National Museum of Singapore

Last updated

National Museum of Singapore
Chinese :新加坡國家博物院
Malay: Muzium Negara Singapura
Tamil: சிங்கப்பூரின் தேசிய அருங்காட்சியகம்
NSMLogo.png
2016 Singapur, Museum Planning Area, Narodowe Muzeum Singapuru (02).jpg
Entrance to the National Museum of Singapore
National Museum of Singapore
Established1849;175 years ago (1849)
Location93 Stamford Road, Singapore 178897
Coordinates 1°17′48.2″N103°50′55.1″E / 1.296722°N 103.848639°E / 1.296722; 103.848639
DirectorChung May Khuen [1]
Architect Henry McCallum [lower-alpha 1]
J. F. McNair [lower-alpha 2]
W Architects and I.M. Pei [lower-alpha 3]
Public transit access CC2  Bras Basah
 DT21  Bencoolen
Website nationalmuseum.sg

The National Museum of Singapore is a public museum dedicated to Singaporean art, culture and history. Located within the country's Civic District at the Downtown Core area, it is the oldest museum in the country, with its history dating back to when it was first established in 1849, starting out as a section of a library at the Singapore Institution [lower-alpha 4] as the Raffles Library and Museum.

Contents

After several relocations over the next few decades, the museum moved to its current permanent site at Stamford Road in 1887. Between 1993 and March 2006, it was briefly known as the Singapore History Museum, before it subsequently returned to its present name that was first given in 1965. The museum preserves and interprets Singapore's social history, exploring the key events and people that have shaped the nation.

Over the centuries, the National Museum of Singapore has expanded and undergone various expansions and renovations, with the most recent being a three-and-a-half-year restoration that was completed on 2 December 2006, and was officially reopened on 7 December 2006 by former President of Singapore S. R. Nathan and the Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts Lee Boon Yang. [2] The Singapore History Gallery would open on 8 December that same year.

It is one of six national museums in the country; the other five being the two Asian Civilisations Museums at Empress Place Building and Old Tao Nan School respectively, the Singapore Art Museum, Peranakan Museum as well as the National Gallery Singapore. The National Museum of Singapore is also one of the country's national monuments, having been designated as such in 1992 by the National Heritage Board. It is one of the largest museums in Asia. [3] The National Museum of Singapore exhibits sculptures, objets d'art, paintings, drawings, and archaeological finds. Admission to the National Museum of Singapore is complimentary for Singaporean citizens and permanent residents. [4]

History

The museum, circa 1900 KITLV - 105738 - Raffles Museum in Singapore - circa 1900.tif
The museum, circa 1900

The museum was established in 1849 by the then Singapore Institution Committee, and is the oldest museum in Singapore, hence its 19th century exterior design. Upon establishment, it was known as the Raffles Library and Museum, starting out as a section of a library at the Singapore Institution [lower-alpha 5] before moving to 93 Stamford Road in 1887 after several relocations, where it is currently located. [5]

Between 1993 and March 2006, it was known as the Singapore History Museum, before it subsequently returned to its present name that was first given in 1965 as the National Museum of Singapore.

Over the centuries, the National Museum of Singapore has expanded and undergone various expansions and renovations, with a three-and-a-half-year restoration that was completed on 2 December 2006, and was officially reopened on 7 December 2006 by President of Singapore S. R. Nathan and the Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts Lee Boon Yang. [2]

The museum was designated a National Monument of Singapore on 14 February 1992 by the National Heritage Board.

Collection

In 2019, Tang Holdings donated a large collection of Sir Stamford Raffles memorabilia, including 46 holograph letters and his book The History of Java, to the museum. [6]

In 2022, seats from Singapore Airlines’s first Airbus A380 were added to the museum's collection. [7] In 2023, a Solari board previously used at Changi Airport's Terminal 2 was added. [8] In 2024, a 1970s Nanyang coffee roasting machine and a 1979 Housing and Development Board lift were added. [9]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Original version
  2. ↑ Scaled down version of McCallum's and one that was eventually constructed
  3. ↑ Redevelopment
  4. ↑ Now known as the Raffles Institution.
  5. ↑ Now known as the Raffles Institution.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Singapore Botanic Gardens</span> Tropical garden located in Singapore

The Singapore Botanic Gardens is a 165-year-old tropical garden located at the fringe of the Orchard Road shopping district in Singapore. It is one of three gardens, and the only tropical garden, to be honoured as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Botanic Gardens has been ranked Asia's top park attraction since 2013, by TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice Awards. It was declared the inaugural Garden of the Year by the International Garden Tourism Awards in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Padang, Singapore</span> A playing field in Singapore

The Padang is an open playing field located within the Downtown Core of the Central Area in Singapore. It includes 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.

The following lists events that happened during 1998 in Singapore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Library, Singapore</span> Singapores national public library

The National Library, Singapore is the flagship national library of Singapore. A subsidiary of the National Library Board (NLB), it is located on an 11,304–square metre site in Victoria Street within the Downtown Core. It is the country's largest public library.

The Cultural Medallion is a cultural award in Singapore conferred to those who have achieved artistic excellence in dance, theatre, literature, music, photography, art and film. It is widely recognized as Singapore's pinnacle arts award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Singapore Art Museum</span> Contemporary Art, Museum in Bras Basah Road, Singapore

The Singapore Art Museum is an art museum is located in the Downtown Core district of Singapore. It is the first fully dedicated contemporary visual arts museum in Singapore with one of the world’s most important public collections by local, Southeast and East Asian artists. It collaborates with international art museums to co-curate contemporary art exhibitions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elgin Bridge (Singapore)</span> Bridge in Singapore River, Singapore

Elgin Bridge is a vehicular box girder bridge across the Singapore River, linking the Downtown Core to the Singapore River Planning Area located within Singapore's Central Area. It was built between 1925 and 1929.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Cook University Singapore</span> University campus in Singapore

James Cook University Singapore is a branch campus of James Cook University, a public research university based in Australia. Established in 2003, it is currently the only overseas institution with university status in Singapore. While the university offers a comprehensive range of courses, it specialises in ecology, marine and environmental sciences. The Singapore campus is located between Kallang and Geylang in the Central Region on the former site of the Manjusri Secondary School. The closest MRT stations to the campus are Kallang and Aljunued.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Future developments in Singapore</span>

This article shows the notable future developments in Singapore. Most of them are currently under construction with most to be completed within the next five years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry</span>

The Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry is a business chamber located in Singapore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Heritage Board (Singapore)</span> Statutory board in Singapore

The National Heritage Board (NHB) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) of the Government of Singapore. It was formed on 1 August 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old National Library Building</span> Demolished historical library building in Singapore

The Old National Library Building was a historical library building at Stamford Road in the Museum Planning Area of Singapore. Originally completed in 1960, the library building was a national icon for many Singaporeans. Despite a huge groundswell of public dissent, the library was closed on 31 March 2004, and was demolished in July that year to make way for the construction of the Fort Canning Tunnel to ease road traffic to the city. The controversy surrounding the building's demise has been credited for sparking greater awareness of local cultural roots and an unprecedented wave in favour of heritage conservation among Singaporeans.

Dr Liang Wern Fook is a Cantonese Singaporean writer, musician, singer and researcher in Chinese literature and pedagogy. He was one of the pioneer figures in xinyao movement in the 1980s and 1990s.

Cavinder Bull is a Singaporean lawyer and the chief executive officer of the law firm Drew & Napier. He has served in this position since August 2017, upon the departure of Davinder Singh to start his own practice. He has an active practice in complex litigation and international arbitration and is considered one of the top 15 litigators in South-East Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Changi Chapel and Museum</span>

The Changi Chapel and Museum is a war museum dedicated to Singapore's history during the Second World War and the Japanese occupation of Singapore. After the British Army was defeated by the Imperial Japanese Army in the Battle of Singapore, thousands of prisoners of war (POWs) were imprisoned in Changi prison camp for three and a half years. While interned there, the POWs built numerous chapels, one of which was named St George's Church.

The Singapore Mint is a Singaporean mint manufacturer. The Singapore Mint is a fully owned subsidiary of Sembcorp Industries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum</span> Natural history museum in Conservatory Drive, Singapore

The Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum is a museum of natural history at the Kent Ridge Campus of the National University of Singapore. It is named after Lee Kong Chian, a prominent Chinese businessman and philanthropist active in Malaya and Singapore between the 1930s and the 1960s. It was officially opened on 18 April 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Visual art of Singapore</span> Forms of visual art in Singapore

The visual art of Singapore, or Singaporean art, refers to all forms of visual art in or associated with Singapore throughout its history and towards the present-day. The history of Singaporean art includes the indigenous artistic traditions of the Malay Archipelago and the diverse visual practices of itinerant artists and migrants from China, the Indian subcontinent, and Europe.

The following lists events that happened during 2024 in the Republic of Singapore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alan Choe</span> Singaporean architect and urban planner (1931–2024)

Alan Fook Cheong Choe was a Singaporean architect and urban planner. He was a city planner with the Housing and Development Board and a founding member of the Urban Redevelopment Authority. He was a recipient of Singapore's Public Administration Medal (Gold) in 1967 and the Meritorious Service Medal in 1990, and was inducted into the Distinguished Service Order in 2001.

References

  1. ↑ Ho, Olivia (20 August 2019). "Chung May Khuen appointed new director of National Museum of Singapore". www.straitstimes.com. The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 2 March 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  2. 1 2 Clara Chow, "National Museum opens after $132m makeover", The Straits Times , 8 December 2006
  3. ↑ "National Museum of Singapore". www.roots.gov.sg. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  4. ↑ "Free Admission For Citizens and Permanent Residents". www.nhb.gov.sg. National Heritage Board (Singapore). Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  5. ↑ "National Museum of Singapore". www.nhb.gov.sg. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  6. ↑ Lim, Kristelynn (14 May 2019). "Tang Holdings donates largest private Raffles memorabilia collection to National Museum". The Straits Times. ISSN   0585-3923 . Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  7. ↑ Dinesh Ajith (4 November 2022). "Singapore Airlines donates iconic seats to National Collection". silverkris.com. Singapore Airlines . Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  8. ↑ Lee, Rochelle (27 April 2023). "Retired flip board from Changi Airport's Terminal 2 to go on display at National Museum". The Straits Times. ISSN   0585-3923 . Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  9. ↑ Ng, Keng Gene (28 April 2024). "1970s HDB lift, Nanyang coffee roasting machine added to National Collection". The Straits Times. ISSN   0585-3923 . Retrieved 27 June 2024.

Works cited

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.