Here is a statue of Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles standing tall and mighty against the backdrop of our Central Business District (CBD).
He signed the treaty with the Sultan (King) of Singapore on 6 February 1819. The treaty allowed the British to set up a trading post where he declared Singapore a free port. That attracted many traders and merchants from China, India and Europe came sailing into Singapore to do their businesses here. Some of them eventually settled and called this place home.
Since then, we transformed from a fishing village to a metropolitan city in just 200 years with a thriving maritime.
According to historical claims, this was the exact spot where Sir Stamford Raffles first stepped ashore to the then sleepy town of Singapore. To commemorate the historical moment, this is known as Raffles Landing Site where his statue was erected.
