Lau Pa Sat, Singapore
Copyright © Timothy Tye.
Lau Pa Sat
18 Raffles Quay, Singapore 048582
Lau Pa Sat is the largest Victorian filigree cast-iron structure in Southeast Asia. Today a food court, Lau Pa Sat house what was the first wet market in Singapore. The first market in Singapore was actually located on the south bank of the Singapore River. It was moved to Teluk Ayer Bay when the government acquired the land for commercial use.
The first Telok Ayer Market was opened in 1825. It was just a simple wooden structure, 30 feet by 80 feet, with an attap roof, built of piling over the bay, with jetties that extend into the sea, to allow boats to unload their goods. Due to the material used which were not sturdy enough to face the elements, the building had to be repaired regularly. It remained in use until 1836, when a new building was commissioned.
Like so many colonial-era building of Singapore of that time, the new market was designed by George Drumgoole Coleman. He decided upon an octagonal structure with ornamental columns at the entrance. Coleman's market building stood until 1879, when land reclamation called for its demolition.
With land reclamation, the bay disappears, and Telok Ayer Street, which formerly runs along the beach, was all that remains to remind us of Telok Ayer Bay.
On the newly reclaimed land, municipal engineer James MacRitchie designed a new building for the market. He adopted Coleman's octagonal design, and added cast-iron supports to strengthen the structure. At the centre of the market, he added a fountain. That fountain stood in Telok Ayer Market until 1920, when it was moved to the Orchard Road market, which is now no longer in existence.
In 1973, the year the Telok Ayet Market was gazetted a National Monument, it was converted to a food centre. In 1986, it had to be closed down to make way for the construction of the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Line underneath. However, due to its historical and architectural significance, its cast-iron supports were put into storage.
When the MRT was completed in the late 1980s, the Telok Ayer Market was reconstructed. This latest incarnation of the Telok Ayer Market remains faithful to James MacRitchie's and Coleman's octagonal design, and the cast-iron supports were reinstated. It was reopened in 1991, under the rebranded name of Lau Pa Sat, which means "Old Market" in Hokkien, the most commonly spoken Chinese dialect in Singapore. Lau Pa Sat was initially intended to be a festival market catering to tourists, but it reverted to being a food centre again since 1995.
Lau Pa Sat was gazetted a National Monument of Singapore on 6 July 1973.
Associated Sites
Lau Pa Sat in AsiaExplorers
Lau Pa Sat in Singapore Travel Tips
Lau Pa Sat is the largest filigree cast-iron structure in Southeast Asia
Copyright © Timothy Tye.
