2 buildings at Botanic Gardens to be repainted

SINGAPORE — Two years ago, Singapore Botanic Gardens director Nigel Taylor, while researching Singapore’s “black and white” colonial-era houses, stumbled across the fact that one of the park’s icons, Burkill Hall, was in fact, not painted in the black-and-white colour scheme seen today.

When it was completed, in 1868, it was completely white-washed, shared Dr Taylor, who had ironically been preparing for an interview on Singapore’s black-and-white houses.

Hence, the National Parks Board (NParks) is set to repaint the building, reviving its authenticity by reverting it back to its original colour scheme through the Garden City Fund, Nparks’ registered charity.

Burkill Hall will not be the only historical building at Singapore’s first UNESCO World Heritage site to be restored. The park’s bandstand will receive a fresh coat of paint as well, allowing visitors to experience them as they once were. NParks today (Nov 6) signed an agreement with AkzoNobel – a global paints and coatings company undertaking this project – yesterday at the Berhill Hall. AkzoNobel has worked on other UNESCO sites as well, such as Stadthuys in Melaka.

Another fact Dr Taylor discovered is that contrary to popular belief, Burkill Hall was originally built as a residence near a plantation for farmers, although it also served as the residence for the park’s superintendents and directors for more than a hundred years. He believes the building to be the last remaining example of an Anglo-Malayan plantation-style residence in the world.

“The rich cultural heritage of the Singapore Botanic Gardens is a collection of the shared memories spanning generations of Singaporeans. Conservation of the Gardens’ icons like Burkill Hall and the Bandstand are key to this,” said Dr Taylor.

The two sites will be closed to the public from December to the end of February next year until the works are completed.