what. unused postcard with lighthouse
where. Clifford Pier, Singapore
remarks. The original pier on the site of the current Clifford Pier was the Johnston's Pier, opened in 1856. Johnston’s Pier was also affectionately known as Ang Teng Beh Tau (in Hokkien), which means “red lamp harbour”, in reference to the red lantern hung at the end of the pier that served as a warning for incoming sea-faring vessels. In 1927, construction work began on the Clifford Pier nearby, and it was officially opened in 1933, to replace Johnston's Pier. Its colloquial name of Ang Teng Beh Tau was also applied to this new structure.
Today, the Clifford Pier building no longer serves its original function. It was closed in 2006 and was converted into a restaurant. Today, it is part of the Fullerton Bay Hotel. In commemoration of its earlier colloquial name, two red lamps of about 1m-high have been installed at the sea-facing side of the building. It is unclear if they were meant to be replicas of the original red lanterns; nonetheless, they appear to be faux lighthouses. The postcard shows one of these lanterns on its right side.
note. Malay for lighthouse: rumah api; Mandarin Chinese for lighthouse: 灯塔 (simplified script; dēngtǎ), 燈塔 (traditional script; dēngtǎ); Tamil for lighthouse: கலங்கரை விளக்கம் (kalaṅkarai viḷakkam)
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