Labrador Park/Fort Pasir Panjang, former defence battery, nature park and designated reserve area, is located in Singapore’s Central Region.1 The name Labrador is derived from “Labrador Villa”, the name of the residence of prominent ship chandler, George John Mansfield, built in 1881.2 Known as Fort Pasir Panjang, it was one of 11 coastal artillery forts built by the British in the 19th century to defend Singapore’s waters.3
Once a rocky coastline, land reclamation and development of a seawall has changed its original rugged look. Today, Labrador Park, also known as Tanjong Berlayer Beach Park, is a historic, leisure and nature park.4 Labrador Park was designated as a nature reserve in 2002.5
Fort Pasir Panjang
Fort Pasir Panjang was completed in 1878 with two gun emplacements. It was twinned with Fort Siloso on Sentosa Island as a defence site to Keppel Harbour (then known as New Harbour).6 The emplacements were upgraded to a six-gun battery, with underground ammunition storage, living spaces and tunnels in 1892.7 With the possible outbreak of war in the region in 1938, the Labrador Battery was further armed with two six-inch 37-ton guns that could fire 102-pound shells to a distance of almost 10 miles. Beaming searchlights that could track enemy ships were another addition to the battery.8
This defence position was part of a strategy based on the popular belief that an invasion of Singapore would probably come via a coastal attack, and so the placements of these guns were fixed facing the sea. In practice, they could be turned around. This was the case in February 1942, during World War II, when the guns were reversed almost 180 degrees and used by the Malay Regiment in their 48-hour struggle against the advancing Japanese 18th Division in the Pasir Panjang/Alexandra Road area.9
Dragon’s Tooth Gate
Dragon’s Tooth Gate, a literal translation of its name in Mandarin – Long Ya Men, is a rock outcrop shaped like a tooth located just offshore from Labrador Park.10 Known in Malay as Batu Berlayar and Lot’s Wife by the Europeans,11 it was believed to be the navigational marker for the great Chinese explorer Admiral Zheng He, as he travelled through the Singapore Straits.12 The rock was however blown up by the British in 1848 to widen the Keppel Straits.13 In September 2005, a 7.5 metre replica of the rock was erected at Labrador Park.14 Near the rock replica, at Tanjong Belayer Point is a white obelisk – the original Western Harbour limit. It served as a reference point for seafarers to identify specific areas within the harbour.15
Development of Labrador Park
Labrador Park has been developed as a nature reserve,16 and the battery as a historical site.17 In 1993, Labrador Park was one of the 19 sites earmarked for conservation under the Green Plan. This led to changes in the development plans by the Port of Singapore Authority in 1993 to help protect the rich marine life at the rocky seashore of the park.18 Plans to develop the park in 1996 also included the restoration and refurbishment of the bunkers and war-time relics. Signages were also included to display information on the historical significance of the relics.19
After World War II, the underground tunnels at Labrador Park were forgotten and hidden by vegetation till 2001, when National Park officials found them by accident. In 2005, two tunnels which are 46 m and 63 m long and between 2.5 m and 4 m high were opened to the public as part of the history trail at the park.20 Other than the tunnels, the machine gun posts, artillery pieces,21 casemate,22 observation positions and ammunition storage compartments can still be seen at the park.23
Labrador Park has also been developed to include food and beverage establishments and even lodging. The first proposed hotel at the park - Villa Raintree Resort and Spa24 - was developed through refurbishing two pre-war bungalows. It was slated to open at the end of 2006, offering a 60-room hotel and a spa.25 Today, the boutique hotel is run by the Samadhi Group, and is known as Villa Samadhi Singapore.26
In 2008, the development of a the Labrador Nature and Coastal Walk was announced, connecting it to Alexandra Road and the Keppel Harbour area.27 Costing $10 million, the 2.1 kilometre walk was officially opened in January 2012. It is made up of three distinct parts: Alexandra Garden Trail, Berlayer Creek and Bukit Chermin Boardwalk.28
Author
Vernon Cornelius-Takahama
References
1. Urban Redevelopment Authority (Singapore), Bukit Merah Planning Area: Planning Report 1993 (Singapore: Urban Redevelopment Authority, 1993), 9. (Call no. RSING 711.4095957 SIN)
2. Victor R. Savage and Brenda S. A. Yeoh, Singapore Street Names: A Study of Toponymics (Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Editions, 2013), 221. (Call no. RSING 915.9570014 SAV-[TRA])
3. G. Uma Devi, et al., Singapore's 100 Historic Places (Singapore: Archipelago Press, 2002), 121. (Call no. RSING 959.57 SIN-[HIS])
4. Susan Tsang, Discover Singapore: The City’s History & Culture Redefined (Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Editions, 2007), 114. (Call no. RSING 959.57 TSA-[HIS])
5. Glenys Sim, “Labrador Park Brings WWII to Life,” Straits Times, 12 March 2005, 6. (From NewspaperSG)
6. Marianne Rogerson, In Singapore: 60 Fabulous Adventures in the City (Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Editions, 2009), 109 (Call no. RSING 915.95704 ROG-[TRA]); Wan Meng Hao and Jacqueline Lau, Heritage Places of Singapore (Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Editions, 2009), 159. (Call no. RSING 959.57 WAN-[HIS])
7. Tsang, Discover Singapore, 112; Ginnie Teo, “A Walk in the Park, a Step Back in Time,” Straits Times, 22 February 2002, 14. (From NewspaperSG)
8. Tsang, Discover Singapore, 114; Yap Siang Yong, Fortress Singapore: The Battlefield Guide (Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Editions, 2011), 66. (Call no. RSING 959.5703 FOR-[HIS])
9. Tsang, Discover Singapore, 114; Yap, Fortress Singapore, 66.
10. Marcel Lee Pereira, “Historic Dragon’s Tooth Gate Reborn at Labrador Park,” Straits Times, 7 September 2005, 4. (From NewspaperSG)
11. Tsang, Discover Singapore, 112.
12. Pereira, “Historic Dragon’s Tooth Gate Reborn.”
13. Kwa Chong Guan, Derek Heng and Tan Tai Yong, Singapore, a 700-Year History: From Early Emporium to World City (Singapore: National Archives of Singapore, 2009), 67 (Call no. RSING 959.5703 KWA-[HIS]); Pereira, “Historic Dragon’s Tooth Gate Reborn”; Tsang, Discover Singapore, 112; Ray Tyers, Singapore, Then & Now, vol. 2 (Singapore: University Education Press, 1976), 353. (Call no. RCLOS 959.57 TYE)
14. Pereira, “Historic Dragon’s Tooth Gate Reborn”; Tsang, Discover Singapore, 112.
15. “Singapore Approaches,” Straits Times, 10 June 1933, 3; “Singapore Port Rules,” Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (1884–1942), 14 March 1931, 16. (From NewspaperSG)
16. “Labrador Nature Reserve,” National Parks Board, accessed 11 November 2016.
17. “Labrador Battery,” National Heritage Board, accessed 11 November 2016.
18. Dominic Nathan, “PSA Plans ‘Will Not Harm Labrador Park',” Straits Times, 14 October 1993, 22. (From NewspaperSG)
19. Ho Kee Yan, “Labrador Park Works Will Preserve War Relics,” Straits Times, 8 May 1996, 28. (From NewspaperSG)
20. Sim, “Labrador Park Brings WWII to Life.”
21. National Parks Board, “Labrador Nature Reserve.”
22. Rogerson, 60 Fabulous Adventures in the City, 109.
23. Teo, “A Walk in the Park.”
24. Chee Hok Yean, “Transforming Singapore’s Hotel Industry,” Business Times, 2 October 2007, 30; “Page 14 Advertisements Column 1,” New Paper, 21 March 2008, 14. (From NewspaperSG)
25. Krist Boo, “Labrador Park to Get a Hotel and Spa,” Straits Times, 10 May 2006, 6. (From NewspaperSG)
26. “Corporate Overview,” Villa Samadhi Singapore, accessed 11 November 2016.
27. Liaw Wy-Cin, “From Garden to Creek to Harbour – All in Just 2km,” Straits Times, 15 May 2008, 28. (From NewspaperSG)
28. Lim Yan Liang, “Trail Linking Southern Ridges to Coast Opens,” Straits Times, 3 January 2012, 2. (From NewspaperSG)
Further resources
Dominic Nathan, “PSA Plans ‘Will Not Harm Labrador Park',” Straits Times, 14 October 1993, 22. (From NewspaperSG)
Ho Kee Yan, “Labrador Park Works Will Preserve War Relics,” Straits Times, 8 May 1996, 28. (From NewspaperSG)
“Labrador Park Beach Gets a Big Clean-Up,” Straits Times, 7 November 1992, 25. (From NewspaperSG)
Ray Tyers, Singapore, Then & Now, vol. 2 (Singapore: University Education Press, 1976), 353. (Call no. RCLOS 959.57 TYE)
Wan Meng Hao and Jacqueline Lau, Heritage Places of Singapore (Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Editions, 2009), 158–9. (Call no. RSING 959.57 WAN-[HIS])
The information in this article is valid as of 2016 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.
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