A rather sweaty walk at Fort Canning left me literally drained, but the sights of the Civic District beckoned me. Gulping down two bottles of water, I walked into the area and the first sight was the Parliament.
A view of the Parliament House from across the North Bridge Road... It isn't quite an imposing structure, but it looks quite open, inviting and accessible to the public, exactly what a temple of democracy should be...
I find these symbols quite interesting...
A dash of colour...
The new Supreme Court building...
The old Supreme Court building...
The old Parliament House has now been converted into an arthouse...
The Old Parliament House is the first gazetted government building in Singapore. It is a grandiose Victorian house, ringed with white-washed fencing, it was designed and built by Singapore’s colonial architect, the George Drumgould Coleman in 1827, for a Scottish merchant John Maxwell. It is as though Coleman lives on, right here in Singapore, through his creations...
Converted into an arts and heritage venue in 2004, the Old Parliament House was renamed and relaunched as The Arts House. This is a venue for film screenings, art exhibitions, plays and musical concerts
A majestic bronze elephant that stands out in the front of the Old Parliament House.
This majestic elephant was a gift from King Rama V of Siam (Thailand) in 1871, incidentally, Singapore was the first foreign land a monarch of Siam had visited...
Work in the old Supreme Court building is still on to convert it into a National Gallery...
The Singapore Cricket Club - in the colonial days, cricket was a game for the elite...
The old and the new Supreme Court buildings stand together, in harmony...
During the Second World War, Singapore, which was then under Japanese occupation, was the base of the Indian National Army (INA) to launch attacks on British India. This site commemorates the efforts of the INA...
Unfortunately, I coundn't see the site as it was under renovation...
"They died that we might live."
The Cenotaph was built in memory of the 124 British soldiers from Singapore who gave their lives in the First World War. There is a second dedication added in remembrance of those who died in the Second World War...
I promise to be back to see the INA Memorial...
The legendary Durians!
The architecture of the Esplanade Theatres By The Bay always fascinates me...
The blue fountain was interesting...
Named after Tan Kim Seng, a Malacca-born prominent Peranakan merchant and philanthropist of the 19th century, who donated $13,000 for developing the water supply system here...
Seng also supported the Tan Tock Seng Hospital, which is close to Balestier where I am staying...
Indeed a fitting memorial to Tan Kim Seng...
Finally, I reached the Civilian War Memorial, built in memory of the civilians killed during the Japanese occupation of Singapore during the Second World War...
The memorial was conceived by Singapore's most renowned architect, Leong Swee Lim. The four identical pillars, each 70 metres high, represent the shared experiences and unity of the four major races of Singapore – Chinese, Eurasian, Indian and Malay.
The memorial has also been affectionately described by some as resembling four giant chopsticks. Adding to the significance of the monument are the remains of the unidentified war victims buried beneath the monument...
Lest we forget...
A view of Downtown from the Civilian War Memorial... And its time to walk down to Chinatown...
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