Fort Canning Park was formerly known as Bukit Larangan (Malay: Forbidden Hill) by local Malays, who believed it was the abode of former Malay kings. The discovery of sandstone foundation blocks in the early 1800s and subsequent archaeological excavations provided evidence that the hill was inhabited prior to British arrival. A keramat (Malay: shrine) believed to be the tomb of the last Malay king is also located here.
By 1822, the British had renamed this place Government Hill and erected a bungalow as Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles’ residence. That same year, Raffles initiated Singapore’s first botanic gardens here. The bungalow was used as the residence of subsequent colonial governors until the 1850s when it was demolished for the construction of Fort Canning. The first Christian burial grounds were also established here in 1819.
Though Fort Canning, completed in 1861, was mostly demolished by 1926 to make way for a service reservoir, the British continued to build other military structures on the hill, including a military headquarters, barracks (now Fort Canning Centre) and a bunker. In this bunker, Lieutenant-General Arthur Percival and his commanders made the decision to surrender Singapore to the Japanese in 1942.
Fort Canning became a recreational space by the 1950s. The hill housed Singapore’s first public aquarium known as Van Kleef Aquarium, the former National Theatre, the River Valley Swimming Pool, and a roller-skating rink. Renamed Fort Canning Park in 1981, it remains an important recreational and historical site, featuring landscaped gardens and staging of arts performances.
