The Old Vic’s finally back. Having seen it look increasingly tired over the years, it’s nice to see that it’s not just been freshened up during a four year hibernation, but has also been done up very nicely for its role as a mid-sized performing arts venue for the future.
Ticking once again is the clock at the Old Vic.
The Old Vic’ made new.
A passageway regained by the side of the concert hall.
I had the opportunity to have a quick glance at the newly refurbished Vic at an exclusive tour organised for a group of bloggers over the weekend of the Open House, with a visit to the top of what to me has always been the mysterious clock tower thrown in; and I must say, there isn’t anything there is to dislike about its latest makeover – except that is that everyone now seems to want to refer to the well-loved monument by its acronym VTCH (for Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall). We in Singapore do have a penchant for using acronym, but extending the practice to our well loved icons, doesn’t seem quite right.
The queue at the opening of the Open House.
We got a peek at the inside of the clock tower.
It will always the old Vic to me, a landmark that we have long identified with our Lion City. It is where the founder of modern Singapore, Sir Stamford Raffles, has maintained his proud position – almost uninterrupted (the statue was removed from its position during the Japanese Occupation in 1942 and restored in 1946) since 1919, the centenary of him setting foot on the island at a point not far away on the river bank and setting the ball rolling on a chain of events that has brought us to where we are today. The chimes from its clock tower were ones that flavoured my childhood and it was something I looked forward to hearing on the many occasions I found myself in the area in the days of my childhood.
Inside the refurbished Old Vic – seen on the third level below the glass roof of the Central Atrium.
The refurbished theatre.
The section of the building that has served as the concert hall since the late 1970s was of course the Victoria Memorial Hall back in the days of my youth, a name I still have the tendency, as with many of my generation, to use in referring to the National Monument. There were several occasions when I did have a chance to pop into it – it had been the site of many exhibitions in the days before the former World Trade Centre and the former Harbourfront took over as Singapore’s main exhibition venues.
The entrance to the former Victoria Memorial Hall – the area below the concert hall where the box office is located.
The concert hall, which served as the home of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) from 1979 until the SSO shifted to the Esplanade in 2002, was actually a 1905 addition to the building, built in the memory of Queen Victoria. The original section, built as a town hall in 1862, was then remodelled to complement the memorial hall in a symmetrical fashion and reopened as a theatre in 1909. The clock tower, with chimes and clock by the Straits Trading Company, was completed in 1906.
A view from the clock tower.
Over the years, several modifications were made to the buildings. This included a significant makeover in the 1950s, which saw the two buildings air-conditioned, and the seating capacity of the theatre doubled. That makeover also saw the incorporation of the previously open courtyard between the two buildings into the structure with it being covered up – a modification that has to an extent, now been reversed.
The Central Atrium – where the courtyard between the two buildings had been.
A look through the old arches to the new relief etched panels of the theatre.
A glass roof now allows light into a rather pleasant looking and air-conditioned courtyard, the Central Atrium, restored partially on the side of the concert hall. Not only does this allow a wonderful view of the clock tower, it allows it to serve as a through passageway from the front of the buildings to the back. At the back a magnificent view of Old Parliament House, now The Arts House, Singapore’s oldest government building, in its full glory awaits.
The Arts House – at the end of the passageway.
The Central Atrium is where we see a tasteful blend of old and new. The rolling back of the modifications made to maximise the capacities of both the theatre and the concert hall, sees the boundaries of both pushed back to the original locations, allowing the columns and arches to be brought out. On the side of the concert hall, we see how it may have been with its ornate archways and rusticated columns restored. It is however the side of the theatre that seems most interesting, it is there that we now see a reinterpretation of courtyard side of the old theatre, with the use of relief etched precast panels providing a modern and forward looking impression, partly to compensate for the absence of information relating to the original architectural details, in contrast to that on the side of the concert hall.
The precast relief etched panels on the theatre side of the atrium.
It was also nice to see how Victoria Theatre has been redone – its seating arranged in the horseshoe shape as it might originally have been with a provision of an orchestral pit. This has reduced its capacity from 900 to 614, providing it with a more intimate setting. More importantly, the modifications must now give it much improved acoustics – one of the few impressions of the theatre that I have from watching Lea Salonga in a Singapore Repertory Theatre production of the musical “Into the Woods” sometime in the 1990s, was of its rather poor acoustics.
The refurbished theatre.
It is interesting to see that several items from the old theatre have been incorporated into the new – with the backs of the old seats decorating the entrance foyer, seen in a floating “Rubik’s Cube”. Frames and material from the old seating are now also seen in the remodelled theatre, such as the cast-iron components incorporated into the newly installed acoustic timber walls.
A re-used part of the frame of the old seating.
The ‘Rubik’s Cube’ in the theatre’s foyer and a reflection of it on a counter top.
While some of us did not get to see the 673 seat concert hall, we did hear the glorious strains from Dr Margaret Chan’s masterful pipe-organ performance from the foyer where we got to see the suspended balcony – replacing the previously added balcony that had to be supported by intrusive structures, to free up volume and improve acoustics.
The refurbished concert hall (photo courtesy of Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall).
The suspended balcony.
What we got to see that most visitors during the Open House didn’t was the clock tower (which incidentally has had its crown restored), which I had been curious about throughout my childhood. The inside of the clock tower turned out to be quite different from what I had envisaged – the clock’s mechanism and the five bells seemed a lot smaller than what I had imagined as a child.
The chime bells and a clock face on the platform below.
The writing on the largest bell: ‘This clock and chime of bells were presented to the Queen Victoria Memorial Hall by the Straits Trading Company, 1905’.
The clock has seen an improvement during the refurbishment – an automatic winding mechanism was added. Prior to this, the clock had to be rewound manually, requiring the clock winder to climb 176 steps once a week at the top of which he would have had to spend up to an hour winding the clock.
The long road to the top – 176 steps for the winder who would have to make the acsent once a week.
An automatic winder has been added to the clock’s mechanism.
The clock’s chimes, so I am told, are audible as far away as the Esplanade. However, its sounded a lot softer than one might have would have expected it to, standing right by the bells. Beside the thrill of hearing the bells chime at 11 o’clock, there was also the bonus of taking in the magnificent views of the surroundings and the contrast of the old Padang surrounded by the architectural symbols of colonial power next to what architectural historian Lai Chee Kien, calls a new “liquid padang” – surrounded by the architectural symbols representing the new power.
The clock level.
The refurbishment of the old Vic coincides with an effort that will also see a renovation of the Asian Civilisations Museum and the transformation of the Old Supreme Court and City Hall into the National Gallery Singapore – all scheduled to be completed next year. That will complete the transformation of an area that had been at the heart of the colonial administration into an arts and cultural hub – what the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), in their 2014 Master Plan, terms as a “Civic and Cultural District by the Bay“.
For more information on what is envisaged for the Civic District as part of URA Master Plan 2014, do visit the following links:
- Civic and Cultural District by the Bay – URA Master Plan 2014 (on YouTube)
- Central Area (URA Master Plan 2014)
More information on Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall and its recent refurbishment can be found on their website.
Some key dates relating to the Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall:
| 17 March 1855 |
The foundation stone for the new Town Hall was laid by the Governor of Singapore, Colonel W. J. Butterworth. |
| 1902 – 1905 |
Victoria Memorial Hall was built in memory of Queen Victoria’s reign. Victoria Memorial Hall and Tower were joined to the existing theatre by R. A. J. Bidwell of Swan and Maclaren, with passageway between the two buildings. |
| 18 October 1905 |
Victoria Memorial Hall was officially opened by the Governor of the Straits Settlements, John Anderson. |
| 1906 |
The construction of the signature clock tower was completed. This was later than expected due to the delay in donation of the clock and chimes by the Straits Trading Company. |
| 1909 |
The first performance that took place in the newly completed Victoria Theatre was Sirs William S. Gilbert and Arthur S. Sullivan’s well-known and amusing opera, The Pirates of Penzance, staged by the Singapore Amateur Dramatic Committee. |
| 6 February 1919 |
On Centenary Day, T. Woolmer’s statue of Sir Stamford Raffles was moved from the Padang to Victoria Memorial Hall, taking the place of the bronze elephant presented to Singapore by King Chulalongkorn. |
| Early 1942 |
The Victoria Memorial Hall was used as a hospital for victims of bombing raids by the Japanese forces during World War II. |
| 1946 – 1947 |
Victoria Memorial Hall was used as a location for war crimes courts. |
| 21 November 1954 |
The inaugural meeting of the People’s Action Party was held at the Victoria Memorial Hall. |
| 1954 – 1958 |
Major renovations were carried out including a complete restructuring of the interior of the theatre. Air-conditioning and sound-proofing was added and the courtyard covered up. |
| 4 November 1957 |
The public had its first glimpse at television when William Jacks and Co presented a full length variety show on television at the annual Philips Radio Convention held at the Victoria Memorial Hall. |
| 15 February 1963 |
Television Singapura (Singapore’s first TV station) was launched with a pilot monochrome service at the Victoria Memorial Hall. |
| 1979 |
Victoria Memorial Hall was renamed the Victoria Concert Hall and named as the official home of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. |
| 1980s |
A gallery was added to the Concert Hall, adding seating capacity and enclosing the second storey balconies on the front and back facades with glass. |
| 1990s |
Renovations were carried out to Victoria Theatre to make it a more efficient performing venue. |
| February 1992 |
Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall was gazetted as a national monument of Singapore. |
| 2010 |
The Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall was closed for a $158 million renovation. |
| 2014 |
Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall reopened its doors after a four-year renovation. |
The Long and Winding Road 