Raffles' Landing Site

A dark bronze statue of Sir Stamford Raffles stands on the north bank of the Singapore River, marking the spot where he reportedly stepped ashore in eighteen nineteen. The statue is a copy of the original by Thomas Woolner, cast to commemorate the centennial of the city founding. Raffles believed this river mouth would serve as a vital trading post for the British East India Company. He signed a treaty here that changed the island into a bustling port for the British Empire.