Formerly the Dutch Reformed Church of Malacca, Christ Church remains the oldest surviving Dutch church outside the Netherlands. Previously situated within its fort walls, Christ Church used to be part of the old fortified town of Malacca before the walls were taken down by the British at the beginning of the 19th century. It is located opposite the Stadthuys (‘town hall’ in Dutch), which was constructed in the 1650s and served as the Dutch administrative centre and the Dutch Governor’s residence. Another significant structure in Malacca’s Town Square is the clock tower. Its foundations were first built by Straits Chinese merchant Tan Beng Swee, and completed in 1886 by his son Tan Jiak Kim.
