Depiction and style
Designed in 1979 by Mr Ho Cheok Tin, a now retired art teacher, the mural was initially placed outside former Westlake Primary School's assembly hall. It was said that the mural was also visible from Braddell Road.
The mural is a standard-sized, pre-fabricated mosaic artwork style that was popular in the 1960s and 1970s and was made using specially ordered Italian glass. Mr Ho painted the mural while he was still teaching at New Town Secondary School.
Depicting 15 1960s-1970s landmarks of Singapore such as the Singapore River, the World Trade Center, cable cars and the demolished National Theatre, the glass mosaic mural serves as a timestamp of that time period.
Merger and closure
In 2002, Westlake Primary School merged with First Toa Payoh, Braddell and San Shan Primary Schools. Westlake Primary School's campus was eventually demolished and made way for the new Raffles Girls' School (RGS) campus.
The iconic mural was kept and relocated to its current site along Braddell road outside RGS. Accessible to the public, the mural showcases the early development of Singapore during the nation building era.
Buildings and sites featured on Roots.gov.sg are part of our efforts to raise awareness of our heritage; a listing on Roots.gov.sg does not imply any form of preservation or conservation status, unless it is mentioned in the article. The information in this article is valid as of April 2021 and is not intended to be an exhaustive history of the site/building.
