RaRa and Reddy's Day At The Museum - National Museum

Ahh, The National Museum. What colourful history this building hold. It used to be known as Raffles Library and Museum (1887-1942) and was used as a space to hold educational resources. Over the years as these resources grew, works were done to the interiors and exteriors, facilities such as fans, telephones and electric lights were installed. 

As described by EResources of our National Library Board archives, "The exterior walls were repainted from a dull yellow to a combination of white and cream, and then a dado of dark brown and with a thick black line for contrast. Concrete and Italian tiles were used to replace its worn floors made of timber." 

Done in typical European influenced colonial architecture, built in fashion of that time such as the Palladian, Renaissance, or Neoclassical styles during the era of the British colony.


On 29 April 1942, the Raffles Library and Museum was re-opened to the public as the Syonan Hakubutsu Kan. The library was known as Syonan Tosyokan. 

The library was patronised mainly by the Japanese and European staffs from the Department of Information, who created propaganda for the Japanese invasion of India and Australia. A total of more than 13,000 volumes were also circulated to civil internees at the Maxwell Road Customs House and prisoners of wars at Changi Prison. Among these volumes were prayer books, hymnals, music sheets and children's books.

On 2 September 1945, the Japanese army surrendered to the Allied forces on board the USS Missouri. The Union Jack flag was raised at the museum by Chief Clerk, Quan Ah Gun on 5 September 1945, marking the end of Japanese Occupation in Singapore. The Directorship of the library and museum was taken over by Lieutenant-Colonel G Archey of the British Military Administration on 6 September 1945.

The Raffles Library and Museum reopened to the Singapore public in December 1945 and was officiated as National Museum of Singapore (after redevelopment in 2004) in December 2006.

Source :
National Library Board )

The restored National Museum complex (with new space additions) was helmed by CPG Consultants Pte Ltd. The restoration and redevelopment works won the President's Design Award for year 2008.

Rotunda Dome: Stained Glass Restoration

The Rotunda stained glass restoration work started in late 2004 and was completed in mid 2005. There are 50 pieces of stained glass, each about nine feet long.

The Victorian glass patterns were carefully inspected on site, and their condition assessed by a professional stained glass artist in Singapore. All 50 pieces of stained glass were removed and delivered to the artist's workshop to be restored. The reinforcement system as well as most of the joints and lead work also required to be rectified.

As the stained glass was curved in shape, timber moulds following the profile were constructed for the restoration process. Specially made timber boxes were also made to house the delicate glass works, for the delivery to the workshop.

Upon receiving the glass, all the individual glass and lead profiles were recorded and damaged portions tagged. All damaged glass pieces were removed and replaced with new glasses. Prior to removal, templates or moulds individual glass pieces were fabricated for the new casting of the replacement glass.

Source :

http://www.nationalmuseum.sg/NMSPortal/AboutNMS/TheBuilding

Glass Passage. Painstakingly erected to preserve the integrity of the old and yet showcase the new to transition seamlessly into a more contemporary theme in the new wing of the museum complex.

Current exhibition, Singapura : 700 Years (ends on 10 August 2015)
Located at Exhibition Galleries 1, 2 and Basement from 10.00am - 6.00pm.
There are no cover charges for Singaporeans and Residents. Foreign visitors pay the museum Admission Charge of $6.00, Senior Citizens (Foreign visitors) pay $3.00 (with valid ID).

The exhibition depicts the transformative years of our nation, from a humble fishing village, to the pride of an empire and to modern Singapore. Very educational for all, both kids and grown-ups. Like a history lesson out of the classroom, only way cooler! There exhibits, and interactive materials, which would definitely keep the younger ones entertained.

The Singapore Stone (Ancient Singapore)

The slab is one of 3 pieces of a large boulder salvaged when it was blown up in 1843 to make way for widening of the mouth of Singapore River. The text on the sandstone slab was thought to be of an undecipherable ancient script, possibly ancient Sanskrit, commonly used during the 12th-14th century Majapahit era. The original Singapore Stone was about 3m wide and 3m high, stood at an extension of where the Merlion previously stood. Lt-Colonel James Low, who had opposed the blasting, arrived at the scene shortly after the blast and managed to salvage at least three slabs with the inscription. Two slabs were sent to the Royal Asiatic Society's Museum in Calcutta for analysis, where they arrived in about June 1848. The only surviving relic of the Singapore Stone is on exhibit here.

Source :

http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles

Social media moment, #SG700 for those who want to post pictures of their visit on Instagram.

Singapore fell to the Japanese invaders and was renamed Syonan-To (1942-1945) meaning "Light Of The South". Darkest moment in Singapore's history.

To remove Western influence, the Japanese set up schools and forced people to learn the language. Textbooks were in Japanese, school kids had to sing the Japanese national anthem, cinemas showed only Japanese propaganda films. Newspapers were printed in Japanese and had only their version of the war stories and the likes.

The staple of the commoners living under the Japanese regime.

Changi Prison housing POWs from the Allied Forces captured during the occupation. Living conditions were squalid, thousands of people crammed into a single small space.

Ah, the 60s. Singapore was flourishing as a port of trade, the entertainment scene was exciting and vibrant (P.Ramlee, the famous Malaysian actor turned film maker) shot many movies in Singapore.

In memory of the passing of Minister Mentor Mr Lee Kuan Yew, a memorial exhibit chronicling the life and political career of our first Prime Minister. Among the items on display are the infamous red briefcase that he uses for work and also the Singapore flag that was used to drape the late Mr Lee's coffin during the wake.

The "Play" section is dedicated to the kiddos, located up at the 3rd Level. It has 2 divided sections, one with interactive play areas (more suitable to younger kids) and the other for a more quiet activity of coloring. The coloring section has a seemingly bored young adult manning the coloring pages handout. Not sure if the theme changes, but while we were there, it was "My favourite Singapore's Dish". There are low rise tables and seats and color pencils provided.

There 2 dining options in the Museum, Food For Thought (Cafe) and Flutes (more "restaurant-ish"). We opted to dine at the former. The menu at Food For Thought (FFT) is inspired by our local cuisine, somewhat a "Modern Singapore Cuisine" concept.

Grilled Beef Cheese Burger @ $15.00, served with sunny side up egg, Tomato and Sesame Scallion Sauce. It was good yes, but not quite a standout unfortunately.

Honeyed Hoisin Braised Baby Back Ribs @ $25.00, served with Mushroom Gratin and Cherry Tomato Salad. The portion is quite big and is enough to feed 2 light eaters. The meat is tender and does not have a porky smell. Only gripe is that it could do with more sear?

Honeyed Greek Yoghurt with Bananas and Berries @ $9.00. Not very local ya, will come back for the Gula Melaka Granola next time. Anything with Gula Melaka is heavenly.

National Museum of Singapore

Address:

93 Stamford Road S(178897)
Tel:(+65) 6332 3659 / (+65) 6332 5642

Opening Hours:

Daily from 10.00am to 6.00pm
Last admission at 5.30pm

Admission

Admission to the Museum building is free.
Admission charges are applicable to the galleries and selected exhibitions and programmes.