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1 - 3. Labrador Obelisk that stands at the most southern tip of
Singapore mainland; 4. It is just beside the machine gun pillbox
About the Labrador Obelisk
(Source: Myths and Facts of Singapore)
In the South-eastern tip of Labrador Park, there stands a strange
stone monument at the foot of the cliff, side by side with a
machine-gun pillbox just a stone throw away. The monument is
anything but new and intact. It was originally painted in white,
but now it is badly weathered and even its inner brick structure
barely exposed. Riddles were made for school camps about this
monument such as what this column is called, and what the name of
the structure on top is.
Judging by its shape where there was no information plaque around,
it is an obelisk that is a tall, thin, four-sided, tapering
monument which ends in a pyramidal top. Ancient obelisks were made
of a single piece of monolith just like this one.
Obelisks were a prominent part of the architecture of the ancient
Egyptians, who placed them in pairs at the entrance of temples.
The obelisk symbolized the sun god Ra and during the brief
religious reformation of Akhenaten was said to be a petrified ray
of the Aten, the Sundisk. It was also thought that the god existed
within the structure.
Then for this obelisk here, who erected it and what was it used
for? Some speculated it was a light house. Some said that was a
defected unfinished obelisk precedent to the Dalhousie Obelisk
that is standing at Empress Place, abandoned here.
Through a historian, SPI found out the truth. The Labrador Obelisk
used to be the marker of the most southern tip of Asia continent,
erected by the British in the 18th century. In the past, the cliff
was at the edge of the coast line of the Labrador battery. Where
the obelisk was standing, is used to be right at the edge of the
shore before it was extended in a recent land reclamation project.
1 - 2. The paint was stripped out, but it was white in color
originally. The bricks underneath are exposed;
3. Some blue graffiti can be seen on one side of the obelisk. Very
hard to read what it is;
4. At night, the obelisk would be illuminated by the spot light
1 - 2. A knowledgeable informant shared his experiences with SPI
on the history of the Labrador obelisk
3 - 4. It is confirmed that the obelisk is facing the South
direction
1 - 3. Under some close examination of the obelisk, a strange
round patch up was found. Do you know what it was used for?
4. It was speculated that the obelisk may serve as a mysterious
marker pointing to certain celestial object for hiding some secret
Where Did the Obelisk Come From?
By comparing the Labrador Obelisk and the Dalhousie Obelisk, they
were about the same, from the size, the material that were
constructed to their ages. Although it was confirmed by NPark that
the purpose of the Labrador Obelisk, it was not known who erected
it there and at what special occasion it was erected. Speculations
go by this Labrador Obelisk could have been manufactured at about
the same when the Dalhousie Obelisk was built, probably for saving
some resources from building two individually.
In Aswan, Egypt, there was one called Unfinished Obelisk. That was
a rejected obelisk left over from the quarry area because it had a
defect during the chiseling process. A fatal crack was found in
the centre of the obelisk. However, both the Dalhousie and
Labrador obelisks were not cut out from a single piece of granite.
They were built by bricks, and finished with a plaster of cement
over its surface. It still remains unknown on the event in which
the Labrador Obelisk was setup. Unlike its counterpart the
Dalhousie Obelisk who received much attention and appreciation at
the one of the most precious places in Singapore, Empress Place,
the Labrador Obelisk stands as a lonely run-down structure facing
the sea.
Till now, it still remains as a mystery as in where the Labrador
Obelisk came from. The two surviving obelisks share the same
design, but very different fates.
Wouldn't the same architect John Turnbull Thomson who designed the
Dalhousie Obelisk also designed the Labrador Obelisk?
About the Dalhousie Obelisk
Dalhousie Obelisk situated on the banks of the Singapore River
near Empress Place. The memorial commemorates the visit to
Singapore in 1850 by Marquis Dalhousie, Governor-General of India.
The memorial was constructed in hopes that Singapore would have
better standard of living. This history connected with this
monument educates the public of the history of Singapore, about
how Dalhousie tried to have a better standard of living in
Singapore to create a united community.
The Dalhousie Obelisk was built to commemorate the visit of the
Governor-General of India, Lord Dalhousie, and his wife in 1850.
The purpose of Dalhousie's visit was somehow considered by the
locals as to defend free trade while he himself came here for
considering the reduction of administrative expenditure. Some
locals opined that this obelisk shouldn't have been constructed at
all. Singapore was by then a thriving port under the British East
India Company. The funds for the Obelisk were donated by the
prosperous merchant community in the hopes that the visit would
lead to dramatic improvements in public works, amenities and the
administration of the settlement. Unfortunately, nothing concrete
materialised from the visit and Dalhousie left negative impression
in Singapore.
The Obelisk was designed by John Turnbull Thomson (1821-1884), a
surveyor and engineer. During his years in Singapore, he produced
maps of the Town, the Island and the Straits, and constructed
roads and bridges. He was also responsible for the building of
Horsburgh Lighthouse on Pedra Branca at the eastern entrance to
the Singapore Straits.
The Obelisk was threatened by the construction of Connaught Drive
in 1886. Governor Sir Cecil Clementi Smith intervened and ensured
its safe removal to the banks of the Singapore River near Empress
Place, where it has stood since 1891.
1 - 2. An Obelisk structure was found near the entrance of Bukit
Brown Cemetery with a cross engraved on.
Is this a tomb or something else?
3. This stone monument is about at a knee height. It could be
lethal killing device that can solidly probe through a human body.
Imagine you were carried up and the back was flung heavily on it
like those in wrestling?
Rumour has it that the Obelisk used to be a weapon for keeping
vampires away from this wild cemetery jungle. Is it fact or
fiction?
Another one? Exorcising Obelisk
Mixed
among dozens of eerie gravestones scattered on the deserted bush
outside the Bukit Brown cemetery, a strange stone stands. This
stone stump takes the shape of an obelisk but its function is
quite unknown. Rumor has it that the obelisk is a symbolic weapon
with a cross engraved on it to ward off demonic spirits. Therefore
it gets the name exorcising obelisk. Some people believe that is
just an anonymous make-shift tomb hurriedly setup. If it was the
latter case, why was the headstone made as an obelisk form that is
usually used to commemorate special event rather than for the
deceased? Is it just a matter of western culture for shaping a
tomb as an Obelisk?
Fun Quiz Time
On one of the investigation trips, SPI visited the Labrador Obelisk. It is found
that some perhaps school camp had "tagged" an interesting riddle
at the Labrador Obelisk. The question seems simple. You are
encouraged to give a try. The answer you will later find at the
photo album called "Unusual Structures in Singapore", exclusively
in our SPI Moblog. Come check out the answers and join SPI at
http://www.spi.com.sg/blog/SPI
Check out the answers at SPI
Moblog @
http://www.spi.com.sg/blog/SPI
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