Journey back in time at new gardens in Fort Canning Park
Nine gardens recreate features of early Singapore while augmented reality trail offers peek at scenes from the past
By Shabana Begum, The Straits Times, 28 May 2019
A stroll along Fort Canning Park will now take visitors on a journey back in time.
Nine historical gardens, launched yesterday, recreate the days when 14th-century kings such as Sang Nila Utama had their palaces high on the hill, while royal women bathed in a freshwater spring that used to flow down it. They also recreate the 1800s, when cash crops such as nutmeg, cloves and rambutan were grown on a 20ha plantation next to the park.
Nine gardens recreate features of early Singapore while augmented reality trail offers peek at scenes from the past
By Shabana Begum, The Straits Times, 28 May 2019
A stroll along Fort Canning Park will now take visitors on a journey back in time.
Nine historical gardens, launched yesterday, recreate the days when 14th-century kings such as Sang Nila Utama had their palaces high on the hill, while royal women bathed in a freshwater spring that used to flow down it. They also recreate the 1800s, when cash crops such as nutmeg, cloves and rambutan were grown on a 20ha plantation next to the park.
In February last year, Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong announced enhancements to be made to Fort Canning Park to highlight its history and make the hill more accessible to visitors.
The gardens, spanning 8ha of the 18ha park, consist of Pancur Larangan (Forbidden Spring), Artisan's Garden, Sang Nila Utama Garden, Raffles Garden, Farquhar Garden, Jubilee Park, First Botanic Garden, Spice Garden and Armenian Street Park.
Making them more exciting, an augmented reality (AR) trail, developed by the National Parks Board (NParks) and National Heritage Board, winds through the gardens, allowing visitors to view scenes from as early as 1300 on their smartphones by scanning the AR codes at eight points along the route.
The Sang Nila Utama Garden, named after the Palembang prince, is a re-creation of South-east Asian gardens of the 14th century. Visitors are welcomed by Javanese split gates and statues of frogs, fish and ducks - fauna that was believed to be seen in the palace gardens.
The garden also has traditional features such as a symmetrical layout and reflective pools filled with lily pads that used to be a meditative refuge for royalty.
"The intent was to restore landscapes that were known to have existed or could have existed in Fort Canning Park," Mr Wong said at the opening of the gardens yesterday.
"To do so, we consulted archaeologists and historians, and scoured historical records, old photos, maps and letters," he said.
Mr Wong also announced that the second phase of the enhancement plan will be completed in 2021. A nature play garden and a space to showcase the performing arts will be added to Jubilee Park. Fort Canning Centre will be repurposed as a heritage gallery, while the foothills will have art galleries and more dining options.
NParks is also conducting a year-long study to find out if it is possible to build a lookout point and gallery at the top of the hill.
To make Fort Canning Park more accessible to the elderly, families with young children and people with disabilities, covered escalators, pedestrian-friendly walkways and a platform lift have been installed at certain points.
The covered escalators connecting Fort Canning MRT station and Bras Basah MRT station to the park have been strategically positioned to increase accessibility to the park, said an NParks spokesman. Previously, visitors could access the park only by climbing the stairs.
A stretch of Canning Rise between the Registry of Marriages and the National Museum has also been converted into a wide footpath so that visitors do not have to cross the road to reach the park.
The centrepiece event of the bicentennial, the Bicentennial Experience, will open at Fort Canning Centre on Saturday and run until Sept 15. The multimedia showcase will take visitors through 700 years of Singapore's history, telling the story through sets, live performances and multimedia elements.
Property manager Henry Chan, 57, who visited the historical gardens yesterday, said he enjoyed walking in the Sang Nila Utama Garden, which he found peaceful.
He also learnt new things. "Back when I was in school, I did not learn that Sir Stamford Raffles was a naturalist and used to grow spices in Fort Canning," he said.
Mr Chan said more shade could be provided for visitors to beat the heat. "Hopefully, when the young trees in the gardens start growing more, the area will be more shaded," he said.
Nine historical gardens open at Fort Canning Park to reflect rich heritage of hill -27 May 2019
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