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Hello everyone! We are from Group 6 of class 1EX4. My name is Farhanah, Suvaathy, Syarafana,
Voon Ken and Zher Wei. We are going to talk about the Tan Kim Seng Fountain and the Sir
Stamford Raffles Statue.
Tan Kim Seng was born on 1805 and passed away on 14 March 1864 in Malacca, Malaya, a third-generation
Straits Chinese, was a wealthy trader and property owner with business interests in
tin. A prominent philanthropist, Mr Tan left behind memorials of his philanthropic acts
in Singapore and Malacca. Every Chinese New Year, Mr Tan would offer gifts of food and
money to patients at Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
He was also generous in organising balls and dinners for Europeans and was hence popular
in the European community. In 1857, Mr Tan donated $13,000 to the government for the
construction of Singapore's first reservoir and waterworks.The waterworks were completed
in 1877 and officially opened the following year.
However, Mr Tan had already passed away in Malacca in 1864. It was estimated to be worth
$2 million at the time of his death.To commemorate Tan's generous contribution towards the building
of the waterworks, the Municipal Commissioners erected the Tan Kim Seng Fountain at Fullerton
Square.
It was officially unveiled on 19 May 1882. Made by Andrew Handyside & Co from England,
the Victorian-style iron fountain has three tiers and is decorated with classical figures.
It was moved to Esplanade Park at Connaught Drive in 1925 when Fullerton Building was
being constructed.
In January 1994, it was shut down for repairs that lasted seven months. As part of this
S$1.12-million restoration project, the 7 metre-high cast-iron fountain was also rust-proofed
and a new foundation was built. On 28 December 2010, the Tan Kim Seng Fountain was gazetted
as a national monument.
The Sir Stamford Raffles was another topic of our research. Sir Stamford Raffles' Statue,
sculpted by Thomas Woolner, is a popular icon of Singapore. The statue depicts Raffles,
standing tall, arms folded, with an aura of quiet assurance. It was installed on Jubilee
Day on 27 June 1887 at the Padang and relocated to the Empress Place during the Centenary
Celebrations on 6 February 1919.
The statue was the work of the famed sculptor-***-poet Thomas Woolner. The blackened 8 ft figure
in bronze was nicknamed orang besi or "iron man". The statue was unveiled by Sir Frederick
Weld, then Governor of the Straits Settlements, on Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee Day on
27 June 1887. A little known detail was added by Woolner at the base of the statue.The statue
originally stood at the Padang, facing the sea, between St Andrew's Road and Connaught
Drive.
However, it was often struck by flying footballs or used as a seat for a vantage view of a
field game at the Padang, so the authorities felt a more respectable location was required.
Thus, for Singapore's Centenary Celebrations, the statue was moved to the front of the Victoria
Memorial Hall on 6 February 1919.
A semi-circular colonnade of the Italian Doric order framed the statue and in front of it
was laid a marble-lined pool with fountain jets. Two rows of flower vases around the
pool added colour to the classical setting. The statue was placed such that it looked
toward the assumed place of Raffles' original landing at the mouth of the Singapore River.
We should never forget these two heroes who made Singapore how it is right now with progression.
Without them, our island would not have come this far. We would like to thank our heroes
before we end this presentation. Thank you for your attention.