Raffles

LANDING SITE

Raffles Statue @ Raffles Landing Site

Can you recognise the identity of this statue? Ever wondered why - of all places in Singapore - is his statue placed along Singapore River?

Yes, you are right! This is the statue of Sir Stamford Raffles.

At the foot of this statue, there is a plaque.

Plague underneath the Statue of Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles

Raffles landed in Singapore on 28th January 1819" and "with genius, and perception changed the destiny of Singapore from an obscure fishing village to a great seaport and modern metropolis". According to popular history, Raffles is remembered as the founder of Singapore and believed to have played an instrumental role in shaping the success of Singapore - from a mere fishing port into a successful national with international prestige today.

This polymarble statue of Raffles, sculpted by Thomas Woolner, was placed at Raffles Landing Site, 150th year after the founding of Singapore. The "landing site" refers to the place where Raffles first set foot when he came in 1918.

Fun fact: This is not the only statue of Raffles Singapore has. There is a dark-bronze version of this statue in Singapore. In fact, this polymarble statue came after that statue that is commonly referred to as orang besi - "Iron Man". 

As this was our first stop on the Heritage Trail, we went alongside with the other group who was on the Civic District Trail to the Raffles Site. While we were there, we witnessed a few foreigners appreciating the statue of Raffles by snapping photos with, and of, it.

As you can see from the first photo, this statue is placed against the skyline of Singapore's CBD. At night, this polymarble statue will be contrasted against the natural backdrop laid out by high-rise buildings. In the day, unfortunately, the details of the on-going construction may considerably ruin the photo.

Nonetheless, do feel free to come up with innovative poses as you snap photos with this beautiful marble statue of Raffles when you are there!

TOWN PLAN

This was one landmark our group struggled to find! Unlike the Raffles statue that helps one to identify the Raffles landing site, the information board on Raffles Town Plan was missed as it is just one out of the many information boards along the Singapore River. After walking back and forth the Singapore River multiple times, we finally managed to locate the board with information on Raffles' Town Plan. 

Our group @ Raffles Town Plan 

Here is a photo focusing on the details on the information board.

Raffles Town Plan Board

The town plan crafted by Raffles was a reaction to his disappointment during his return in October 1822. At that time, William Farquhar - the first British Resident and the Commandant of Singapore - failed to see through Raffles' decision on the allocation of land as told to him as early as June 1819. This led to Raffles forming his own Town Committee by November to discuss and carry through the layout plan of Singapore in accordance to Raffles' commands. To help you better understand how Raffles planned early Singapore, do check out the next image where a simplified version of the town plan has been presented: 

Raffles Town Plan. Retrieved from http://www.angelfire.com/dc2/great1998/images/map2.jpg.

The town plan was formulated by 23 February 1823. Evidently, Raffles focused on the Downtown of Singapore. It sought to integrate the Chinese and India immigrants into the new town plan. Raffles' Town Plan followed grids where different ethnicity possessed different parts of the land while many shared public infrastructures such as roads and hospitals have been set up. This was largely in line with Raffles' emphasis on communal harmony for a growing nation.

Now that you know more about Raffles' Town Plan, consider the impact of it on modern Singapore!