Duxton Plain Park, also known as Duxton Plain Parkway, is a linear park located in Tanjong Pagar, within the Downtown Core area of Singapore. Formerly a British colonial railroad, it is now located in the vicinity of Duxton Hill.
The area covered by the park was formerly a railroad that was established during British colonial rule.[1] This railroad was part of the Singapore-Kranji railway, which passed through Kranji from Tanjong Pagar and led to Pulau Saigon.[1][2][3] They became defunct by 1932 and were relocated to pass through the central of Tanjong Pagar instead, reportedly due to complaints of noise.[2][3]
In 1955, plans were announced for the establishment of a linear park on the site of the old railway.[1] This park would have been named "Duxton Plain Parkway."[1] However, it was eventually named "Duxton Plain Park" when the founding Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Kuan Yew officially declared the park to be open to the public in May 1961.[4] This linear park connected the Yan Kit and New Bridge roads located in the Downtown Core area of Singapore.[1][4]
In 2015, the current Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong, buried a time capsule in the park and planted a tembusu tree there as a remembrance for his late father.[5] Then in 2024, the Singapore Art Museum placed nine banners at the park encouraging people to explore it and the nearby Duxton Plain housing estate.[6][7] Two of the banners were subsequently taken down after controversy when they were misinterpreted as encouraging stalker behaviour; they both told the reader to "Choose an apartment window to look at, keep staring until the inhabitant catches you staring."[6][7]
An artificial sundial can be seen at the park. Next to it is a write-up about the sundial and how one can create their own sundial at home.[8]
Lee Kuan Yew memorial tree
This tembusu tree was planted in memory of Lee Kuan Yew by his son, the current Prime Minister of Singapore, in 2015.[5][9] In the vicinity of the tree is a commemorative plaque which is embedded with a border of tributary beads made from flower petals.[9][10] Additionally, the tembusu tree was said to have been a favorite of Lee Kuan Yew himself.[10]
Sharifah Rogayah Keramat
Sharifah Rogayah Keramat
The enshrined cenotaph of Sharifah Rogayah in Duxton Plain Park
A keramat (enshrined grave) dedicated to an individual named Sharifah Rogayah is located in the park behind a row of shophouses.[3][11] Sharifah Rogayah was the granddaughter of Habib Noh and she later married into the Aljunied family.[12] The shrine has also survived the Second World War.[13]
The history of the shrine is unclear, but it is first mentioned in a 1939 survey from The Straits Times newspaper, but without a name and simply a "keramat".[2] Furthermore, the family of Sharifah Rogayah has denied that she is buried in Singapore, hence this shrine is only a cenotaph built in her memory.[11] The shrine's main caretaker, Ahmad Ridhwan, who also claims familial relations to Habib Noh, affirms that the grave was identified with Sharifah Rogayah after he allegedly received a revelation from the saint herself in a dream.[13]
Accessibility
The park is accessible from between New Bridge Road and Keong Saik Road. The nearest train station to the park is Outram Park MRT station.
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