Lau Pa Sat

Coordinates: 1°16′50.2″N 103°51′01.2″E / 1.280611°N 103.850333°E / 1.280611; 103.850333

Lau Pa Sat
Lau Pa Sat from above

Lau Pa Sat (Chinese: 老巴刹), also known as Telok Ayer Market (Malay: Pasar Telok Ayer; Chinese: 直落亚逸巴刹), is a historic building located within the Downtown Core in the Central Area of Singapore. It is currently a food centre. There are several shops inside the market such as a 24 hours Cheers Store, a shoe repair shop, a tailor and a laundry store. In the evenings on the weekend a live band plays at the stage in the middle of the market.

Etymology

In the early nineteenth century, Telok Ayer Market was a simple wooden building, located on piles just over the waters of Telok Ayer Bay and hence the market's name. The Malay name Telok Ayer means "water bay" as the coastal road Telok Ayer Street lies alongside the bay.

Lau Pa Sat means "old market" in the vernacular Chinese of Singapore. Lau (老) means old; pa sat is the Hokkien pronunciation of the Persian loanword bazaar (market) which is pasar in Malay. Because of its Victorian iron structure, the market is referred to in Malay as pasar besi (market of iron).

History

The distinctive clock tower of Telok Ayer Market.

Singapore's first market was located at the south bank of the Singapore River. When the government acquired that land for more lucrative commercial use,[1] the market was moved to Telok Ayer Street.

When Telok Ayer Market first opened in 1825, it extended over the sea. Jetties leading from the market allowed produce to be loaded and unloaded directly onto boats. The simple 30-feet by 80-feet timber and attap structure that rested on timber piles was not sturdy enough to face the elements. It was repaired and remained in use for several more years until 1836 when a bigger market was needed.

Architect George Drumgoole Coleman conceptualised an octagonal building with ornamental columns at the entrance. This market opened in 1838 and stood until 1879, when land reclamation called for its demolition.[1]

Telok Ayer Market was moved to newly reclaimed land at Collyer Quay, and the construction of a new market began at the current site in 1890 and completed in 1894.[2] Designed by Municipal Engineer James MacRitchie, the new building is more or less as it appears today. Adopting Coleman's octagonal shape, MacRitchie added cast-iron supports to strengthen the structure. In the centre of the market, he incorporated a fountain which remained at Telok Ayer Market until 1920, when it was moved to the now non-existent Orchard Road Market.

By the early 1970s, the area around Telok Ayer Market — Shenton Way, Robinson Road, Cecil Street and Raffles Place — had swelled into a busy commercial district with sparkling new skyscrapers. In 1973, the market was converted into a hawker centre and by 1986, it was closed to make way for a new Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line. The building's historical and architectural value was recognised and its signature cast-iron supports were put into storage.

Telok Ayer Market was reconstructed for the last time in the late 1980s, when tunnelling work for the MRT was completed. The latest building remains true to MacRitchie's and Coleman's designs and the cast-iron supports have been reinstated.

Renamed Lau Pa Sat, the vernacular name by which most Singaporeans refer to the market, the old market reopened in 1991 as a festival market, a supposedly modern food court catering to office workers and tourists. The owner was the Jumabhoy family's Renaissance Property (part of now defunct Scotts Holding). The grandiose food court was opened with a lot of fanfare and wide media publicity. But it soon became a flop, business dropped a few weeks after it opened, due largely to poor ventilation (no air conditioning). Lau Par Sat was later taken over in 1995 by Kopitiam - another food court operator, and still in operation today albeit messier than Festival Market. The market most recently reopened on 4 July 2014 after a $4 million renovation.

Lau Par Sat was gazetted as a national monument on 6 July 1973.[3]

Architecture

The intricate roof and column structures of the Lau Pa Sat are typically Victorian.

Lau Pa Sat's unique, octagonal, cast-iron structure is delicate in its execution, and was designed by James MacRitchie. It was shipped out from Glasgow[1] by P&W MacLellan, who had also made the iron for the Cavenagh Bridge in 1868. This may be true, but the great cast-iron columns which support the structure clearly bear the maker's mark of W. MacFarlane and Co., also of Glasgow.

The use of cast iron for the structure, as well as for decorative reasons, is typically Victorian. Slender columns are topped with composite capitals supporting trusses with filigree-like infills. The cast-iron archways and fretted eaves brackets are good examples of the craftsmanship of the day. It was erected by Riley Hargreaves & Co. (now United Engineers).

Renovation

Renovation began on September 1, 2013 with the current reopening on June 30, 2014.[4]

Images

The photographs of the renovated Lau pa sat are below.

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 "Preservation of Monuments Board: "Former Telok Ayer Market (now Lau Pa Sat)"". Preservation of Monuments Board. Archived from the original on 14 May 2012. Retrieved 21 November 2012.
  2. ↑ "Former Telok Ayer Market (now known as Lau Pa Sat)". Roots. National Heritage Board.
  3. ↑ National Library of Singapore: "Former Telok Ayer Market", retrieved 21 November 2012
  4. ↑ http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/food-wine/story/new-eats-revamped-lau-pa-sat-20140706#sthash.onmDT5ly.dpuf

References

Further reading

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