What Did the First Japanese Garden in Singapore Look Like? | The Library Report #41

Alkaff Gardens, the first Japanese garden built in Singapore, was opened to the public in 1929. The 10-acre garden became a popular green leisure space for both visitors and residents with its landscaped paths, tea houses, and its main attraction, a lake. Find out how Alkaff Gardens came to be and how it was enjoyed back in the day.

For more info on Central Public Library and the Lepak Landscapes exhibition, visit https://go.gov.sg/ctpl-about
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Closing date: 15 February 2024, 11.59 pm (SGT)

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1. Watch this video and give it a “Like”.
2. Comment below with your answer to the question: “What do you love about Singapore’s green leisure spaces and garden scapes?”

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Timestamps:
00:00 – Teaser
00:20 – Episode Introduction
01:05 – Opening Titles
01:15 – Lepak Landscapes Exhibition
02:45 – How Alkaff Gardens Came About
03:34 – What Was Alkaff Gardens Like?
04:37 – Alkaff Gardens As A Leisure Space
06:07 – Activities At Alkaff Gardens
07:08 – Alkaff Gardens in Film and Literature
08:03 – What Happened to Alkaff Gardens?
09:09 – Closing

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Alov Gardens is really the brainchild of say shik Abdul Rahman alov and he was such a lover of old Japan that he actually commissioned a Japanese landscape architect to help him build this very Garden on land that the family owned there were also artificially created Hills and one of them was

Actually reminiscent of Mount Fuji hi my name is shabir and this is the library report a series where we talk to interesting people explore exciting spaces and unearth compelling stories I’m here at the Singapore Al Cove in the newly reopened Central Public Library where you can find an ongoing exhibition

About our well-loved Leisure spaces Singapore is known for its Urban Jungle but we’re also equally fond of greenery from Parks and nature reserves to Public Gardens turns out this Fascination goes way back in this episode I’ll be journeying back in time to uncover a Japanese style Garden that was once a

Popular Leisure destination in Singapore how did it come to be and where is it today do stay tuned to the end of this episode for a chance to win something Special hi Andria thank you so much for joining us today uh very excited to explore the history of alov gardens but before that could you tell us more about the work you do at the National Library yeah absolutely so as a librarian in the Singapore and Southeast Asia collections

Department in the National Library my primary role involves providing reference Services building the photographs collection and also developing content for research projects so I contributed research to the lebak Landscapes exhibition here at the Central Public Library where we are today our Rich Singapore stories are brought to life through four unique

Leisure spaces in Singapore namely Somewhere in Time happy Heartland Ral therapy and fun in the sun and I suppose fun in the sun refers to the outdoors right and and that’s where your research on alaf Gardens comes in yeah so through this content Zone we showcase Singapore’s relationship with the

Outdoors how these spaces act as communal bonding spaces and also how they have evolved over the years so Singapore is widely known as The Garden City or city in the garden and green spaces are a very big part of our society from the botanic gardens to

Gardens by the bay we’ve had a very long lasting relationship with Gardens and one of the things that we showcase and the fun in the sun is this very enduring relationship and how it began earlier than we think it did and one of the spaces I focused on was the alov gardens

Its history and unique role as a Leisure space in the lives of singaporeans at the time the alov Manion is familiar to many but the arov garden is a bit of a mystery so could you tell us more about you know how it came about and its

Beginnings sure the alov name is one that is quite familiar so alov Gardens was actually founded by the same prominent Arab family who built the elov mansion in the 1850s the ELA family first came to Singapore and they established a pretty lucrative tra in Sugar coffee and spice later they became

Very successful in the property and real estate business and alov Gardens was built alongside badari cemetery and that was actually a road leading up towards it from Upper sangon Road and the original Gardens and original Lake was where Ceda girl secondary school and Senate estate are today the site has

Undergone major changes could you take us back and tell us what elov Gardens was like yeah I can actually show you as well so elov Gardens is really the brainchild of s shik Abdul Rahman alaf and he was such a lover of old Japan that he actually commissioned a Japanese

Landscape architect to help him build this very Garden on land that the family owned so at the center of the garden was the main attraction which was the lake and the lake was a man-made lake but beyond that there were also things like a zigzac bridge a tea house on the banks

Of the lake an arch wooden bridge as well as a stone Lantern feature and besides all this there were also artificially created Hills and one of them was actually reminiscent of Mount Fuji so what was so special about this Garden was that it was very much a

Pleasure Garden in the sense that it really reflected the owner’s love for a Japanese landscape and a Japanese style which was very different at that time because a lot of gardens in Singapore were actually in more of a western style a garden in Singapore with a touch of

All Japan that’s really interesting what made alov garden such an important Leisure space for singaporeans well as we have seen alov Gardens really reflected its owner’s Personal Taste and love for Japanese gardenscapes and it is what researcher Rafael laini would call a private pleasure Garden but alov Gardens kind of defied definition in

Some way because it was very much a public private pleasure Garden through oral history uh interview shared by descendant Al alov we actually learned that alov Gardens was originally uh planned as a weekend retreat just for the family originally it was a small one for the family to go weekend it was

Small just for the family and I think the idea got to them that why keep it to the family while let’s open it and expand it from them and then it’s open to public and it was then open to the public in 1929 as an act of generosity uh because the practice of

Affluent families occasionally opening their homes and lavish Gardens to the masses was quite customary in the 19th and early 20th centuries for instance wo Gardens which was owned by wampo or ar he opened the gardens during festive season Seasons like Chinese New Year but alov Gardens was slightly different

Because it was opened every single day of the year and anyone could just droll in green spaces are a big draw for nature livers and livers alike uh was it similar for alov Gardens as well like what did singaporeans back then used to space for ala Gardens was open to the

Public free of charge and this allowed the non-european population to enjoy the gardens and the lake as well according to our research the site was known as and I quote the real Singapore as 99/10 of the population knew it so yes alov Gardens would have been bustling with visitors from coughing couples to

Outdoor enthusiasts visitors went on picnics a Pastime that is still popular today and people would be taking photographs amidst the scenic views for a small fee they could also go boating on the lake as well as water cycling and also enjoy some refreshments and I believe that the way we enjoy green

Spaces has taken on a modern twist but its fundamental purpose is still the same which is to bring people together to share and to appreciate the space alov Gardens held such prominence in our Collective Consciousness can we assume that it made its way into our films and literature

Sure alov Gardens was a romantic rendevu spot for lovers and this lived experience was actually depicted in cinematic and literary works as well so for instance in the love story rayuan sukma or Call of the Soul which was filmed on site at the gardens so the gardens played a pretty big role in

Other films by Shaw Brothers Malay film Productions as well and even featured renowned actors like P ramley it was also featured in books set in Singapore like lions and tigers where author Ralph modder talked about how his characters went on dates in alov gardens so through these representations in literature and

Film we actually see how alov Gardens were was a pretty big part of Singapore social community at the time seeing alov Gardens live on in our movies and literature is truly special but what happened to it unfortunately alov Gardens suffered bombing by the Japanese during the war and eventually fell into

Disrepair it remained close to the public during the Japanese Occupation itself and after the war the alaves decided to return to their Core Business of trading and the land where alov Gardens once stood was sold to Senate royy company Senate estate was then built on that site which meant the end

Of elov Gardens and many were quite disappointed by the announcement of the loss of this Garden because it was really quite loved by the public and even back then our community really appreciated green spaces both the privately owned ones and the public ones today Singapore has a variety of green

Spaces for leisure like the Singapore Botanic Gardens and the Drang Leake Gardens which houses the Chinese gardens and the Japanese Gardens which were first established in the 1970s so from then till now we’ve actually had a really lasting appreciation and fondness for nature as a place to unwind and a

Place to enjoy the way we interact with and within Nature has evolved with the times but one thing remains constant our love for green spaces and garden Scapes you can learn more about these and other Leisure spaces in Singapore at the Singapore alve in Central Public Library

Before you go tell us what you love about Singapore’s green Leisure spaces and garden Scapes comment below for a chance to win $30 in give vouchers thanks for watching this episode of the library report if you enjoyed what you saw give us a like and make sure to subscribe plus hit that notification

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