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Singapore Philatelic Museum

A country’s political, social and economic milestones are often highlighted in its stamps.  The Singapore Philatelic Museum (SPM), opened in 1995, is the custodian of Singapore’s postal history and Southeast Asia’s first philatelic museum.

The building housing the museum was originally part of the old Anglo-Chinese School.  It was designed by Tomlinson and Lermit Architects and commissioned by the Trustees of the Anglo Chinese School in 1906 as an additional school building to Oldham Hall which had been built in 1897.  The building was used as a Methodist Book Room from the 1970s until it was restored to its original glory in 1995.

An antique red-painted postbox graces the entrance of the museum.  A vestige of Singapore’s days as a British Colony, this heritage mailbox may be used for mailing letters and postcards.

This unique little museum in the Civic District is located on the Coleman Street side of Fort Canning Park and faces Singapore’s oldest surviving church, the Armenian Church.

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(cont’d from previous page)… was demolished in 2005 to make way for a traffic tunnel.  After a multi-million-dollar renovation and expansion (2002-2006), the museum reopened as the National Museum of Singapore in December 2006.  The National Museum was gazetted as a National Monument on 14 February 1992.

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Singapore History Museum

The first purpose-built museum building in Singapore is the Singapore History Museum or National Museum located at the junction of Stamford Road and Fort Canning Road.  The museum was originally a section of the Raffles Library, located at the Singapore Institution.  Between 1872 and 1876, the Library and Museum was situated at the Town Hall (now Victoria Concert Hall), but moved back to Raffles Institution when space proved insufficient.  In 1882, the Colonial Government commissioned a brand new building for the Library and Museum.  The original design for this building was by Sir Henry McCullum but it proved too expensive to build.  A scaled down version of McCullum’s building was designed by Colonial Engineer JFA McNair.

The building was extended in 1906, 1916, 1926 and 1934.  In 1960, the Library split from the Museum and occupied its own building just next door.  The National Library Building… (to be cont’d in next page)

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Singapore Art Museum

The Singapore Art Museum, which opened in December 1996, has a large collection of Southeast Asian art works, including Singapore’s national art collection.  The museum complex was, for many years, the home of the well-known Catholic school, St Joseph’s Institution (SJI).  The school was set up by Father Jean Marie Beurel in 1846 in a wooden shed in the grounds of the Cathedral of Good Shepherd across the street from this building.  The foundation stone of the central block of this building was designed by Brother Lothaire, a French priest-architect.

Over the years, new features and extensions were made to the school.  Many of these features have been well preserved.

St Joseph’s Institution occupied this building from 1855 to 1988 when it moved to its new premises in Malcolm Road.

This building was gazetted as a National Monument on 14 February 1992.

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National Stadium

Singapore’s largest sport landmark is the National Stadium, which was opened on 31 July 1973.  It has a seating capacity of over 50,000 with an additional 8,000 sq metres of space for exhibitions, shops and training facilities.

Plans for the National Stadium were drafted in 1965 and in 1966, the first pile was driven into the ground.  In July 1973, the National Stadium was completed in time for Singapore to host the 7th Southeast Asian Peninsular (SEAP) Games.  Since then, numerous sports events, concerts and other events were held at the Stadium.  During the peak of the Malaysia Cup soccer competition, the stadium overflowed with fans whose vociferous cheering gave brith to the fabled Kallang Roar.

The biggest non-sports event held at the stadium is the National Day Parade.  As the Stadium will be torn down in 2007 to make way for a new sports complex (with seating capacity of 55,000 and a retractable roof), it hosted its last National Day Parade on 9 August 2006.  The new stadium will be ready in 2010.

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The Singapore Indoor Stadium

The Singapore Indoor Stadium is located next to the National Stadium in Kallang Park.  Designed by the famous Japanese architect Kenzo Tange, who also designed the 66-storey UOB Plaza and the NTU Campus complex, the Indoor Stadium was officially opened on 31 December 1989.

With its retractable seats, the Indoor Stadium can accommodate up to 11,800 spectators.  The Singapore Indoor Stadium has hosted numerous sports events, concerts and performances.

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University Cultural Centre

The National University of Singapore (NUS) is a landmark in Kent Ridge where it is currently located.  The parentage of the NUS goes back to 1905 when a medical college, later named King Edward VII Medical College was founded in Sepoy Lines.  In 1928, Raffles College at the Bukit Timah campus was established.  The buildings of this beautiful campus are now home of the NUS’s Law Faculty and research institutes.  In 1949, Raffles College and the King Edward VII Medical College merged to form the University of Malaya.

When a separate campus was established in Kuala Lumpur, the University was renamed the University of Malaya in Singapore.  In 1962, it became the University of Singapore.  It merged with Nanyang University to become the National University of Singapore in 1980.  This stamp, which depicts the University Cultural Centre (built in 2000) was issued in 2005 as part of the NUS’s centenary celebrations.

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The National Theatre

This important landmark no longer exists.  Its memory is retained through this stamp.  The former National Theatre was built on the slope of Fort Canning Park facing Clemenceau Avenue, was officially opened on 8 August 1963.

The Theatre was designed by pioneer local architect Alfred Wong in 1963 after the firm won a design competition.  It had 3,420 seats and was built with funds collected by public subscription.

The most significant feature of the National Theatre was its huge cantilevered roof which shielded the audience from the elements.

Many important performances were staged at the National Theatre and from 1966 to 1982, the National Day Rally was held at the Theatre.

The proximity of the proposed CTE underground tunnel to the Theatre combined with declining use due to the lack of air-conditioning, led a decision to demolish the National Theatre in 1986.  It was demolished between June and August 1986.