Content
Learn on the go.
Check out our playlists for collections of short videos, and learning packages for articles, that will give you a slice of history and heritage.
Playlist
A collection of short videos or selected podcasts, exploring topics around personal and professional development.
Playlist: Place History
Singapore has undergone massive developments in the decades past. Take a look at how select places and spaces were like prior to redevelopment.
Raffles Place's New Image
Raffles Place in 1965 featured modern attractions such as an underground carpark, a rooftop garden, and a clock donated by a Japanese watchmaker. Experience Singapore’s commercial centre in the first year of Independence. For more archival materials from the National Archives of Singapore, please visit [Archives Online](www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline).
Source: Berita Singapura. Courtesy of National Archives of Singapore
Celebration Of New Housing
The Housing and Development Board (HDB) drew up its first five-year plan when it was established in 1960. By 1965, HDB exceeded the target on new housing units, rehousing the population at a rate that was considered remarkable worldwide. For more archival materials from the National Archives of Singapore, please visit [Archives Online](https://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline)
Source: Berita Singapura. Courtesy of National Archives of Singapore
Ceremony of Laying the Foundation Stone of the Clyde Terrace Market
Discover the history behind one of Singapore’s earliest markets, the Clyde Terrace Market, with Associate Librarian Zoe Yeo. The market later became known as “tie pasar” in Chinese, “thih pa sat” in Hokkien, or “pasar besi” in Malay, which all translate into “iron market”, as it was mainly made up of iron. Catch other episodes at NLB Youtube channel.
Source: National Library, Singapore.
Playlist: Curiocity
Singapore has undergone massive developments in the decades past. Take a look at how your neighbourhood has evolved through the Curiocity website.
Curiocity leverages story maps, or place-based digital storytelling, to provide users an interactive and immersive way to uncover and rediscover the history of Singapore through a curated selection of heritage materials from the collections of the National Library (NL) and the National Archives of Singapore (NAS).
Learning Package
The Many Names of Singapore
We probably are familiar with the variant names of Singapore such as Temasek and Singapura today. Back in the 17th to early 19th century, Singapore was identified as a promontory, a strait, a ridge, an island, as well as a settlement, based on naming conventions on cartographical references that have been documented.1 For Singaporeans, this is a nation we associate with, and a place we call home. This learning package offers some trivia to the variant names of Singapore from early records.
Did you know...Long before the British arrived and made Singapore a colonial port city, Singapore was already a port as part of the early maritime trade route. 1 In early maritime charts and maps (17th to early 19th century), we learn that Singapore was known by many names. Some names that Singapore was known by include2.
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Videos
Malaca, l'Inde Méridionale et le Cathay | From the Stacks S1
Source: Malaca, l’Inde Méridionale et le Cathay (2019). National Library Singapore.
References
- Kwa, C. G. et. al (2019). Seven hundred years: a history of Singapore. Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Editions and National Library Board. eBook available via NLB Mobile. Call no. 959.57 KWA
- National Library Board (2015). Visualising space: maps of Singapore and the region. Available on BookSG https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/printheritage/detail/a538a838-7557-46fa-836a-7ff48718ae82.aspx
Exploring our City
While borders have opened and many are flocking overseas, there is still much to see and explore in Singapore. Check out these resources to discover some familiar and not-so-familiar places of interest in our city.
Articles
The Padang: Centrepiece of Colonial Design
Lai, Chee Kien. The Padang: Centrepiece of Colonial Design BiblioAsia 12(3), (October – December 2016). Retrieved 2023, March 9.
The Istana Turns 150
Wong, Sher Maine. The Istana Turns 150 BiblioAsia 14(4), (January – March 2020). Retrieved 2023, March 9.
Books
Footprints on an Island: Rediscovering Pulau Ubin
Chua, Ee Kiam, Choo Mui Eng and Wong Tuan Wah. (2016). Footprints on an Island: Rediscovering Pulau Ubin Singapore: SIMPLY GREEN and National Parks Board. (Call no.: Adult Sing English 333.78095957 CHU)
Singapore shophouse walks: Joo Chiat, Katong, Geylang
Edmondson, Lisa, Tatyana Kildisheva and Joanne Pasquale. (2021). Singapore shophouse walks: Joo Chiat, Katong, Geylang. Singapore: Kildi Photo. (Call no.: Adult Sing English 728.3 KIL)
NUS Baba House: Architecture and artefacts of a Straits Chinese home
Foo, Su Ling, Lim Chen Sian, Wee Sheau Theng and Yeo Kang Shua. (2016). NUS Baba House: Architecture and artefacts of a Straits Chinese home. Singapore: NUS Baba House and Editions Didier Millet. (Call no.: Adult Sing English 728.089951059 FOO)
Pang Sua Woodland: Sanctuary unveiled along the rail corridor
Guttensohn, Teresa Teo and Leong Kwok Peng, eds. (2021). Pang Sua Woodland: Sanctuary unveiled along the rail corridor. Singapore: Cicada Tree Eco-Place and Nature Society (Singapore). (Call no.: Adult Sing English 333.9516095957 PAN)
Leluhur: Singapore's Kampong Gelam
Hidayah Amin. (2019). Leluhur: Singapore's Kampong Gelam. Singapore: Helang Books. (Call no.: Adult Sing English 305.8992805957 HID)
Once upon a time in Little India
Gopal, Nalina, ed. (2019). Once upon a time in Little India. Singapore: Indian Heritage Centre. (Call no.: Adult Sing English 305.8914 ONC)
Singapore shophouse walks: Chinatown, Blair Plain, Duxton Hill, Tanjong Pagar
Iyer, Jane, Shona Trench, Joanne Pasquale and Tatyana Kildisheva. (2019). Singapore shophouse walks: Chinatown, Blair Plain, Duxton Hill, Tanjong Pagar. Singapore: Kildi Photo. (Call no.: Adult Sing English 728.3 KIL)
Uncommon ground: The places you know, the stories you don't
Lim, Jerome. (2020). Uncommon ground: The places you know, the stories you don't. Singapore: Singapore Land Authority. (Call no.: Adult Sing English 959.57 UNC)
Singapore trails: Singapore River Walk and Jubilee Walk
National Heritage Board. (2018). Singapore trails: Singapore River Walk and Jubilee Walk. Singapore: Straits Times Press and the National Heritage Board. (Call no.: Adult Sing English 796.51095957 SIN)
Secret Singapore
Sarna, Heidi and Jerome Lim. (2021). Secret Singapore. Versailles: Jonglez Publishing. (Call no.: Adult Sing English 915.9570453 SAR)
Singapore street names: A study of toponymics
Savage, Victor R. and Brenda S.A. Yeoh. (2023). Singapore street names: A study of toponymics Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Editions. (Call no.: Adult Sing English 915.9570014 SAV)
On a little hill in Chinatown: Singapore's Ann Siang Hill
Tan, Kevin Y.L. (2018). On a little hill in Chinatown: Singapore's Ann Siang Hill. Singapore: Mileage Communications Pte Ltd. (Call no.: Adult Sing English 959.57 TAN)
A walk through history: A guide to the Singapore Botanic Gardens
Taylor, Nigel and Ada Davis. (2015). A walk through history: A guide to the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Singapore: National Parks Board. (Call no.: Adult Sing English 580.735957 TAY)
The world in a garden: Singapore's Gardens by the Bay
Tinsley, Bonnie. (2016). The world in a garden: Singapore's Gardens by the Bay. Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Editions. (Call no.: Adult Sing English 712.5 TIN)
Story Maps
Story Maps are immersive stories that combine text, interactive maps, digital photographs and other multimedia content. They are used to tell stories, especially the urban transformation that Singapore has undergone since Independence.Curiocity: Chinatown story map
Learn more about the iconic landmarks in Chinatown through this story map.
Source: Chinatown(15 December 2021).Curiocity. Retrieved 2023, March 9.Curiocity: Little India story map
Journey through Little India with this story map and learn about its history along the way.
Source: Little India(15 December 2021).Curiocity. Retrieved 2023, March 9.Curiocity: Kampong Glam story map
Check out this story map to learn more about the history of this rich heritage site.
Source: Kampong Glam(15 December 2021).Curiocity. Retrieved 2023, March 9.