the 19th century. (PHOTO: Tan Yong Hui)

Impregnable fortress: The Fort gate is a remnant of the 19th century fortress, where it played an important role to protect Singapore against the Japanese in World War II as well as to give the European population a refuge in the event of local disturbances. (PHOTO: Tan Yong Hui)

Gate of the hill: The Fort gate has rusted since the British abandoned the fortifications in the 1970, but it has been restored by National Parks Board since then. (PHOTO: Tan Yong Hui)

A live history book: Each section of the Mural wall tells a story through carvings of the events that happened during pre-colonial Singapore. A spring formerly known as “Forbidden Springs” used by the Malay Royals for bathing used to run alongside the wall. (PHOTO: Tan Yong Hui)

A way to tell time: 9-pounders cannons stationed at Fort canning in the 19th century was surprisingly used for a different purpose. It was fired three times a day to announce the hour, salutes and town fires back in the 1900’s. (PHOTO: Tan Yong Hui)

A place to remember: Visited by tourists & locals alike, Fort Canning Park serves as a history reminder for us to be ever vigilant to safeguard the nation and success we built. (PHOTO: Tan Yong Hui)