The Esplanade is a waterfront location just north of the mouth of the

Singapore River The Singapore River is a river that flows parallel to Alexandra Road and feeds into the Marina Reservoir in the southern part of Singapore. The immediate upper drainage basin, watershed of the Singapore River is known as the Singapore River Plann ...

in downtown

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

. It is primarily occupied by the

Esplanade Park Esplanade Park is a park located at the Esplanade area within the Downtown Core district of Singapore. History Built in 1943 when Singapore was ruled by Japan, the Esplanade Park is one of the oldest parks in Singapore. The park was redevelope ...

, and was the venue for one of Singapore's largest congregation of

satay Satay ( , in the US also ), or sate in Indonesia, is a Javanese cuisine, Javanese dish of seasoned, skewered and grilled meat, served with a sauce. Satay originated in Java, but has spread throughout Indonesia, into Southeast Asia, Europe, ...

outlets until their relocation to

Clarke Quay Clarke Quay is a historical riverside quay in Singapore, located within the Singapore River Planning Area. The quay is situated upstream from the mouth of the Singapore River and Boat Quay. Etymology ''Clarke Quay'' was named after Sir Andr ...

as a result of the construction of a major performance arts venue, the

Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide cle ...

, which took its name from this location. Apart from the shows, Singaporeans usually visit the Esplanade for its scenic outdoor view. It overlooks the Singapore river and is in between the Singapore Flyer and Merlion park, making for a good stroll around the vicinity. River ferries stops have been added recently, enhancing its accessibility.

Etymology and history

In the 1850s, the Esplanade referred to what is now the

Padang Padang () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of West Sumatra. It had a population of 833,562 at the 2010 CensusBiro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. and 909,040 at the 2020 Census;Bad ...

, previously known as The Plain, in front of

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

. It is best captured in

John Turnbull Thomson John Turnbull Thomson (10 August 1821 – 16 October 1884) was a British civil engineer and artist who played an instrumental role in the development of the early infrastructure of nineteenth-century Colonial Singapore, Singapore and New Zealan ...

's 1851 painting, "The Esplanade from Scandal Point". With

land reclamation Land reclamation, often known as reclamation, and also known as land fill (not to be confused with a waste landfill), is the process of creating new Terrestrial ecoregion, land from oceans, list of seas, seas, Stream bed, riverbeds or lake ...

in 1943, the term Esplanade then referred to the area of the present Queen Elizabeth Walk. Both the Esplanade Park and Queen Elizabeth Walk were built on the reclaimed land. In the park are several memorials, including

The Cenotaph The Cenotaph is a war memorial on Whitehall in London, England. Designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, it was unveiled in 1920 as the United Kingdom's national memorial to the dead of Britain and the British Empire of the First World War, was rededica ...

(completed in 1922), the Former Indian National Army Monument, the Tan Kim Seng Fountain (moved here in 1925 from Fullerton Square), and the Lim Bo Seng Memorial (which was unveiled in 1954). Photographic Views of Singapore Plate 07 Esplanade

Photographic Views of Singapore Plate 07 Esplanade

Queen Elizabeth Walk covers an area of approximately . The walk was substantially completed in 1953 and was named in honour of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth's

coronation A coronation ceremony marks the formal investiture of a monarch with regal power using a crown. In addition to the crowning, this ceremony may include the presentation of other items of regalia, and other rituals such as the taking of special v ...

in the same year. It was declared open on

Coronation Day Coronation Day is the day of the formal coronation, crowning of a monarch or its anniversary as observed as an annual commemoration or festival. The name is also frequently used for accession days, the dates or anniversaries of the formal assumpti ...

, 30 May 1953 by T.P.F. McNiece. There was an open air

bandstand A bandstand (sometimes music kiosk) is a circular, semicircular or polygonal structure set in a park, garden, pier, or indoor space, designed to accommodate musical bands performing concerts. A simple construction, it both creates an ornamen ...

near the Lim Bo Seng Memorial. The

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

s call the Esplanade "January ''thidal''" or "January place" because of the former sports activities held there on New Year's Day. The Chinese called the place ''tua kok cheng chau po'' or "the grass field in front of the great court", referring to the Padang in front of the

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

Esplanade MRT station Esplanade MRT station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore), Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the Circle MRT line, Circle Line (CCL) in Singapore. Situated in the Downtown Core, it is at the junction of Bras Basah Road, Raffles B ...

opened on 17 April 2010.

References

*Victor R Savage, Brenda S A Yeoh (2004), ''Toponymics - A Study of Singapore Street Names'', Eastern University Press,

External links

Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay ReviewsEsplanade celebrates 10 years of artful existence -Pravasi ExpressEsplanade the National Performing Arts Centre
{{Places in Singapore Downtown Core (Singapore) Places in Singapore