Ruffles landing site

On January 29, 1819, Stamford Ruffles, with a small research expedition, sailing from Penang down the Strait of Malacca , landed at this point in modern Singapore during his first appearance here, which lasted 10 days. At that time, an “orang laut” (“people of the sea”), obeying the Johor Sultanate, lived at the mouth of the Singapore River. On February 6, Ruffles signed the first treaty with the ruler of Johor. ^[one]

Above the landing site stands a statue of Stamford Ruffles , located on the north bank of the Singapore River. The modern marble statue of 1972 is a copy of the bronze original of Thomas Wulner, solemnly mounted on Padang in 1887 , and now placed in front of the Victoria Theater and Concert Hall .

A plaque installed at the landing site states:

At this historic site, Sir Thomas Stamford Ruffles first landed in Singapore on January 28, 1819, and with genius and insight changed the fate of Singapore, turning it from a small fishing village into a large seaport and modern metropolis.

Original text

On this historic site, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles first landed in Singapore on 28th January 1819, and with genius and perception changed the destiny of Singapore from an obscure fishing village to a great seaport and modern metropolis.

• History of Singapore

• Norman Edwards, Peter Keys (1996), Singapore - A Guide to Buildings, Streets, Places , Times Books International, ISBN 9971-65-231-5
• National Heritage Board (2006), Discover Singapore - Heritage Trails , ISBN 981-05-6433-3