Telok Ayer Green: Sculpture Garden, Community Museum and Relevance

Posted by SeenThisSceneThat under Public Sculptures
(0) Comment • (2297) Reads • Permalink

: Telok Ayer Green

Telok Ayer Green is an outdoor garden located between Telok Ayer Street and Amoy Street. It lies sandwiched between two historic sites - Nagore Durgha and Thian Hock Keng Temple.

Visitors can drop by this small garden anytime of the day. The park is open to the public and there is no entrance fee. If you are looking for a museum building to read about the sculptures, there is none. Instead the text are scattered throughout this park.

On my visit, I found Telok Ayer Green to be a tiny but cozy garden with a small pond next to benches under several shady trees.

The outstanding feature of Telok Ayer Green does not rest in the pretty flowers, leafy plants or tranquil pond scenery. Of significant note are the sculptures and plaques planted at Telok Ayer Green detailing the history of Amoy Street and Telok Ayer Street. I have photographed these plaques and sculptures to share the rich history of our forefathers.

Notes on Amoy Settlers

Introductory Notes

Indian Settlers

Reading these historical notes and viewing the life-sized sculptures of residents who lived during those times seemed rather surreal.

With my mind, I imagined immigrants who arrive here by the boatloads in 1820. With my eyes, I noted tourists mingling around Telok Ayer Green by the busloads today in 2009. There are no Indian milk traders plying their wares now. There are no Malay fishermen living in kelongs around reclaimed land now. There are also no Chinese coolies carrying sacks of rice now.

But what those Indian, Malay and Chinese immigrants started at Amoy Street and Telok Ayer Street was a new beginning. A new life that would eventually lead to what Singapore has now become.

While most of the immigrants’ way of life is no longer tenable, not all traces of the past have been wiped out by time. Buildings like Nagore Durgha, Thian Hock Keng Temple, Abrar Mosque and Telok Ayer Methodist Church, to name a few, have survived with dignity and relevance.

While the cynical will consider them as marketing ploys for tourists, most open-minded people will see how these historical buildings serve useful community functions. Only the rare breed of heritage lovers will appreciate the critical role such conserved sites play as physical testaments of Singapore’s history.

I hope Telok Ayer Green and neighbouring historical buildings continue to serve the community as they draw new visitors of all ages and cultures. Besides enjoying park amenities, visitors will hopefully learn more about Singapore’s past and in the process, value more of what we have today.