A Splendid Little Colony: British Singapore 1819 - 1963


Victoria Theatre and Memorial Hall


The Victoria Theatre and Memorial Hall, 1910, located in the heart of the colonial city. The deliberate preservation of such magnificent buildings in many ex-colonies today remains a seeming paradox in this post-Empire generation.

Source: Cheah Jin Seng. Singapore: 500 early postcards.
The Victoria Theatre was constructed in 1862 as the Town Hall, and the Victoria Memorial Hall was completed in 1905, in memory of Queen Victoria who had died in 1901. These two buildings were joined together as a complex when the Clock Tower was erected in 1906. Now named the Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall, this grand colonial building is central to the vibrant local arts and music scene today, its enduring legacy further enhanced by a four year, $180 million refurbishment which lasted until 2014.


A Splendid Little Colony: British Singapore 1819 - 1963


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Luscombe