0019, 0071, 0759 & 0867 SINGAPORE - The Downtown Core

Posted on 26.11.2011, 14.12.2011, 22.07.2013, and 19.11.2013
The Downtown Core of Singapore, which surrounds the mouth of the Singapore River and southeastern portion of its watershed, is part of the Central Area, Singapore's central business district. The mouth of the Singapore River contained the old harbour of the Port of Singapore, so the city grew around it, and the area which is now known as the Downtown Core was the financial, administrative and commercial centre of the colony. In forefront of the first postcard is seen the Merlion statue (8.6m hight and 70t weight), made by Lim Nang Seng in 1972, but placed in Merlion Park, where it’s now, barely in 2002. Designed by Fraser Brunner in 1964 for the logo of the Singapore Tourism Board, this symbol of Singapore is a mythical creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish. Its body is made of cement, skin from porcelain plates and eyes from small red teacups.

The highest six buildings that are visible in the back in the first postcard are, from left to right: Hitachi Tower (179m - completed in 1992), Republic Plaza (280m - completed in 1995), Singapore Land Tower (190m - completed in 1980), One Raffles Place (280m - completed in 1986), Maybank Tower (175m - completed in 2001), and United Overseas Bank Plaza / UOB Plaza (280m - completed in 1995). Republic Plaza, One Raffles Place and UOB Plaza are the highest skyscrapers from Singapore (to equality).


Right in back of the Merlion statue, in the first postcard (the building with columns), but also in the second postcard, is the Fullerton Hotel, whose the northern end covers the site of Fort Fullerton. Commissioned in 1919 as part of the Crown colony's centennial celebrations, the building was designed as an office building by Major P.H. Keys, and was opened in 1928. Initially, General Post Office covered the two lower floors (until 1996), and the exclusive Singapore Club rented premises on the upper floors (until 1961). In the WWII the building was the one in which General Percival discussed with Sir Shenton the possibility of surrendering Singapore, and subsequently became the headquarters of the Japanese Military Administration. In 1997, Sino Land (Hong Kong) Company Ltd acquired the Fullerton Building and converted it into a hotel, officially opened in 2001.

In the second postcard is also Cavenagh Bridge, the only suspension bridge in Singapore, opened in 1870 to commemorate Singapore's new Crown colony of the Straits Settlements status in 1867. Originally known as the Edinburgh Bridge, is currently a pedestrian bridge, with lighting added in the 1990s to accentuate its architectural features at nightfall.


In the third postcard is the north shore of Marina Bay, in which flows Singapore River. In the left side can be seen Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay, a waterside building located on six hectares of waterfront land, built to be the centre for performing arts for the island nation of Singapore and completed in 2002. It contains a concert hall which seats about 1,600 and a theatre with a capacity of about 2,000 for the performing arts. The unique architectural design has been said to have an appearance similar to either a durian or the eyes of a fly. Hence, the building is colloquially known to locals as "the durians".

In the right side of the postcard is the Singapore Flyer (which appear in the fourth postcard). Between the two points is spanning Marina Centre, a zone of reclaimed land within the Downtown Core, which contains Suntec City, Marina Square and Millenia Walk. In the center of the postcard, with the roof in the form of a truncated cone, is Millenia Tower which also can be seen in the second postcard. It has 218m height and was completed in 1996.



About the stamps
On the first, third and fourth postcard 


The stamp belongs to the new low value definitive stamp series release by SingPost on April 13, 2011. This series complete the Pond Life definitive collection, which contain the following ten stamps:

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