Padang

Views:

Sight Address : Between St. Andrew Road and Connaught Drive, Singapore 179682, Singapore (Downtown Core).
Edit

Detail InformationEdit

The Padang (Malay for ‘field’; simplified Chinese: 政府大厦大草场; traditional Chinese: 政府大廈大草場) is an open playing field located within the Downtown Core of the Central Area in Singapore. It was formerly known as the Padang Cricket Ground. The Padang is surrounded by several important landmarks, which include Saint Andrew’s Cathedral, City Hall, the Old Supreme Court Building and the City Hall MRT Station.Due to its prime location and historical significance, it has been used as a venue for a variety of events, including the National Day Parades in 2005 and in 2010, due to The Float at Marina Bay hosting the opening ceremony for the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics.

Padang

HistoryEdit

In June 1819, modern founder of Singapore, Thomas Stamford Raffles instructed the first Resident of Singapore, William Farquhar, to reserve the whole space within the Old Lines and the Singapore River (i.e. the northern bank) for public purposes. However, Farquhar found it expedient to allow European merchants to encroach the reserved space as this appeared to be the only suitable site for mercantile firms and godowns, since the southern bank was then too swampy. Farquhar also built a temporary home with an attap roof and kajang walls on the current Singapore Cricket Club site, on the edge which came to be known as Raffles Plain. When Raffles returned to the island in October 1822, Raffles disapproved of the encroaching by mercantile interests of land he had set aside for public use. Raffles immediately countermanded Farquhar’s permits, put a stay on all buildings in the area and appointed a committee with strict and explicit instructions on how he wanted the town of Singapore to be planned. As the Esplanade plan had been broken, it was necessary to designate a new site for the town’s public buildings. The area chosen was the Padang Besar or simply the Padang, as it is known today.During the 1820s, there were four houses that faced the Padang, what is now the Old Supreme Court Building were two houses built in 1823 houses of Edward Boustead, and the site of the City Hall formerly the houses of Resident Councillor Thomas Church and William Montgomerie who is Residency Surgeon. In 1845, Gaston Dutronquoy moved into the Boustead houses and converted into his second London Hotel. The place became Hotel de l’Esperance and later Hotel de l’Europe and was demolished in the year 1900. The Grand Hotel de l’Europe was built in 1905 and demolished in 1935 due to financial problems. The hotel made way for the Old Supreme Court Building which was the last Classical architecture building built in Singapore. The statue of Stamford Raffles was unveiled at the plain on 27 June 1877, but it was moved to Victoria Memorial Hall (now Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall) on 6 December 1919.In the past, Padang was referred as The Plain, Cantonment Plain, Raffles Plain or the Esplanade. In modern times, Esplanade refers to the cultural centre known as Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay and before that the Esplanade Park. Today, the Padang is a field located between two clubs in front of City Hall. After Raffles’ founding of Singapore, this was where the Sepoy Cantonment was first located (hence the name Cantonment Plain), before the sepoys were shifted to Cantonment Road/Sepoy Lines area. Around 1890, the Esplanade was widened by reclaiming land, and constructed a road known as New Esplanade Road (now Connaught Drive). In 1907, the area became known as the Padang and the roads in that area were renamed. Esplanade Road was renamed St Andrew’s Road and New Esplanade Road was known as Connaught Drive. Before reclamation, the sea shore was where Connaught Drive is currently located. Near the current Singapore Recreation Club, was a Saluting Battery mounted on a knoll, which was known in the early days as a Scandal Point. The paintings of the Esplanade by J. T. Thomson in 1847 and 1851 were done at this point. The Padang was threatened to be used for development several times but it was abandoned due to public outcry.Surprisingly, the administration sector of the Padang area began to take shape only in the late 1920s, replacing houses built by G.D. Coleman. The Grand Hotel de l’Europe was demolished and made way for the courthouse in 1936. Today, the Padang is used for many events such as the National Day Parade and others as well. The Padang was where the victory parade of the Japanese surrendering Singapore back to the British, and the surrender forces by Lord Louis Mountbatten ending World War II in Singapore. The Padang is used for sports such as soccer, cricket and rugby.

Must SeeEdit

Must see

Visiting TimeEdit

Daily

Closed OnEdit

N.A.

Best Season to VisitEdit

June to July and November to December.

Best Time To VisitEdit

N.A.

Time Required for SightseeingEdit

N.A.

Ticket Required : No Edit

Individual National Adult : N.A.

Kids : N.A.

Individual Foreigner Adult : N.A.

Kids : N.A.

Still Photo Camera : N.A.

Video Camera : N.A.

Guide Required : No Edit

Approximate cost: N.A.

Dress Code (If Any) : No Edit

Dress Require: N.A.

Restaurants NearbyAdd / Edit

How to ReachEdit

Taxi : Taxis are generally very hard to get during peak hours (Mon-Fri 7:00am – 9:30am and Mon-Sat 5:00pm – 8:00pm) and on rainy days. If you are at a hotel, have conceirge call you a taxi. If you are out about town and have access to a cell phone- calling for a taxi will cut your wait time by 20 to 30 minutes. All taxis are fitted with meters; all are air conditioned; the majority of the taxis are 5-seaters; about 90% of taxis have radiophones; call booking is done via GPS or digital voice dispatch. All passengers must fasten their seat belts by law.
For taxi Booking fee is SGD $2.3. Minimum fare for taxi is SGD $3 for first 1Km. Fare above minimum fare until 10Km is SGD $0.55 per Km. Fare above 10Km is charge SGD $0.628 per Km. Taxi Waiting charges per hour is SGD $17.6. Peak Hours charges is diffrent.

Bus : Public buses run daily from 5.30am to midnight. Extended night services cost slightly more (a flat rate ranging from $1.50-$3.00). Otherwise, most fares depend on distance travelled and range from 67 cents to $1.58 for air-conditioned comfort (almost all public buses in Singapore have air-conditioning today). There are also “feeder” bus services that charge a flat rate of 67 cents. Each bus should not take more than 15 to 20 minutes to arrive at the bus stop.

Train : Singapore MRT system is very well connected to different parts of Singapore and very clean! If you have the time and plan to explore around little Sunny island, get the the Singapore Tourist Pass!
It runs 6am-12mn, fares start at S$1 (70cents in EZ link). Tickets can be purchased in all MRT stations. You just have to insert your money through the ticket machine. Rush hour’s usually 7am-9am, 11am-2pm and 4pm-7pm.

Air : Changi Airport is the country’s main airport. From the airport there are a number of ways to get into the city:
Taxi is easiest – simply follow the signs after clearing customs. Meters are always used in Singapore and prices are reasonable. A trip to the city during the day will be between $20-$30 including $3-5 airport surcharge. An additional 50% surcharge applies between midnight and 06:00.
Limousines charge a flat $50 to anywhere in the city and are a pretty good deal after midnight, as you can skip the queue and avoid the surcharge. The same pricing applies to chartering van-sized MaxiCabs, which are good for large families or if you have lots of baggage.
Shuttle – Shared six-seater MaxiCab shuttle service to designated areas/hotels costs $7 and can be booked in advance or in the arrivals hall. 6AM-2AM, every 15-30 min.
Subway – MRT trains run from a station between T2 and T3, but you’ll need to change trains at Tanah Merah to a city-bound train: just exit through the left hand side door and cross the platform. The 30 min ride to City Hall station costs $1.90 plus a refundable $1 deposit, and trains run 05:31-23:18.
Bus – Bus terminals can be found in the basements of T1, T2 and T3. 06:00-23:59 only. Fares are less than $2.00, exact fare required (no change given) if you pay cash.

Others : N.A.