Known as the Padang - the Malay word for a recreational or sports ground - today, the green field was once called Raffles Plain. It was here where English and Indian troops had lived after the founding of modern Singapore in 1819. The field, together with the seafront before it was reclaimed, formed the Esplanade, a popular venue for evening promenades at that time. Lying in the distance is the pavilion that belonged to the Singapore Cricket Club, which had been established in 1852.