Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall
Encyclopedia
Clock tower
A clock tower is a tower specifically built with one or more clock faces. Clock towers can be either freestanding or part of a church or municipal building such as a town hall. Some clock towers are not true clock towers having had their clock faces added to an already existing building...
joined together by a common corridor and is located in the civic district of Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. On 6 February 1919, which marked the centenary of Singapore's founding, a statue of Stamford Raffles by T. Woolner was moved from the Padang to the front of the memorial hall. The statue was complimented with a new semicircular colonnade and a pool.
In the lead up to World War II, the memorial hall was used as a hospital for victims of bombing raids by the Japanese forces during the Battle of Singapore before their successful occupation of the colony. During the occupation, the buildings themselves escaped major physical damage, although the colonnade was destroyed, and Raffles's statue moved to the National Museum. At the end of the war, the statue was returned to its original site in 1946.In 1947 The Straits Settlements coat of arms that was hung on the tympanum of both wings of the building was replaced by the newly formed coat of arms of The Crown Colony of Singapore.It was later brought down in 1959 to make a plaster cast of the Coat of Arms of Singapore which was topped of with two flagpoles with the Flag of Singapore on it. The hall also served as the venue for Japanese war crime trials.
In 1954, the memorial hall underwent renovations by Swan & Maclaren, and on 21 November, it was the venue where the People's Action Party was founded. The town hall was also internally restructured to allow air-conditioning and soundproofing to be added. It was reopened as the Victoria Theatre.
In 1979, the memorial hall was renovated again to accommodate the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO), upon which it was renamed as the Victoria Concert Hall. Additional works up to the 1980s added a gallery to the Concert Hall, adding seating capacity and enclosing the second storey balconies on the front and back facades with glass.
The Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall was gazetted as a national monument on 14 February 1992.
Construction of Town Hall
The complex started off with the building of a town hall in 1862, with the foundation stone laid in 1855, to replace the function of older Assembly Rooms, where local operas and dramas had been held, that had fallen into disrepair.Designed by the Municipal Engineer, John Bennett, it was built during an era of Victorian Revivalism
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
that was occurring in Britain. Its design hence reflected this architectural influence with Italianate windows and rusticated columns
Rustication (architecture)
thumb|upright|Two different styles of rustication in the [[Palazzo Medici-Riccardi]] in [[Florence]].In classical architecture rustication is an architectural feature that contrasts in texture with the smoothly finished, squared block masonry surfaces called ashlar...
, and was the first among Singapore buildings to reflect this style.
The completed town hall originally housed both a theatre on the first floor as well as offices and meeting rooms on the second floor. However, the town hall was unable to cope with increasing demand for the use of both and by 1883, the offices had moved out of the town hall.
Construction of Victoria Memorial Hall
In 1901, construction for a neighbouring building began in memory of the late Queen VictoriaVictoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
, with the foundation laid in 1902 and officially opened by the Governor of the Straits Settlements, Sir John Anderson
John Anderson (governor)
Sir John Anderson GCMG KCB JP was a British colonial governor, who was once the Governor of Ceylon and Governor of Straits Settlements.-Education:...
on 18 October 1905 as the Victoria Memorial Hall. Public funds for its construction amounting to $368,000 were collected, exceeding the construction costs, thus leaving a surplus of $22,000 for refurbishments.
The memorial hall was designed by Major Alexander Murray and the Public Works Department, with additional input by R. A. J. Bidwell from an architectural firm, Swan & Maclaren to harmonise it with the neighbouring town hall. The town hall was also renovated, thus creating a unified appearance by 1909.
Construction of Clock Tower
The construction of the signature clock tower was delayed till its completion in 1906, due to delays in donation of the clock and chimes by the Straits Trading Company. The clock, four meters wide, weighs 1 tonne and had cost $6000.Standing between the two buildings and connecting the them with a common corridor, it rises to a height of 54 metres, and is topped by a timepiece donated by the Straits Trading Company. The tower is built on an axial line with the Anderson Bridge nearby.
Existing facilities
The Victoria Theatre has a seating capacity of 904, with a stage 167.28 square metres in size. The Victoria Concert Hall has 883 seats, and a stage which may be expanded up to 139.76 square metres in area. The concert hall was considered the venue with the best acoustics in the city, and has been the main performance venue for the SSO until the completion of the Esplanade - Theatres on the BayEsplanade - Theatres on the Bay
Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay is a waterside building located on six hectares of waterfront land alongside Marina Bay near the mouth of the Singapore River, purpose-built to be the centre for performing arts for the island nation of Singapore...
in 2002 whereby the orchestra moved its home base to take advantage of superior acoustics and facilities brought about by technological and architectural advances over the years.