Toa Payoh Dragon Playground

The Toa Payoh Dragon Playground is a playground located along Lorong 6 Toa Payoh in Toa Payoh, Singapore. The playground is a dragon playground, a type of playground that was initially popular in Toa Payoh and Ang Mo Kio, and is one of two remaining dragon playgrounds in Singapore.

1. History

The Toa Payoh Dragon Playground was constructed in 1979, in front of 28 Lorong 6 Toa Payoh. The playground was designed by former Housing & Development Board (HDB) interior designer Khor Ean Ghee, as part of a series of animal-themed playgrounds built in HDB public housing estates around Singapore. Its design was based on an experimental dragon-shaped playground in Toa Payoh Town Park, with several modifications from its predecessor to make it easier to build. The playground stands on top of a sand pit, and consists of multicoloured steel rings along the dragon's body for children to climb through, with a slide inside its head. It is one of the oldest playgrounds in Singapore. Other similar playgrounds were demolished in the late 1990s owing to "safety concerns", but the Toa Payoh playground in particular remained untouched. The playground has since become a cultural icon of Singapore.

The playground is included in the Toa Payoh heritage trail, along with fifteen other locations in Toa Payoh, such as the Toa Payoh Town Park, the Lian Shan Shuang Lin Monastery, and the United Five Temples of Toa Payoh. In 2014, it was announced that while the buildings surrounding the playground, blocks 28, 30, 32 and 33 along Lorong 6 Toa Payoh, would be demolished, the playground would remain. An event was held at the playground to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Singaporean independence in 2015. In 2017, the Housing & Development Board announced plans to build several facilities around the playground, such as a newer playground and a fitness corner.

1. References

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Chung Hwa Medical Institution

Chung Hwa Medical Institution is a medical institution located in Toa Payoh, Singapore. The institution is the headquarters of the Singapore Chinese Physicians Association (SCPA), and houses the Singapore College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Chinese Medical and Drugs Research Institute, Chinese Acupuncture Research Institution, and a traditional Chinese medicine clinic.

Hospital Landmark

177 m

Toa Payoh Sports Hall

The Toa Payoh Sports Hall is located in the heart of a residential community in the central region of Singapore and is part of the Toa Payoh Sports & Recreation Centre. The Sports Hall sits in Toa Payoh New Town, one of the earliest public housing estates in Singapore. The Toa Payoh Sports Hall was upgraded and converted to host the inaugural Youth Olympic Games’ weightlifting and volleyball competitions for the first time. With a seating capacity of 2,000 spectators, the Toa Payoh Sports Hall has hosted a wide range of sports events.

Baseball Stadium

Toa Payoh Stadium

Toa Payoh Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium in Toa Payoh, Singapore. It was used mostly for football matches and was the home stadium of Balestier Khalsa. The stadium held 3,800 people. It was taken over by the then Singapore Sports Council on 30 November 1973, and opened to the public on 1 March 1974.

Landmark Stadium

Toa Payoh Public Library

The Toa Payoh Public Library (Chinese: 大巴窑图书馆), formerly Toa Payoh Community Library (Chinese: 大巴窑社区图书馆) and Toa Payoh Branch Library, is an established library located in the Toa Payoh Town Centre, Singapore, opened on 7 February 1974. It consists of three floors and has a large floor area of approximately 4125 m2. The building which the library currently based in once housed the Southeast Asian Peninsular Games Secretariat for the 1973 Southeast Asian Peninsular Games in Singapore. The library is also within walking distance of HDB Hub, Toa Payoh Bus Interchange and Toa Payoh MRT station.

Library