| This map, from a 1960s street directory, shows the location of Empress Place. |
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| I think this picture is dated around 1900, but I can't be sure. The building straight ahead is the Government office, later the Parliament, and now the Empress Place Building. The building to its right is not the Victoria Hall, so this must be pre-1905. |
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| The Victoria Memorial Hall was built in 1905, as a memorial to the late Queen Victoria. This c1907 view shows it when almost new. |
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| This c1910 view of the hall shows that the prime mover in those days was human muscle power. |
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| ... and the Rickshaw was the 1910 equivalent of the Taxi cab. |
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| Around 1919, the statue of Sir Stamford Raffles was relocated from the Padang to the forecourt of the Victoria Hall. In the background we see a tram. |
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| In 1922, Singapore was visited by Royalty, and Empress Place was suitably decorated. |
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| Another scene from the 1920s, and a lone motor car disturbs the tranquility. |
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| This is an interesting view of Anderson Bridge in the early 1920s. The ground across the river has been cleared for the construction of the Fullerton Building (see next picture). |
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| It's c1927, and trolleybuses have replaced the trams. Still plenty of Rickshaw traffic. The Dalhousie Obelisk was removed from its place in front of the Victoria Hall in 1910, to make way for the road leading to the new Anderson Bridge. |
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| Here we have the classic view of Empress Place, taken from the Fullerton Building. the Municipal is brand new, dating the picture at around 1929. |
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| We've moved on about 10 years, to 1939 when the Supreme Court was built. |
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| Same shot a few years later (c1948) and the Cathay Building is prominent on the skyline. In these three picture, Empress Place has hardly changed, unlike the buildings in the background. |
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| An interesting shot looking from the Memorial Hall towards the Cavenagh Bridge, on April 23rd 1952. I don't know who the VIPs were. Sir Stamford has lost his semi-circular colonade. |
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| A similar view a year or so later. In the right background is the Bank of China building, under construction. It was completed in 1954. |
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| Some time in the early 1950s it a roundabout system was introduced. At first it was layed out with painted oil drums, as seen here. |
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| Looking towards the Anderson Bridge we see one of the post-war trolleybuses. |
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| Later the traffic islands were made permanent and landscaped. |
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| Looking the other way, we see the completed Bank of China building. Plenty of traffic coming off the Anderson Bridge, and the style of cars would date the picture as late 1950s. |
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| A nice late 1950s portrait of the Victoria Hall. |
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| Welcome to the 1960s. The trees have grown considerably since the previous view from this angle. In the background we see an isolated block of high-rise flats, and the notorious National Panasonic advertisement. This enormous neon-lit structure was highly controversial when built, as it was thought (by some) to detract from the classic architecture that surrounded it. Other people welcomed it as a symbol of Singapore's modernity. |
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| Singapore changed beyond recognition from the 1970s onwards. This October 1975 shot shows a couple of early skyscrapers, but this was nothing compared with what came later. |
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