This aerial picture shows the Esplanade area along the coastline (left centre) and the open field known as the Padang (right centre) further inland. In the mid 19th century, the Esplanade referred to the seafront area fronting the open field then known as the Plain (later called ‘the Padang’). The Esplanade area was doubled in size in 1890 following land reclamation works that saw the building of New Esplanade Road (later renamed Connaught Drive) along what was then the coastline. Further reclamation projects in the mid 20th century saw the coastline extended beyond Connaught Drive and the Esplanade area expanded to include the Esplanade Park and the Queen Elizabeth Walk seafront promenade. Other notable landmarks in the area were the Cenotaph, the Tan Kim Seng Fountain, and the Lim Bo Seng Memorial. In 1970, the popular Satay Club hawker centre was relocated to the Esplanade. In the 1990s, the Esplanade area underwent major redevelopment works to connect Queen Elizabeth Walk with the Marina Bay area. Part of the reclaimed land became the site of the new Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay arts and entertainment complex, which opened in 2002.
