This picture was most likely taken from the top of the Fullerton Building and shows the old civic quarters of the city centre on the north bank of the Singapore River. Prominent landmarks shown include: Anderson Bridge (right foreground), erected in 1910 and named after Sir John Anderson, Governor of the Straits Settlements and High Commissioner for the Federated Malay States (1904-1911); the classical-style Old Supreme Court Building (left centre), built in 1939 at the site of the Grand Hotel de l'Europe; City Hall (centre), completed in 1929 as the Municipal Building before it was renamed in 1951 when Singapore was proclaimed a city by a Royal Charter; and the Padang (right centre), the open field at the centre of the civic district used for social, sporting and civic activities.Singapore’s first National Day on 9th August 1966 was marked by week-long celebrations that began with a big parade and march-past at the Padang (Malay for ‘flat field’), located in the old civic district of the city centre. The parade contingent consisted of 23,000 participants who marched from Chinatown to Tanjong Pagar. The National Day Parade has since become an annual affair and the Padang remains one of several venues used to host the event in different years.
