National Monuments Of Singapore: Parliament House Block C
What is a National Monument? Who gazettes them? How many national monuments are there in Singapore? To date, the Preservation of Sites and Monuments, a division of National Heritage Board, has identified and gazetted 75 buildings, structures and sites of national significance as an integral part of Singapore’s built heritage.
And we're here to tell you all about them - one National Monument at a time!
You've probably passed by or stepped into more than a few of them without realising they were National Monuments: Al-Abrar Mosque, Asian Civilisations Museum, the Civilian War Memorial, Saint Andrew's Cathedral, the Esplanade Park Memorials, Fort Siloso on Sentosa - no need to plan an itinerary for friends visiting from overseas; just show them this article ✌️
In this edition, we throw the spotlight on a lao jiao building, aka Parliament House Block C (formerly the Attorney-General's Chambers), dating all the way back to 1839.
📍 Location
Parliament House Block C was the 32nd building to be gazetted as a National Monument, and is located right beside The Arts House. The MRT stations nearest to Parliament House Block C are City Hall or Raffles Place.
📅 Significant dates
Dates built:
- 1839: Court House Annexe (part of The Arts House today)
- 1976: Renovated to accommodate the Former Attorney-General's Chambers
- 1991: Restored to form part of the Parliament House Complex today
Milestones:
- 1839: Court House Annexe
- 1991: Parliament House Block C
Date gazetted:
- 14 Feb 1992
IMAGE: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS/@SMUCONLAW
📜 History
The earliest known structure on the site was an annex of Maxwell’s House (now the Former Parliament House), which opened in 1839 and initially housed the court. However, its proximity to a noisy boatyard made it unsuitable, leading to its temporary use as a post office before being abandoned.
In the 1880s, a second structure replaced or expanded the annex into a larger two-storey building with large windows and a jack roof, serving as the Government Printing Office. And in 1906, it underwent major construction and renovation – the resulting façade remains until this day.
Fun fact about Parliament House: The façade shown in the Google Maps street view above is the building's true front, which is unfortunately blocked by The Arts House nearby.
From the late 1960s to 1976, the building housed the Public Works Department, which oversaw the construction and maintenance of Singapore’s public infrastructure. It was renovated in 1976 to serve as the chambers for the Attorney-General, the Government’s chief legal advisor and public prosecutor.
IMAGE: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS/@SMUCONLAW
📐 Design and architecture
To ensure the building blended with its surroundings, a rusticated base (a type of masonry treatment in which the blocks making up a wall are articulated by exaggerated joints rather than being flush with each other) was added to the Former Attorney-General’s Chambers.
Architectural elements were also inspired by the nearby Victoria Theatre and Victoria Concert Hall, both heavily influenced by the Neoclassical style. The structure includes curved pediments on its corner extensions, decorated with stucco cartouches (a decorative frame surrounding an image or an inscription) and festoons (carved ornamental motifs) in the shape of mouldings of leaves and ribbons.
Only timed guided tours are available for the Parliament House Complex, but you can always enter the nearby Parliament Visitor Centre during its opening hours. | IMAGES: NG KAI
🕖 Opening hours
Parliament Visitor Centre: 10am to 9pm, Mondays to Fridays (closed on public holidays).
🎟️ Admission
Parliament Visitor Centre: Entry is free, with walk-in visitors welcome. Or embark on a virtual tour of Parliament House here.
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