Hong Lim Park, formerly known as Hong Lim Green and Dunman's Green, is a heritage park in the

Downtown Core The Downtown Core is the historical and downtown centre of the city-state of Singapore and the main commercial area in Singapore excluding reclaimed lands with many integrated resorts such as the Marina Bay Sands, one of the most expensive buildi ...

district of

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

located next to the

Parkroyal Collection Pickering Parkroyal Collection Pickering, Singapore (stylised as the PARKROYAL COLLECTION Pickering, Singapore, formerly PARKROYAL on Pickering) is a luxury hotel located in the Central Area, Singapore. It is a "hotel-in-a-garden" with of elevated terr ...

hotel and Clarke Quay station. The park is notable locally as being the country's

Speakers' Corner A Speakers' Corner is an area where open-air public speaking, debate, and discussion are allowed. The original and best known is in the northeast corner of Hyde Park in London, England. Historically there were a number of other areas desig ...

, whereby

Singaporeans Singaporeans, or the Singaporean people, refers to citizens or people who identify with the sovereign island city-state of Singapore. Singapore is a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-lingual country. Singaporeans of Chinese, Malay, Indi ...

are able to freely engage in political open-air public speeches, debates and discussions.

History

Early years

Dunman's Green was one of the earliest public parks in Singapore, it was named after the first Superintendent of Police

Thomas Dunman Thomas Dunman (1814-1887) was an Englishman during the British Colonial period. He arrived in the Straits Settlements and the Crown Colony of Singapore from England. Dunman was the first Commissioner of Police (Singapore), Commissioner of Police i ...

who retired in 1871. In 1876, it was renamed as Hong Lim Green in honour of

Cheang Hong Lim Cheang Hong Lim JP (1825 – 11 February 1893) was a Chinese opium merchant and philanthropist in Singapore. He was recognised by the British colonial administration as head of the local Hokkien Chinese community. Biography Cheang was born to ...

(), a wealthy Chinese Hokkien businessman and philanthropist who bought and donated the land to the government. In 1885, a

Mansard roof A mansard or mansard roof (also called a French roof or curb roof) is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterised by two slopes on each of its sides, with the lower slope, punctured by dormer windows, at a steeper angle than the upper. Th ...

Police Courts In England and Wales, a magistrates' court is a lower court which hears matters relating to summary offences and some triable either-way matters. Some civil law issues are also decided here, notably family proceedings. In 2015, there were ro ...

building known as the Criminal District and Magistrates' Courts, was built on the grounds of the park. The North Canal Post Office was also built in the area, which was situated closer to the North Canal Road, while the Police Courts building was situated closer to the South Bridge Road. The first Straits Chinese Recreation Club clubhouse was built at the centre of the park, an octagonal pavilion designed by H.D. Richards, was officially opened to members by Chinese consul Tso Ping Lung on 2 July 1887. In 1914, the original clubhouse was demolished for the construction of a new pavilion, which had improved lighting and facilities and had its entrance facing New Bridge Road. Hong Lim Green would start its first storytelling tradition during the

Japanese occupation of Singapore , officially , was the name for Singapore when it was occupied and ruled by the Empire of Japan, following the fall and surrender of British military forces on 15 February 1942 during World War II. Japanese military forces occupied it afte ...

in the 1940s. After the war, it was used as a cricket ground by members of the

Singapore Chinese Recreation Club Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borderi ...

and the

Singapore Cricket Club The Singapore Cricket Club (SCC) is one of the premier sports and social clubs in Singapore. Its clubhouse is located on Connaught Drive on the south end of the Padang in Singapore's central business district. History The SCC was esta ...

, and was also the venue for many of the first political speeches and election rallies in the 1950s. In 1951, two courthouses which were meant to be temporary were built near the Criminal District and Magistrates' Courts. With Singapore Chinese Recreation Club vacated the premises on 31 July 1959 and moved to Shenton Way, its former clubhouse's demolition started on the following day to make way for new developments.

Refurbishment

Hong Lim Green was refurbished by the

City Council of Singapore The City Council of Singapore was the administrative council of the City of Singapore responsible for the provision of water, electricity, gas, roads and bridges and street lighting. It was dissolved in 1959 when Singapore attained self-governanc ...

with new grass turf, a sand filled children's playground, a fountain, park facilities, and an open-air theatre was built at a cost of S$173,000, it was renamed to Hong Lim Park and officially reopened by

S. Rajaratnam Sinnathamby Rajaratnam ( ta, சின்னத்தம்பி ராஜரத்னம்; 25 February 1915 – 22 February 2006), better known as S. Rajaratnam, was a Singaporean politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister of Singapo ...

on 23 April 1960. On the following day, the Telok Ayer Hong Lim Green Community Centre, which was behind the open-air theatre, was officially opened by Dr

Goh Keng Swee Goh Keng Swee (; 6 October 1918 – 14 May 2010), born Robert Goh Keng Swee, was a Singaporean politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore between 1973 and 1985. Goh is widely recognised as one of the founding fathers of Singa ...

. The storytelling tradition was once again resumed in another medium as Chinese operas were performed at the open-air theatre from the 1960s to 1970s. The park had also become an attractive location for cultural shows, outdoor movie screenings and election rallies once again. The Criminal District and Magistrates' Courts and the two temporary courthouses, which had remained at the park for 90 years and 24 years respectively, was demolished soon after the

Subordinate Courts A hierarchy (from Greek: , from , 'president of sacred rites') is an arrangement of items (objects, names, values, categories, etc.) that are represented as being "above", "below", or "at the same level as" one another. Hierarchy is an important ...

was opened for operation on 15 September 1975, the site of the former police courts building is currently an empty field with a toilet facility to cater as part of the event venue. The park's playground had since been removed. The former North Canal Post Office had been renovated and converted into the Kreta Ayer Neighbourhood Police Post in the late 1980s. From September 2000, it also serves as a registration centre for anyone who wishes to give speeches or set up events at the Speakers' Corner. In 2005, the Hong Lim Park Open Stage was refurbished to incorporate a modern-looking pure Teflon tentage that preserved the historical stage layout of the 1950s.

Speakers' Corner

Hong Lim Park was selected by the

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government i ...

as the venue for

on 1 September 2000. Since then, it is the currently the only venue in Singapore where one can legally stage public protests. In early 2013, two protests against the government's immigration policies each drew more than 350 people, and in June 2014, about 20 people protested the

Central Provident Fund The Central Provident Fund Board (CPFB), commonly known as the CPF Board or simply the Central Provident Fund (CPF), is a compulsory comprehensive savings and pension plan for working Singaporeans and permanent residents primarily to fund thei ...

(CPF), Singapore's state-run

pension fund A pension fund, also known as a superannuation fund in some countries, is any plan, fund, or scheme which provides retirement income. Pension funds typically have large amounts of money to invest and are the major investors in listed and priva ...

Gallery

File:KITLV - 1404901 - "Singapore Police Office and Police Court." - 1895-1908.tif File:KITLV - 103754 - Lambert & Co. - Court of the police at South Bridge Road, Singapore - circa 1885.tif File:Hong Lim Park 3, Mar 06.JPG File:Hong Lim Park sign, Singapore - 20130327.jpg File:Fountain in Hong Lim Park, Singapore - 20130327.jpg, Fountain at Hong Lim Park. File:HongLimPark09.JPG File:HongLimPark01.JPG File:HongLimPark05.JPG File:HongLimPark13.JPG, Former North Canal Post Office, currently North Canal Neighbourhood Police Post File:Speakers' Corner sign, Singapore - 20050906.jpg,

sign File:HongLimPark06.JPG File:Telok Ayer Hong Lim Green Community Centre 3, Mar 06.JPG, Open air theatre, behind Telok Ayer Hong Lim Green Community Centre. File:Notice at stage of Telok Ayer Hong Lim Green Community Centre, Singapore - 2010.jpg, Notice at stage, behind Telok Ayer Hong Lim Green Community Centre. File:Telok Ayer Hong Lim Green Community Centre, Mar 06.JPG, Telok Ayer Hong Lim Green Community Centre File:Telok Ayer Hong Lim Green Community Centre, Singapore - 20130327.jpg

Geography

The park was bounded by North Canal Road, South Bridge Road, Upper Pickering Street and New Bridge Road. Telok Ayer Hong Lim Green Community Centre and the Kreta Ayer Neighbourhood Police Post lie adjacent to the park. Adjacent to the park are the Telok Ayer Hong Lim Green Community Centre and the Kreta Ayer Neighbourhood Police Post.

Notes

References

External links

National Parks BoardHong Lim Park
{{Parks in Singapore Gardens in Singapore Parks in Singapore