The origins of the Botanic Gardens can be traced back to 1822 when it was first started by Sir Stamford Raffles on Government Hill, or Fort Canning Hill. The Gardens that one has come to know was founded by an Agri-Horticultural society in 1859 before being handed over to the government in 1874. The Gardens bustled with much activity during the rubber boom of the early 20th century, courtesy of its first director, Henry Ridley, who had pioneered the planting of rubber.
