An artist's impression of Fort Tanjong Katong in the late 1900s.

Fort Tanjong Katong in Singapore (1879 - 1901) which gave its name to today's Fort Road, used to stand on the grounds of Katong Park. Designed and built in 1879 by Henry Edward McCallum, who was the Colonial Engineer and Architect of the Singapore History Museum on Stamford Road then. The fort reflected the British concerns over possible threats posed by other European powers, such as the Russians. Together with a series of defensive batteries and fortifications along the south coast of Singapore, it defended the eastern approaches to Singapore Harbor, Singapore Town and New (Keppel) Harbor against seaborne attacks. Stamford Road Stamford Road (Chinese: 史丹福路) is a one-way road in Singapore within the planning areas of Downtown Core and Museum. ...

History

The fort occupied an area of approximately two hectares and has a small, elevated battery of three RML 7-inch muzzle-loading guns facing the sea along with bombproof shelters. The battery was surrounded by a ditch measuring 100 feet wide on the flanks.

The fort's garrison included members of the S'pore Volunteer Artillery (SVA) that conduct regular gun drills and their annual training camps at the fort. In 1885, works began on upgrading the existing gun batteries in Singapore, and the three-gun battery at Tanjong Katong was replaced with a pair of more powerful and longer range breech loading Mark VII 8-inch guns.

Beset by problems from the start, the Fort Tanjong Katong was nicknamed the "Wash-out Fort". Due to the soft ground, each time the guns were fired, the range finding equipment would shake, and would need to be recalibrated. To make matters worse, it was also hard to find the ammunition for the new 8-inch guns as it was not common in S'pore then.

Along with the remoteness of the site which hindered supply and reinforcement, reduced the effectiveness of Fort Tanjong Katong as a defense position. Barely 5 years after upgrading work was completed in 1888, it was suggested the fort be demolished. Debate over the fort lingered on between the Colonial Defense Committee in London and the Local Defense Committee Singapore for about a decade. The fort was finally rendered obsolete and abandoned in 1901 when the guns were removed. The fort was demolished after World War I (1914-1918). Eventually the site became a public park for the fast growing Katong suburds and its memory was forgotten in time. “The Great War ” redirects here. ... Katong is a residential area in the east of Singapore near the seafront. ...

Rediscovery & Excavation

In 2001, the outline of the top of the bastion wall became visible and it was this sight that alerted a Katong resident, Jack Sim to seek out the relevant authorities to investigate its origins. Despite much public discussion and interest generated on its discovery and historical significance. It was not until in 2004 that the government finally approached a team of archaeologists to excavate the forgotten fort.

Raising History, Planting Roots

"Raising History, Planting Roots" Fort Tanjong Katong Archaeology Project was an initiative by the Mountbatten Constituency under Mr. Andy Gan Lai Chiang, MP for Marine Parade GRC and Dr. Patrick H.M. Loh, the constituency grass-root leader to involve the local residents and schools as a community involvement program to encourage ownership of local heritage. Marine Parade (Chinese: 马林百列, Mandarin Pronunciation: Malinbailie) is a town and an urban planning area in Singapore directly to the east of the Central Area, Singapores central business district. ...

The long-awaited excavation began on 29 September 2004, led by a handful of archaeologists and dedicated archaeology volunteers called Southeast Asian Archaeology has subsequently uncovered significant remains of the fort still in situ, essentially, a pair of bastions, the perimeter of the inner moat escarp and what appears to be the drawbridge superstructure.

The archaeological dig at the former Fort Tanjong Katong site provided a unique opportunity for many like-minded Singaporeans to participate actively in uncovering the remains of the old Fort. Large numbers of volunteers ranging from school students to housewives, retirees, working professionals on their off-days labored tirelessly through the mud, beating rain and scorching sun in assisting the archaeologists on site and discovering first hand a part of Singapore’s heritage 125 years in the making.

The Raffles Museum of Biodiversity at the National University of Singapore assisted with the analysis of marine artefacts and corals that were uncovered at the site, and some 36 bags of samples have been deposited with the museum for further analysis. The Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research (RMBR, Chinese: 莱佛生物多样性研究博物馆) is a small private museum located in the Department of Biological Sciences of the National University of Singapore (NUS). ... University Cultural Centre The National University of Singapore (Abbreviation: NUS; Simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: Xīnjiāpō Guólì Dàxué; Abbreviated 国大; Malay: Universiti Nasional Singapura; Tamil: சிங்கப்பூர் ேதசிய பல்கலைக்கலகம்) is Singapores oldest university, and remains the largest in the country in terms of student enrolment and curriculum offered. ...

A Preliminary Site Report (v1.2 dtd 7th May, 2006) was later compiled and submitted to the relevant authorities which outlined the research process, preliminary findings, variety of volunteers, and a list of the archaeology research team involved.

Fort Tanjong Katong Now

A recent shot of Fort Tanjong Katong taken by the writer in Aug, 2006.

To date, the excavation project at Fort Tanjong Katong has ended and only the SE bastion which was nearly fully excavated has been cordoned off indefinitely (the SW bastion was left untouched). Except for the SE bastion, other exposed fort remains were reburied again in order to protect them against the elements for future archaeologists to discover.

Presently the archaeology group is lobbying for the site to be gazetted as a National Monument, and hopefully after which they are able to incorporate the fort remains to be featured as part of the park. But till to date, its status is still pending while waiting for the final decision by the Preservation of Monuments Board and Urban Redevelopment Authority.

References

1. Archaeology in Singapore - Fort Tanjong Katong., SE Asian Archaeology. Retrieved on Apr 15, 2007.
2. Preliminary Site Report by Lim Chen Sian., SE Asian Archaeology. Retrieved on Apr 15, 2007.
3. List of other coastal batteries of S'pore, Fort Siloso. Retrieved on Apr 16, 2007.
4. Exhibition of Design Ideas for an Interpretative Centre at Katong Park, NUS. Retrieved on Apr 16, 2007.
5. Site visit and photo taking on 26 Aug, 2006

External links

• Picture gallery of Fort Tanjong Katong excavation
• 19th century coral artefacts found at Fort Tanjong Katong dig