National monuments of Singapore: Esplanade Park Memorials

What is a National Monument? Who gazettes them? How many national monuments are there in Singapore? To date, the Preservation of Sites and Monuments, a division of National Heritage Board, has identified and gazetted 75 buildings, structures and sites of national significance as an integral part of Singapore's built heritage.

And we're here to tell you all about them - one National Monument at a time!

You've probably passed by or stepped into more than a few of them without realising they were National Monuments: Al-Abrar Mosque, Central Fire Station, Sri Mariamman Temple, Saint Andrew's Cathedral, National Gallery, Fort Siloso on Sentosa - no need to plan an itinerary for friends visiting from overseas; just show them this article.

In this edition, we throw the spotlight on a National Monument that comprises three structures that have been collectively gazetted as the Esplanade Park Memorials.

Location

The three memorials are all located within the 500 metre long Esplanade Park (built in 1943 during the Japanese Occupation), right beside The Padang. The nearest MRT stations are City Hall MRT or Esplanade MRT.

Significant dates

Dates built:

• 1882: Tan Kim Seng Fountain
• 1920 to 1922: The Cenotaph
• 1953 to 1954: Lim Bo Seng Memorial

Dates unveiled:

• May 19, 1882: Tan Kim Seng Fountain
• March 31, 1922: The Cenotaph
• June 29, 1954: Lim Bo Seng Memorial

Date gazetted collectively: Dec 28, 2010

History

Tan Kim Seng Fountain

The fountain's namesake is Tan Kim Seng (Nov 18, 1806 to March 14, 1864), a Singaporean businessman born in Malacca, Malaya. He was a wealthy trader and property owner, a leader of the local Chinese community, and an avid supporter of the Chinese Pauper Hospital (Tan Tock Seng Hospital today).

One of his most notable contributions: A generous monetary gift of $13,000 for the construction of Singapore's first reservoir and waterworks, to supply freshwater to the Singapore Town in 1857.

To commemorate Tan's generous contribution towards the establishment of the waterworks, the municipal commissioners erected the Tan Kim Seng Fountain at Fullerton Square on May 19, 1882. It was later moved to the Esplanade Park at Connaught Drive in 1929 to make way for a carpark after construction of the Fullerton Building (now The Fullerton Hotel Singapore).

In January 1994, the fountain was shut down for repairs that lasted seven months. As part of the $1.12 million restoration project, the seven-metre-high cast-iron fountain was rust-proofed and a new foundation was built.

The memorial is currently closed for restoration works, and is due for completion in the later half of 2024.

The Cenotaph

The Cenotaph was originally erected to honour the 124 men from the Colony of Singapore who left for the war in Europe during the First World War (1914 to 1918) and never returned, with their names inscribed on bronze plates mounted on the memorial. 

The foundation stone was laid by Sir Lawrence Nunns Guillemard, the then-Governor of the Straits Settlements, on Nov 15, 1920. The Cenotaph was unveiled on March 31, 1922 by the Prince of Wales, who became King Edward VIII and later, Duke of Windsor.

After the Japanese Occupation (1942 to 1945), the reverse side of the Cenotaph was dedicated as a memorial to the military personnel who defended Singapore and perished during the Second World War. The words "They died that we might live" were cast in bronze plates in Singapore's four official languages - English, Chinese, Malay (in Jawi script), and Tamil - and set on the structure.

Lim Bo Seng Memorial

Lim Bo Seng was born on April 27, 1909 in Nan'an in Fujian Province. Recognised as a local war hero in Singapore, he was instrumental in anti-Japanese efforts during the warring period, with a posthumous rank of Major-General awarded to him by the Nationalist Government of the Republic of China in 1946.

Lim's unfortunate death was due to being betrayed and then arrested by the Kempeitai (Japanese Military Police) while travelling through a checkpoint in Gopeng, Perak. Despite repeated torture, he refused to name his companions. He finally succumbed to his injuries and died in Batu Gajah Prison, in Perak, on June 29, 1944.

In 1946, the Lim Bo Seng Memorial Committee, which included representatives from the Chinese Nationalist government, was established to raise funds for the construction of a public memorial dedicated to Lim. The colonial government rejected the committee's proposal to build a memorial park around his grave, but granted permission for a memorial to be built at the Esplanade.

The foundation stone for the memorial was laid by Commissioner-General Malcolm MacDonald on Nov 23, 1953 in the presence of Lim's family members. On June 29 the following year, the tenth anniversary of Lim's death, General Sir Charles Loewen, then Commander-in-Chief of the Far East Land Forces, unveiled the memorial.

Design and architecture

Tan Kim Seng Fountain

The fountain was made by Andrew Handyside & Company of Britannia Ironworks from Derby, England.

The Victorian-style iron fountain has three tiers and features four Muses - Greek goddesses of science, literature, and the arts - in its lower bowl, each bearing an object of her patronage. Calliope, the Muse of Epic Poetry, carries a writing tablet; Clio, the Muse of History, carries a scroll; Erato, the Muse of Lyric Poetry, carries a lyre; and Melpomene, the Muse of Tragedy, carries a wreath. Beneath the sculptures of the Muses are four faces of Poseidon, the Greek God of the Sea, each spouting water.

The Cenotaph

The Cenotaph was designed by Denis Santry from the renowned architectural firm Swan & Maclaren. He was also the architect for Sultan Mosque and the Former Tanjong Pagar Railway Station. The memorial was modelled after the 1920 Sir Edwin Lutyens Whitehall Cenotaph in Whitehall, London.

Constructed using local white granite, the structure is nearly 18 metre tall. There are five steps leading up to the memorial on both sides, each engraved with a year of the respective World Wars. On the Cenotaph is the phrase "Our Glorious Dead", which immediately calls to mind the sacrifice of the brave men.

At the top of the memorial is a sarcophagus, featuring a bronze medallion of a crown - a symbol of the Crown Colony - surrounded by a laurel wreath, which represents victory and peace.

Lim Bo Seng Memorial

Lim Bo Seng Memorial was designed in the Chinese National style by local architect Ng Keng Siang. This style blends traditional Chinese elements with modern architecture, and is often characterised by a distinctively Chinese-style roof atop a concrete structure. 

The memorial comprises a 3.5-metre octagonal pagoda resting on a platform. Four bronze guardian lions sit at the base of the pagoda. Four commemorative plaques narrating the life and sacrifice of Lim in English, Chinese, Malay (in Jawi script), and Tamil can be found embedded on the facade of the memorial.

The memorial occupies a site measuring 30 metre by 24 metre, which was donated by the Government. The construction cost of $50,000 was funded by donations from the Chinese community.

Opening hours

Always open.

Admission

Free.

ALSO READ: National monuments of Singapore: Civilian War Memorial

This article was first published on Wonderwall.sg.