Situated right behind the new Parliament House building and very near the Ancient Civilisations is the Old Parliament House. It is better known as the Arts House today, which nurtures and recognises upcoming talents by holding concerts, plays and art exhibitions continuing to contribute to the cutting edge cultural arts sector of Singapore.
Upon entering The Old Parliament house, my group mates and I were welcomed by an elephant structure below which there was an information board which explained its origination. This elephant structure was a gift from King Chulalongkorn of Siam (Thailand) to Singapore when he came down to visit in 1871. We were asked to check out the Corridors of Time on the 2nd floor of the Arts House, which we decide to give a miss. However, after asking around, we realised that the Corridors of Time as the name suggest was actually a walk down memory lane reliving the metamorphosis of The Arts House from a local chief’s house/mansion to a courthouse to a Parliament house and finally to an Arts House. It also pays tribute to Singapore’s prominent figures especially those who gave hand to the birth of our independent legislative system and constitution.
Did you know?
It was built by George Coleman in 1827 as a colonial mansion.
It is Singapore’s Oldest Historical Building, for it used to house the Temenggong’s home in 1827.
It was renamed and re-launched as The Arts House.
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