History of Fort Canning ⛰️ From Forbidden Hill to Bastion of Empire to Historic Park of Singapore

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The history of Fort Canning Park is also the story of Singapore and Singapore River.

Palace of the Kingdom of Singapura 1299 to 1389

Sang Nila Utama, a Srivijayan empire prince from Palembang (south Sumatra) established the kingdom of Singapura in 1299. The kingdom of Singapura would last 5 reigns over 99 years. During the century of Singapura from 1299 to 1389, it would be a thriving port of call for traders from China, India and Arabia.

The kingdom of Singapura's palace was on today's Fort Canning Park. It was also where the kings and their families were buried.

People of the kingdom of Singapura farmed and lived on the foothills between today's Fort Canning Park and Singapore River. Singapura's naval force of Orang Laut was based at today's Labrador Park.

In 1389, a large naval force either Siamese or Javanese attacked Singapura and razed it to the ground. Parameswara, the fifth and last king of Singapura fled to Malacca and founded the Malacca Sultanate.

Bukit Larangan / Forbidden Hill 1389 - 1819

Singapura was abandoned and languished in obscurity as part of the Malacca Sultanate and later Johor Sultanate. The Johor Sultanate ran a port in Singapura through a Shanbandar (port master) but remained in their capital up the Johor River. Things only began to change 430 years after with the arrival of Raffles in 1819.

During the 430 years, the Fort Canning foothills down to Singapore River were resettled but the palace on the hill was abandoned and left in ruins. It was known at the time of Raffles' arrival as Bukit Larangan or the Forbidden Hill.

Bukit Bendera / Singapore Hill 1819 - 1825

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After signing the Singapore Treaty by Raffles with Sultan Hussein and Temenggong Abdul Rahman of the Johor Sultanate in 1819, William Farquhar, Singapore's first British Resident & Commandant planted a flag pole and hoisted the Union Jack on Bukit Larangan.

Thereafter, the Forbidden Hill became Singapore Hill. The local Malays would call it Bukit Bendera or Flag Hill.

John Crawfurd, British Resident & Commandant of Singapore 1823 - 1826. Image credit: Wikipedia

John Crawfurd, the second British Resident and Commandant of Singapore visited Forbidden Hill in 1822 and recorded what he saw.

"The greater part of the west and northern side of the mountain is covered with the remains of the foundation of buildings, some composed of baked brick of good quality. Among these ruins, the most distinguished are those seated on a square terrace, of about forty feet to a side, near the summit of the hill. On the edge of this terrace, we find fourteen large blocks of stand-stone; which, from the hole in each, had probably been the pedestals of as many wooden-posts which supported the building. This shows us, at once, that the upper part of the structure was of perishable materials; an observation which, no doubt, applies to the rest of the buildings as well as to this.

Within the square terrace is a circular inclosure, formed of rough sand-stones, in the centre of which is a well, or hollow, which very possibly contained an image; for I look upon the building to have been a place of worship, and from its appearance, in all likelihood, a temple of Buddha. I venture farther to conjecture, that the other relics of antiquity on the hill, are the remains of monasteries of the priests of this religion.

Another terrace, on the north declivity of the hill, nearly of the same size, is said to have been the burying-place of Iskandar Shah, King of Singapore. This is the prince whom tradition describes as having been driven from his throne by the Javanese, in the year 1252 of the Christian era, and who died at Malacca, not converted to the Mohammedan religion, in 1274; so that the story is probably apocryphal.

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Over the supposed tomb of Iskandar, a rude structure has been raised, since the formation of the new settlement, to which Mohammedans, Hindus, and Chinese, equally resort to do homage.

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It is remarkable, that many of the fruit-trees cultivated by the ancient inhabitants of Singapore are still existing, on the eastern side of the hill, after a supposed lapse of near six hundred years. Here we find the durian, the rambutan, the duku, the shaddock, and other fruit-trees of great size; and all so degenerated, except the two first, that the fruit is scarcely to recognised."

[ Source: J. Crawford (1828) Journal of an embassy from the Governor-General of India to the Courts of Siam and Cochin China; exhibiting a view of the actual state of those kingdoms, Henry Colburn, London, pp. 45 - 47. ]

Singapore 1825. Image credit: Wikipedia

On the eastern foothills ran a freshwater stream. It provided drinking water and served as a defensive moat. There was also a spring here where the royal ladies bathed. The Singapura walls or "Old Line of Singapore" were aligned with the stream. The ruins of the old Singapura walls were demolished to make way for subsequent construction on the Forbidden Hill.

Government Hill / Bukit Tuan Bonham 1825 - 1861

Union Jack & Raffes House, Singapore 1823. Image credit: Wikipedia

Raffles' first residence in Singapore known as Raffles House was built on Singapore Hill in 1823. John Crawfurd expanded the building for use by successive Resident and Commandants, and governors. The expanded building was renamed Government House, and Singapore Hill became Government Hill.

Sir Samuel George Bonham, Straits Settlements governor from 1836 to 1843 lived here and the hill became known to locals also as Bukit Tuan Bonham.

Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

The first burials on Singapore Hill were in 1822, the Christian Government Hill Cemetery was consecrated in 1834, the Gothic style entrance arch was built in 1846, and cemetery was closed in 1865 after it was full (with over 600 graves).

Government Hill Cemetery Arch 2017. Image credit: Wikipedia

The Gothic entrance arch of 1846 survived to this day. The letters "IHS" above the arch stand for "Iota, Eta and Sigma" from the Greek word ΙΗΣΟΥΣ for Jesus.

Fort Canning Hill 1861 - 1907

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The Government House was demolished in 1859 and Fort Canning was built in 1861 to defend the city, port and harbour. With the fort, the hill became known as Fort Canning Hill. (It was named after Viscount Charles John Canning who was the Governor-General and Viceroy of India from 1858 to 1862.)

With the hill top Government House demolished, it was rebuilt at Orchard Road. The Government House at Orchard Road was renamed Istana when Singapore was granted self-rule in 1959.

Fort Canning 1900 with the armoury and two 68-pounders in sight. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

On paper, Fort Canning was formidable. It was armed with huge cannons such as seven 68-pounders, eight 8-inch shell guns and two 13-inch shell guns.

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Today, only two 9-pounder cannons remained.

Headquarters Malaya Command 1907 - 1942

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The old fort was demolished from 1907. The Headquarters of the Malaya Command was established in 1924 on Fort Canning Hill. The administrative buildings were built in 1926. From here, the British control all their military forces based in British Malaya.

James Brooke Napier Memorial. Image credit: Wikipedia

The arch in the foreground on the left is the memorial of James Brooke Napier, the infant son of William Napier who died in 1848.

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In 1936, the British built a huge underground complex under Fort Canning Hill known as the "Battle Box". In 1940, the British established the Far East Command here which covered all the British forces in Hong Kong and Burma as well as Malaya.

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General Officer Commanding of Far East Command, Gen Arthur Ernest Percival conducted the battles against the Japanese from here until the surrender in 1942.

Battle Box exit 2020

Birth of Singapore Armed Forces 1945 - 1970s

Fort Canning fell under the Japanese for three years till 1945 when the British returned. The aboveground buildings resumed life as Headquarters of Malaya Command while the underground facilities were abandoned.

Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

The British handed the buildings over to Malaysia in 1963 when it became home of 4th Malaysian Infantry Brigade (4 MIB).

Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

In his memoirs, From Third World to First: The Singapore Story , Lee Kuan Yew recalled that 4 MIB commander Brigadier Syed Mohamed "insisted" that his motorcycle outriders escort him from his City Hall office to Parliament House for the ceremonial opening of the first Parliament of Singapore in 1965. It was the moment that spurred PM Lee to begin building the Singapore Armed Forces and introduce National Service.

The buildings were handed over to the Singapore Armed Forces in 1966. It was the campus of the Singapore Armed Forces Command and Staff College from 1969 till the 1970s.

From Central Park to Fort Canning Park

Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

After the Singapore Armed Forces left the premises in the 1970s, Fort Canning became known as Central Park. It was renamed Fort Canning Park in 1981.

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The military building stayed vacant until 1995 when it became Fort Canning Country Club, then a town club (Legends of Fort Canning Park) in 2002 and converted to Hotel Fort Canning in 2011.

Food Legacy of Bukit Larangan / Fort Canning

Deer rendang

The kingdom of Singapura probably enjoyed deer rendang. Minangkabau traders were likely to bring the Sumatra dish to Singapura. The woods of Singapura were abundant with wildlife including deer. Traders from Indonesia and India brought the necessary spices like turmeric and candlenut etc. Coconut was plentiful.

Singapore bak kut teh

Singapore bak kut teh was born in the shadows of the Forbidden Hill either in the pepper plantations or at the quayside. In either case, it was popularised in Ellenborough Market (Teochew Market) and when that burnt down in 1968, some of the bak kut teh stalls moved to the River Valley and Hill Street area at the foot of Fort Canning.

Hock Lam Teochew beef noodles

The founder of the legendary Hock Lam Teochew beef noodles first plied his trade on two baskets slung on a bamboo pole at Fort Canning. He later settled down at Hock Lam Street at the foot of Fort Canning. Tan Chee Kok's beef noodle brand went through a lot of expansion during its 100 year history. His granddaughter had a stall at Empress Place hawker centre. Now, his great grandson has a Hock Lam Teochew beef noodle restaurant at North Canal Road (Boat Quay).

References:

Kingdom of Singapura
Wikipedia