Fort Canning Green, Canning Rise
Fort Canning Hill, formerly Government Hill, Singapore Hill and Bukit Larangan (Forbidden Hill in Malay), is a small hill about 48 metres (157 ft) high.
December 2021
The Malays called the hill Bukit Larangan or Forbidden Hill since olden times. This is due to the belief that it is the place where the kings of ancient Singapore were laid to rest, and it was believed to be haunted. It is also believed that a palace once stood on the hill. A settlement on the hill in the 14th century was named Ban Zu (from the Malay pancur) by the Yuan dynasty traveller Wang Dayuan. Later Sir Stamford Raffles built his residence there, which was also used by other Residents and Governors. It became known as Government Hill until it was renamed Fort Canning in 1861 when a fort was built on the site.
Fort Gate - Completed in 1860, the fort was named 'Fort Canning'
after the then-Governor-General of India, Lord Charles John Canning. Its construction began in March 1859, and involved the labour of over 500 men.
Fort Gate, November 2019
Fort Canning was built to protect Singapore from seaborne attacks. Fort Gate, the main entrance to the fort, therefore strategically faced the beach. This made it difficult for invading seaborne forces to breach the fort unnoticed. A second purpose of the fort was to provide refuge for Singapore's European population in the event of local unrest.
Fort Canning originally had a wall and moat running around its
perimeter. The fort wall was low and thick, and constructed to withstand artillery bombardment. It had an outer face of granite and a brick interior, with an earthen fill in between to absorb the impact of cannonballs. Today, only a small fragment of this wall and the Fort Gate survive from the original Fort Canning.
@singaporefortcanning
December 2021
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