As the Tiger roars its last for the year and makes way for the docile and happy Rabbit, Chinatown is once again decked out for the coming change of the Lunar New Year. This year, expect sales rabbit-themed gifts to skyrocket – a la plush toys, cartoon rabbits and pet hares.

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Fancy a walking tour to explore Singapore’s National Monuments? Our popular walking tours are back! Every last Sunday of the month, get off your couch and get out with us!

Take an expedition back in time and let the streets of the civic district area and the central business district come alive with rich history. These walking tours are specially catered for families (children aged 10 and above) and friends to learn more about our historic buildings and national monuments along the route. Designed and led by our very own adult volunteers, each tour looks at a unique aspect of Singapore and our built heritage.

Tour synopsis

Keepers of the Community Learn about the Armenians through a fun and interactive session that engages your sense of touch and smell. Suitable for families with children, youth, adults.

The Empire, the Emperor and the Crown Discover Singapore’s links to the Chinese Emperor and the British Monarchy. Suitable for youth and adults.

Indians in Chinatown Learn about the faiths of Indian immigrants through religious sites along South Bridge Road. Suitable for youth and adults.

Observations from Holloway Lane Peak into the past through the eyes of a former resident of Holloway Lane. Suitable for youth and adults.

Sign up NOW! Limited space only! Each tour costs* $10, payment to be made in cash on day of tour. Dress in comfortable clothes and walking shoes.

Register by emailing

• The name of the trail
• Your name, age, NRIC and contact numbers

to nhb_nationalmonuments@nhb.gov.sg by 27th Jan.

*Family package  – Parents (2 adults) and 2 children- $20, Students (below 19 years)- $5 each

For more information, please refer to http://www.pmb.sg/?page_id=971

Note: Photography is permissible, but other forms of recording (e.g. note-taking, audio or visual recording) are not allowed.

About a hundred years ago, one could walk the coastal road from the Esplanade all the way to Keppel Harbour. Today, the Esplanade and Queen Elizabeth Walk are the most of the Singapore River and the sea one can see – and in a few more years, I reckon that people will forget that the mouth of the Singapore River, now dammed up by the Marina Barrage even led out to the sea! Check out this picture from the Queen Elizabeth Walk featuring the Singapore River at low tide (and in the distance, the old General Post Office, now the Fullerton Hotel). I wonder if people then used to walk the shores at low tide to look for oysters, like how they did in Penang?

In his posts, James shares images of the Esplanade and Queen Elizabeth walk then and now. They are full of images of the old shorelines, buildings and sometimes the little details like the benches and trees. While you can see the changing landscape over the years, some landmarks still remain. Explore Queen Elizabeth Walk here and here.

Not satisfied with finding just one Spooner Road in Singapore, in tribute to Charles Edwin Spooner of the Federated Malay States Railway, Jerome discovers another Spooner road approximately 500 km north – in the former mining boomtown of Ipoh.

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If you’re somewhat enamoured with the first residential estate built entirely on reclaimed land, appreciate art and enjoy checking out cool living spaces, you have to give OH! (Open House) a go!

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Have you heard of a Spoonerism? It is an unintentional (or sometimes, intended for comedic effect) slip-up of words such that the first sound of a group of words are mixed up – such as “bowel feast” (foul beast), “cop porn” (popcorn), and “you’ve tasted two worms” (you’ve wasted two terms). This state of verbal mix-up is attributed to one Reverend William Archibald Spooner, who was said to be prone to such slip-ups. In Singapore, we also know of one Spooner, but he’s not so much known for verbal mix-ups as he is for the town drain (ie, down train).

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Have you heard of Somapah Village? The name was so unfamiliar to me that I was surprised that it was actually located in Singapore. Back in the 1980s, there was a Somapah Bus Interchange at part of where the Singapore Expo now stands (Hall 7, to be precise).

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I passed by Fort road many times and sometimes wondered why was it called Fort road. Me and Matt went early and rode around… and found this interesting fact….

Apparently long long time ago there was a fort built around the area(Katong park). The fort is no longer around but u can still 2 loyal soldiers doing guard duty at Katong Park.  Explore around the Katong park just off Fort road and you will see some signage containing more information on the fort. What a nice surprise!

You can view more pictures here.

How well do you know your civic district? The oldest portion of modern Singapore is full of buildings from the colonial period and monuments to great people and events past. Jerome blogs about a heritage walk he participated in, organised by the National Library, on the heritage sites around the Padang.

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Because of our World War II history, you might think that the Japanese Cemetery Park in Hougang was established during the war period; however, its history goes back far further than that – it was established in 1891!

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