Two halls and a 54-metre clock tower at Empress Place make up Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall, home of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra.
The theatre began life as the Town Hall, completed in 1862 at Empress Place, where the Singapore River curls past towards the bay. The concert hall followed in 1905 as the Victoria Memorial Hall, with a 54-metre clock tower rising between the two buildings. Both were upgraded from 2010 to 2014, and the pair, a National Monument since 1992, is home to the Singapore Symphony Orchestra.
Outside stands the bronze statue of Raffles, erected on the Padang in 1887 and moved here in 1919. The Asian Civilisations Museum is its neighbour at Empress Place, and the old City Hall and the Padang, where much of Singapore's history was decided, are within a few hundred metres. Walk the area in the morning, then shelter from the afternoon heat in a gallery.
