A walk in the park, a step back in time

In the third instalment of the See Singapore series, we take a walk through two historical parks: Fort Canning Park, which is home to monuments from the 14th and 19th centuries, and Labrador Park, where an authentic underground tunnel was unveiled yesterday

By Ginnie Teo

A WALK through Labrador and Fort Canning parks is like taking a stroll through the pages of a history book.

Spot the difference? At least 50 years, but the machine-gun posts of Labrador Park still look like they are ready for battle. --HOW HWEE YOUNG

Singapore's two main historical parks are literally mines of information and knowledge.

The one at Labrador, along Pasir Panjang Road, has a cliff on one side, from which one can look across the Straits of Singapore. It is famous for its World War II relics and bunkers.

The other, at Fort Canning, is popularly known as the Hill of History because war relics and monuments from the 19th century have been found there.

Last year, Labrador Park was also designated a nature reserve.

The 16.8-ha site, made up of secondary forest, is full of surprising nooks and crannies, and has a rich variety of flora and fauna.

Of special interest is the monocotyledonous tree, Dracaena maingayi, believed to be more than 80 years old. This 12-m-tall softwood can be found near Carpark A, one of two places to leave your vehicle.

The park has an aerial wooden walkway, near Carpark A, which leads to a stretch of rocky beach. It will take you through parts of the forest and up to the side of the cliff. Along the way, you are likely to spot more than 20 species of butterflies.

At the end of the walkway's staircase, you will find yourself at a 372-m-long jetty, where fishing is allowed. Anglers have been known to catch crabs and fish there.

Ancient trees and beaches aside, Labrador Park is better known for having been one of the British army's strategic defence sites meant to protect the harbour of Singapore in World War II.

Formerly known as Labrador Battery, the park contains ruins of command posts, machine-gun posts, observation positions and ammunition storage compartments, all of which are concealed partly by the thick vegetation.

A walk along its two-hour-long history trail, which is punctuated by storyboards, gives an idea of the battles bravely fought.

One of the monuments along the way is an imposing 4-m-high casemate in front of Carpark A. Built in 1886, this is a concrete structure in which a gun is usually mounted.

The park also has an underground tunnel which was constructed in 1886 as a storeroom for guns and ammunition.

Mr Ng Cheow Kheng, a senior manager with the National Parks Board - which is in charge of all the parks here - has been looking after the park for the past five years.

He speaks with authority and passion about its guns, bunkers and tunnels. 'The damaged relics speak of the most intense and fiercely-fought battle before the fall of Singapore.

'It is the only site where the destruction of war has been 'frozen in time' and can still be seen today,' he said.

The history lesson continues at Fort Canning Park, an 18-ha piece of mostly rolling, grass-covered land, draped over a hill in the heart of the city.

It is also more convenient to visit as the City Hall MRT station is nearby.

Apart from being a place for newly-weds to take their wedding pictures, it has become a popular concert venue over the last decade or so.

Sitting in the centre of the park is Fort Canning Centre, a 65-year-old restored military barracks which has become a major cultural venue and is the residence of two performing-arts companies.

Its columns and monuments are what catches the eye of most visitors because they are imposing and grand.

From around 1860 until the 1970s, Fort Canning Park was used as a military base, first by the British, then by the Japanese during World War II.

It is hard not to stumble onto or spot relics of colonial times when strolling around this green lung.

One of them is the 6-m-tall, 19th-century Fort Gate at the top of the hill. This is all that remains of the fortress which occupied the area from 1861 to 1926.

For a bird's-eye view of the park, climb the narrow staircase behind one of the gate's massive wooden doors; it will take you to the roof of the structure.

Over on the park's eastern side, near the Registry of Marriages, is a keramat, a traditional burial ground of a revered leader.

It is uncertain who is buried here, but many believe it is the resting place of Sultan Iskandar Shah, the last Malay king of Singapore.

Countless archaeological digs have been carried out in the park and 30,000 artefacts have been recovered over the years.

If you are lucky, you may be able to catch one dig in action. Currently, volunteers from the Friends of the National Museum, schools and universities are helping to excavate an area behind the Registry of Marriages building.

These digs are usually conducted during the school holidays.

Mr Koh Poo Kiong, senior parks manager in charge of Fort Canning, said: 'From the time ancient kings ruled the island to the arrival of Stamford Raffles, colonial Singapore and World War II, all these events have intimate links with the place.

'The relics, the dig and the monuments bring to life our history, making a stroll here an absorbing and enriching experience.'

Two places for a history-cum-nature lesson

• VISITORS to Labrador Park, which is off Pasir Panjang Road, should head towards Telok Blangah Road from the city. At the junction of Pasir Panjang, Alexandra and Telok Blangah roads, turn left into Labrador Villa Road and follow the signs. Parking there is free.

You can also take SBS services 10, 30, 51, 143 and 176. Alight along Pasir Panjang Road at the same junction and proceed on foot. The walk takes about 10 minutes.

• Fort Canning Park is adjacent to the Registry of Marriages and the Drama Centre.

  One-hour guided tours were introduced there recently. These are conducted every fourth Saturday of the month by a park official.

  They are free, but participants must register at least a week in advance by calling 332-1200.