Preserving history through the Padang

The gazetting of the Padang as Singapore's 75th national monument on National Day this year marks a milestone in the country's recognition of the presentness of its past. Located in the heart of the civic district, the Padang is a green patch of about 4.3ha - about the size of six football fields - surrounded by St Andrew's Road, Connaught Drive, as well as the Singapore Cricket Club (SCC) and the Singapore Recreation Club's (SRC) clubhouses. However, its geographical features by themselves might have made it rather unexceptional but for its historical character.

The National Heritage Board (NHB) says that the Padang is the first green, open space on Singapore's list of national monuments - the highest form of recognition for a structure or site's significance. The recognition is well deserved. The Padang, which has been in continuous use since the 1800s, embodies the intersection between the patrician and plebeian strands of Singapore history. The NHB observes how it served the recreational needs of both colonial elites and non-Europeans. Sports - cricket, of course, but also football and rugby - played a large role in preserving its attraction to the public. The SCC and the SRC manifest that sporting spirit to this day. Then, the Padang was an arena for official celebrations and festivities, such as royal birthdays, jubilees and coronations. However, non-colonial occasions, too, were celebrated there: Chinese New Year, Thaipusam and the Prophet Muhammad's Birthday.