Fort Canning Park

Fort Canning Park is a 18-hectare historic hilltop park in the Museum planning area of central Singapore. Once the site of 14th-century Malay royalty palaces, Stamford Raffles' residence and a 19th-century British fort, it now serves as a public park and heritage site. Notable for its archaeological history, colonial structures, landscaped gardens and event spaces, it offers heritage trails, museums and green open space near the Civic District.

Visitors can expect a landscaped hilltop park with shaded walking trails, historic gates and ruins, colonial buildings and themed gardens. Areas to explore include the Fort Gate, 9-Pound Cannon, Battlebox museum, Spice Garden, Sang Nila Utama Garden, Raffles Garden and Fort Canning Centre. The park has open lawns used for concerts and events, archaeological excavation sites, heritage markers and viewpoints over the Civic District and Singapore River.

Fort Canning Hill was known as Bukit Larangan and served as the palace site for Malay kings in the 14th century with archaeological evidence of Temasek settlement. Stamford Raffles built his residence there in 1822-1823 and established Singapore's first botanical garden. The British built Fort Canning in 1859-1861 as a military fort with cannons and barracks. It served as army headquarters and the site where Lieutenant-General Arthur Percival decided to surrender Singapore to Japanese forces in February 1942.

The park is a designated historic and heritage park preserving Singapore's pre-colonial, colonial and World War II heritage. It contains landscaped cultural gardens reflecting Malay, Javanese and colonial influences, hosts cultural festivals, concerts and art events, and serves as a green heritage landmark linking the Civic District and Singapore River communities.