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Mount Emily Swimming Pool and Coat of Arms
30 December 2024
Discover the history of Singapore's first public swimming pool at Mount Emily Park, and find the 1948 Coat of Arms of the Singapore Municipal Commission at its entrance.
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Mount Emily Swimming Pool was a municipal reservoir before the decision was made by the Singapore Municipal Commissioners on 11 September 1929 for it to be converted into a fresh water public pool. It was one of the two service reservoirs, constructed in 1878 at Mount Emily to supply the town with fresh water. In 1929, when a larger storage reservoir at Fort Canning was opened, the two reservoirs were adapted for other uses and Mount Emily reservoir became a swimming pool. Being the first public pool in Singapore, Mount Emily was an extremely popular venue. It could accommodate between 250 and 300 swimmers at any one time. In the mid-1930s, the number of bathers reached a record high of 8,000 a month. The pool was used mainly by the local population, and according to pool staff, 30 percent of its users were of the coolie class. The pool also served as a training venue for competitive swimmers. In 1951, an estimated 150,000 swimmers used the facility. In the 1970s, it remained one of the most popular pools, along with the Farrer Park, River Valley, Queenstown, and Yan Kit swimming pools. Long queues would form before the pool opened, and as many as 300 people could be turned away during the school holidays. At the end of the financial year 1981/1982, Mount Emily was one of 14 swimming complexes managed by the Singapore Sports Council. It accounted for only 0.4 percent of the total attendance of close to 3.9 million at all public swimming pools. Due to poor visitorship, the pool was closed in December 1981. It was eventually demolished, and the site converted into a park. You will also find the Coat of Arms for Singapore Municipal Commission, granted on 9 April 1948 by College of Heralds in London, at the entrance of Mount Emily Park.
Address 48 Upper Wilkie Road, Singapore 228102 (opens in new tab)