Lim Bo Seng Memorial

This marble pagoda is a memorial dedicated to Major-General Lim Bo Seng an outstanding World War Two hero who led the anti-Japanese resistance movement.

Marker Text:

The Memorial was built in 1954 in memory of Major -General Lim Bo Seng who led Force 136, an anti-Japanese resistance movement. He was captured by the Japanese in Ipoh in 1944 and died the same year during detention. His body was brought back from Malaya after the war and he was buried at MacRitchie Reservoir with full military honours.

Tan Kim Seng Fountain

This is a beautiful Victorian fountain built in recognition of Tan Kim Seng, a prominent Chinese community leader and philanthropist.  In 1857, he donated a sum of $13,000 in 1857 to the Municipal Council for the purpose of bringing free piped water to the Town.

                                                  Marker Text:

The Victorian cast-iron fountain has been part of Singapore’s urban landscape since 19 May 1882. It was built by the Municipal Council to commemorate Tan Kim Seng, a leading trader and philanthropist.

Cavenagh Bridge

Built in 1869 to link the Civic District on the North Bank with the Commercial District on the South Bank, this is the oldest bridge along the Singapore River in its original form. It is also the first steel suspension bridge in Singapore. Before its construction, access between the two districts was only possible by a detour over Elgin Bridge or by paying one cent for a boat ride.

Named after Colonel (later Major-General) Orfeur Cavenagh, the Governor of the Straits Settlements (1859-1867), the bridge was designed by the Public Works Department. It was manufactured by P & W MacLellan in Scotland and the parts were shipped here and assembled by Indian convict labour. According to the original design, the bridge was to be raised during high tide to facilitate the passage of barges. However, this proved to be technically impossible and it became a fixed suspension bridge.

By the late 1800s, the bridge could not withstand the growing volume of vehicular traffic and Anderson Bridge was opened in 1910 to ease the flow. Cavenagh Bridge thus became a pedestrian bridge. A police notice put up to regulate the use of the bridge, banning heavy vehicular traffic exceeding 3 cwt (hundred weight) or 152 kilogrammes, still stands today at either end of the bridge.

Raffles Landing Site

This is where Thomas Stamford Raffles (1781-1826), an agent of the British East India Company is believed to have landed in January 1819. Raffles had ventured to Singapore in the hope of establishing a British port to compete with the Dutch ports in the region.

Storyboard: This statue of Sir Stamford Thomas Raffles (1781-1826) marks that part of the river bank where he was said to have first landed on 29 January 1819.

Raffles, an agent of the British East India Company, ventured to Singapore hoping to establish a free port and a halfway point for traders along the China-India trade routes. After signing the preliminary treaty with Temenggong Abdul Rahman, the official treaty with Sultan Hussein of Johore-Riau was signed on 6 February 1819, giving the British the right to establish a trading port on the island.

The Dutch protested as Singapore was then part of the Dutch Johor-Riau Empire. The dispute was resolved with the signing of the 1824 Anglo-Dutch Treaty, where the British acquired Malacca, Penang and Singapore, while the Dutch gained Bencoolen (present day Bengkulu) and the rest of Indonesia. In August 1824, another Treaty of Friendship and Alliance was signed, giving the British the governance of Singapore.

From the 19th Century, Singapore’s success as the “Great Commercial Emporium of the East” owed much to its free port status and strategic location. The Singapore River became the main artery of trade, where port, trading and warehouse facilities developed along the riverbanks.

In 1867, Singapore became a British Crown Colony after the transfer of the Straits Settlements from the British Administration in India to the Colonial Office in London. It remained so until 1959 when Singapore achieved self-government.

Group Members

Xi Ya, Reezwanaa, Angeline, Bryce, YunYi