 Lau Pa Sat (Telok Ayer Market), Singapore
Lau Pa Sat is a food court in the Financial District of Singapore. Bordered by Raffles Quay, Robinson Road, Cross Street and Boon Tat Street, Lau Pa Sat is housed in the former Telok Ayer Market, the largest Victorian filigree cast-iron structure in Southeast Asia.The first market in Singapore was actually located on the south bank of the Singapore River. It was moved to Teluk Ayer Bay when the government acquired the land for commercial use.
Lau Pa Sat (12 December 2004)
© Timothy Tye
The first Telok Ayer Market was opened in 1825. At that time, the Telok Ayer Bay still existed. The market was just a simple wooden structure, 30 feet by 80 feet, with an attap roof, built of piling over the bay, with jetties that extend into the sea, to allow boats to unload their goods. Due to the material used which were not sturdy enough to face the elements, the building had to be repaired regularly. It remained in use until 1836, when a new building was commissioned.
Lau Pa Sat (8 July 2006)
© Timothy Tye
The new Telok Ayer Market was designed by George Drumgoole Coleman. He came up with an octagonal design with ornamental columns at the entrance. Coleman's market building stood until 1879, when land reclamation called for its demolition. Telok Ayer Bay was reclaimed in a massive reclamation project which was carried out between 1878 and 1885. Mount Wallich and Mount Erskine were levelled, and the soil used to fill the bay. With land reclamation, the bay disappears, and Telok Ayer Street, which formerly runs along the beach, was all that remains to remind us of Telok Ayer Bay.
Lau Pa Sat, front view (8 July 2006)
© Timothy Tye
On the newly reclaimed land, municipal engineer James MacRitchie designed a new building for the market. He adopted Coleman's octagonal design, and added cast-iron supports to strengthen the structure. At the centre of the market, he added a fountain. That fountain stood in Telok Ayer Market until 1920, when it was moved to the Orchard Road market, which is now no longer in existence.
In 1973, the year the Telok Ayet Market was gazetted a National Monument, it was converted to a food centre. In 1986, it had to be closed down to make way for the construction of the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Line underneath. However, due to its historical and architectural significance, its cast-iron supports were put into storage.
When the MRT was completed in the late 1980s, the Telok Ayer Market was reconstructed. It stays faithful to James MacRitchie's and Coleman's octagonal design, and the cast-iron supports were reinstated. It was reopened in 1991, under the rebranded name of Lau Pa Sat, which means "Old Market" in Hokkien, the most commonly spoken Chinese dialect in Singapore. Lau Pa Sat was initially intended to be a festival market catering to tourists, but it reverted to being a food centre again since 1995.
Lau Pa Sat was gazetted a National Monument of Singapore on 6 July 1973.
Getting there
The nearest MRT station is presently the Raffles Place MRT Station (EW14 / NS26) In future the Telok Ayer MRT Station (DT18) of the Downtown Line will be located on Cross Street, next to Lau Pa Sat.
Location Map of Lau Pa Sat
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